fe 






t>m 



i'i:<l,;-v ■ ■■■■ 
H- '■..'■- '] . 

S';.vV.;';4.' '• 
iWr-- •■■■ 



7'v 



ffi^ 



.^''-iit': ;■■■■ 



'MX-. '''■:■ '... ' ■;■' 

v'M-'f;";.,;i;V.\ 
■.«.■- '. ' ■ • 
:,<.'/,■ /,■• ,''■■■■.,•■•■ 



':'Jii;::-v\"i:-; 







Class 




Rnnk .C 1^ 



/ 



^ 



']t6 



COMMEMORATIVE 

I) 

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



OF THE COUNTIES OF 



Brown, Kewaunee and Door, 



WISCONSIN, 



CONTAINING 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE 
CITIZENS, AND OF MANY OF THE EARLY SETTLED FAMILIES. 



-ILLUSTRATED. 



C|iICAGO: 

J. H. DEERS & CO. 
1895, 




rmoH THI FMMR OT WtUON, HUMFtUUri « CO.. 
rOVBTH n-., LOOAKSrOKT, tKD, 



Prekacb. 



THE importance of placing in book form biographical history of representative 
citizens — both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations 
— is admitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has 
been a growing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography 
and family genealogy. 

That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature 
needs no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the 
history of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and 
representative citizens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose: 
while it perpetuates biography and family genealogy, it records history, much of 
which would be preserved in no other way. 

In presenting the Commemorative Biographical Record to its patrons, the 
publishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their 
enterprise has received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to sur- 
mount the many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the production of a work of 
this character. In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was 
gathered from those immediately interested, and then submitted in type-written form 
for correction and revision. The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is 
placed in the hands of the public with the belief that it will be found a valuable addi- 
tion to the library, as well as an invaluable contribution to the historical literature of 
Northeastern Wisconsin. 

THE PUBLISHERS. 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 




ARTIN, HON. MOR- 
GAN LEWIS, *was 
"one of the most 
conspicuous and dis- 
tinguished among the 
aand of pioneer settlers 
who early gave a nation- 
al reputation to Wiscon- 
sin. " He was mainly 
instrumental — chiefly by 
his influence in both Sen- 
ate and Congress — in se- 
curing the Fox River Val- 
ley improvement, and his name 
^^ is indissolubly linked with the 
early history of a great portion of north- 
ern Wisconsin. 

Judge Martin, for by that title he is 
more generall)- referred to, came of good 
lineage, the family being of eminence and 
antiquity in Hertfordshire, England, and 
Tours, France. The name of his imme- 
diate ancestor, Thomas Martin, is borne 
on the list of colonists who emigrated to 
America in 1693, and he became one of 
the proprietors of the Ockoocangansett 
plantation in Marlborough, Mass., land 



* For much of the personal sketch of Judge Martin we 
are indebted to "Reminiscences of Morg.in L. Martin. 1827- 
1887." edited and annotated, with biographical sketch, by 
Reuben G Thwaites. Secretary State Historical Society of 
Wisconsin. — Ed. 



having been granted him there. Aaron 
Martin, his grandson (son of Adam, who 
died April 25, 17 16), born January 21, 
171 2, was in Salem, Mass., where the 
colonists first settled, the Martins a few 
years later moving to Sturbridge, in that 
State, where the original homestead was 
built, and which is still in a fair state of 
preservation. This Aaron Martin, who 
was the great-grandfather of Morgan 
Lewis Martin, was one of the first manu- 
facturers in New England, holding large 
domains of land on the various river 
courses; and, while yet in middle life, was 
drowned in one of his own mill streams, 
the Quenebang river, when crossing over 
to the mill on a cold March morning. 

Adam Martin, his son, who was born 
August 5, 1 7 16, owned, in 1763, a valua- 
ble estate, with water power and sawmills. 
He was an officer in the Provincial army 
during the French and Indian wars, sub- 
sequently captain in a Massachusetts regi- 
ment during the Revolution, his commis- 
sions dating April 24, 1770, and August 
17. '797. respectively. Like his father, 
from whom he inherited extensive landed 
property, he was largely interested in 
lumber, woolen and grain mills in Lewis 
county, N. Y. , whither he had emigrated 
at an early day, while the country was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



yet a wilderness. He purchased a town- 
ship in Lewis county (which was named 
after Governor Morgan Lewis, of New 
York), naming the chief town "Martins- 
burg," after himself. 

His only son, Walter, father of Hon. 
Morgan L. Martin, while yet a young 
man, came into the inheritance, and was 
considered the patron of northern New 
York. While yet a lad he served under 
his father in 17S8, and at the close of the 
war of 181 2 Col. Martin was commis- 
sioned by Gov. George Clinton, of New 
York, quartermaster No. i of militia 
in which his father had been commis- 
sioned lieutenant-colonel. These com- 
missions are still intact, the heading of 
Col. Walter Martin's reading as fol- 
lows: "The People of the State of New 
York, by the grace of God free and inde- 
pendent, to Walter Martin, gentleman, 
greeting." 

Morgan Lewis Martin, son of Gen. 
Walter Slartin, was born in Martinsburgh, 
Lewis Co., N. Y., March 31, 1805. In 
1824 he graduated from Hamilton Col- 
lege, at Clinton, N. Y., and for two years 
he studied law with Collins & Parish in 
Lowville, N. Y. In 1826 he went to 
Detroit (then the chief city of the North- 
west), where he entered the law office of 
Henry S. Cole, and was soon afterward 
admitted to the bar. But he did not 
long remain in Detroit, for in May, 1827, 
acting under the advice of his cousin, 
James Duane Doty — who was then seek- 
ing to have the Territory of Huron erected 
by Congress, with Green Bay as the seat 
of government — he took up his home in 
Green Bay, and here resided until his 
death which occurred December 10, 1887 
— a most interesting period of si.\ty 
years. 

Judge Martin landed in Green Bay 
May 20, 1827, the voyage from Detroit 
having been made on the "La Grange," 
a chance sailer, loaded with provisions 
for the garrison at Fort Howard, and 
having on board several army officers, 
among whom were Brig-Gen. Hugh 



Brady and Paymaster Maj. Benjamin F. 
Larned. Of the civilians, who were also 
passengers un the "La Grange," was 
Father Fauvel, the first of his Church, it 
is said, to land in Green Bay after the 
close of the early missions. At Shanty 
Town, in those da\s the commercial em- 
porium of the Bay Settlement, our sub- 
ject established his law office, which con- 
sisted of a room in a story-and-a-half 
frame building occupied by a branch of 
the Ducharme family. At that time there 
were not more than one hundred ci\ ilians 
at the Bay Settlement, in the main con- 
sisting of French and mixed-blood • ' voy- 
ageurs," and Indians of various tribes — 
Pottawattamies, Ottawas, &c. — were 
numerous. There were a few clearings 
and cultivated fields surrounding the set- 
tlement, Lawe, Porlier and Grignon be- 
ing the leading agriculturists, the latter 
having, probably, the most pretentious 
farm, which same was located at the 
Kaukauna rapids, on the north side, be- 
low the present city of Kaukauna. 

In 182S Judge Martin took a canoe 
voyage from Green Bay to Prairie du 
Chien, up the Fox river and down the 
Wisconsin, and enjoyed a very interesting 
experience. The year before had occur- 
red the Winnebago outbreak at Prairie 
du Chien, and the murderer Red Bird 
and his friends were now to be tried at a 
special term of court. Judge Doty had 
appointed our suliject United States dis- 
trict attorney, /;•<' hm, hence the latter's 
presence with the judicial party. On his 
arrival at Prairie du Chien he met Lucius 
Lyon (whom he had previously known in 
Detroit), at that time a United States sur- 
veyor, who had just completed his survey 
of the private French land claims there, 
and our subject finding that, after all, 
his services in the Red Bird case would 
not be needed, he and L\on planned to 
make a tour through the lead mines. 
"There were no maps of this country 
then," writes Judge Martin, "but Lyon 
had a small pocket compass with him, 
and took the courses and distances of the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



Fox-Wisconsin route, and made the iirst 
approximately correct map of that water 
highway; later, on my return from Galena 
to Prairie du Chien, I did the same for 
the Mississippi; we then put our notes to- 
gether and gave the result to a prominent 
eastern map-maker who adopted it as part 
of the geography of the country. It was 
published in 1829 or 1830, and was the 
first real map of the country between 
Green Bay and Galeua. I was much 
gratified, afterward, to see that later 
official surveys of the Mississippi corres- 
ponded exactly with mine. Lyon and I 
started down the Mississippi from Prairie 
du Chien on a very primitive sort of 
steamer; there were two vessels like 
Mackinaw boats, with a platform between 
and a shed built on that — it was, in fact, 
a steam catamaran. During the entire 
time court was in session at the Prairie, 
we staid at Galena, and then Judge Doty 
and Rowland came down and joined us 
there. After a few days, Lyon and I went 
on what was then a decidedly novel trip, 
an expedition through the mining region 
north of Galena," which they found over- 
flowing with prospectors, miners, and a 
certain nondescript class that might be 
catalogued as "camp followers," in all 
fully two thousand men. After their in- 
spection of the mining country, the party 
returned home from Galena the way they 
had gone, meeting with no special ad- 
venture. 

In the spring of 1829, in company 
with Wistweaw, a Menomonee Indian, 
and Alexander Grignon, a young half- 
blood Menomonee, as assistants. Judge 
Martin and Judge Doty, starting from 
Green Bay on horseback, traversed the, 
up to that time little known, region south 
of the Fox and Wisconsix rivers, and are 
believed to have been the first party to 
make the trip by land between the ex- 
treme outposts of this section — Green 
Bay and Prairie du Chien. At the latter 
place Judge Doty held a term of court, 
and Judge Martin officiated as United 
States district attorney, pro teni. Their 



return trip was also by overland, but with 
some change of trail, and on both jour- 
neys they were greatly struck with the 
beauty of the lake country and its adapta- 
bility for becoming the abode of civilized 
life. They passed along the north bank 
of Fourth lake, where eight years after- 
ward, in 1836, Judge Martin laid out the 
" City of the Four Lakes," and the coun- 
try they traversed on this novel journey 
was (in the words of Judge Martin him- 
self), "after reaching a distance of thirty 
miles from Green Bay, more charming 
than any we had ever beheld, with its ex- 
tensive oak openings and almost unlimited 
prairies. There was not, however, a 
trace of occupancy or any indication that 
it had ever before been traversed by white 
men." 

In October, 1829, the first public 
meeting in the history of Green Bay was 
held there, Louis Grignon being chair- 
man, and Judge Martin, secretary. Con- 
gress was petitioned to build a road from 
Green Bay to Chicago, and also to im- 
prove the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. In 
1833 the Judge paid his first visit to Mil- 
waukee, while on a horse-back tour of 
exploration, on which occasion he was 
accompanied by Daniel Le Roy and P. 
B. Grignon, and as far as Fond du Lac 
their course lay on the same trail our sub- 
ject and Judge Doty had made in 1829. 
After that they struck southeast to the 
shore of Lake Michigan, following it 
closely until the Milwaukee river was 
reached. At their destination they met 
Solomon Juneau, the trader, whose home 
was the " old trading house," and he and 
Judge Martin became fast friends, their 
business relations continuing many years 
— in fact they were joint owners of the 
original plat of Milwaukee; and such con- 
fidence had they in each other, that no 
written memorandum of the terms of 
their partnership was ever made between 
them; yet at the end of three years ac- 
counts between them were adjusted, and 
" property valued at hundreds of thous- 
ands divided with as little difficulty as 



lO 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL liECOHD. 



you would settle a trifling store bill," the 
Judge's own words. Such in brief is an 
outline of the life of Judge Martin as a 
pioneer of northern Wisconsin; and the 
earl}- history of the city of Green Bay, as 
well as of the entire Fox Kiver Valley, is 
so intervolved with the active period of 
his life, that a record of the one is essen- 
tially a record of the other. 

From the "Reminiscences" we ex- 
cerpt the following, illustrative of the 
earlv efforts toward the improvement of 
the Fox-Wisconsin river highway, an im- 
portant feature in the development of 
this portion of the State. The statement 
is substantially in the Judge's own words: 
•'The first movement by the general gov- 
ernment toward the improvement of the 
Fox-Wisconsin river highway — with a 
view to making a continuous line of navi- 
gation from Lake ^fichigan to the Missis- 
sippi river — was made in 1839, while I 
was in the Territorial council. Capt. 
Thomas J. Cram, of the topographical 
engineers, made, under the direction of 
the War Department, a preliminary sur- 
vey of the rivers and an estimate of the 
cost of their improvement. In 1846, 
while a delegate in Congress, I secured, 
by dint of very hard work, the passage of 
an Act (approved August 8) making a 
grant of land to the State, upon its ad- 
mission into the Union, for the improve- 
ment of the Fox river alone, and the build- 
ing of a canal across the portage between 
the two rivers. The grant covered every 
odd- numbered section within three miles 
of the canal, the river and the lake, en 
route from the portage to the mouth. 
When the second Constitutional Conven- 
tion was held, this proposition on the 
part of Congress was endorsed, and, at 
the first session of the State Legislature, 
the latter body passed an Act, approved 
August 8, 1848, appointing a board of 
public works consisting of five persons 
and providing for the improvement of the 
river. * * * On January i, 1851, the 
board reported to the Legislature that 
the work would have to stop unless some 



device for a more rapid sale of land could 
be originated, ^^'hile the affair was in 
this condition, I made a proposition to 
the Legislature, through Gov. Dewey, to 
do the work from Green Bay to Lake 
Winnebago, except what the board of 
public works had finished or was already 
under contract for. The board had dug 
the canal at Portage, before there was 
any steam navigation possible on the 
Lower Fox. * * * The Legislature of 
1 85 1 accepted my proposition, and I 
went to work with about five hundred 
men, commencing at Kaukauna. Oper- 
ations were carried on throughout that 
season, along the entire distance from 
Green Bay to Lake Winnebago." The 
Improvement Company went on with the 
work until 1856, in which year the first 
boat, the "Aquilla," passed through the 
works — from Pittsburg to Green Bay. 

From 1 83 1 to 1835 Judge Martin was 
a member of the legislative council of 
Michigan Territory, and from 1838 to 
1 844 he was one of the Territorial council 
of Wisconsin. In 1845-47 he represented 
his Territory in Congress with marked 
abilit}'; was president of the State Con- 
stitutional Convention of 1847-48, and 
both in the chair and on the floor was 
one of the guiding spirits of the body 
which framed the charter under which 
the Commonwealth of Wisconsin still 
operates. In 1855 he was elected a 
member of the State Assembly, and three 
years later was sent up to the Senate. 
Throughout the entire period of the Civil 
war he served as an army pa\'master. In 
1866 he was appointed Indian agent, 
holding the position until 1869, when the 
War Department took charge of Indian 
affairs. In 1866 he was the candidate 
(under the Johnson movement) for Con- 
gress, from the Fifth District, in which 
campaign he was defeated by Philetus 
Sawyer. In 1870 he resumed the prac- 
tice of law which he had temporarily laid 
aside, and in 1873 he was again elected 
to the Assembly. From 1875 ""''• his 
decease he served as county judge of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



II 



Brown county, and from its organization 
was one of the most active of the vice- 
presidents of the State Historical Society 
of Wisconsin. 

On July 25, 1837, Judge Alartin was 
united in marriage, at Green Bay, with 
Miss Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Col. 
Melancthon Smith, U. S. A. , and grand- 
daughter of Judge Melancthon Smith, 
who was a delegate from New York, in 
Congress, in 1782-84, prior to the period 
of the Constitution. To this marriage 
were born six children, namely: Leonard 
Martin; Annie, who died in 1861; Me- 
lancthon, deceased in infancy; Sarah, 
Morgan L. , Jr., and Debbie. Judge 
Martin was a man of generous impulses, 
kindly manner, keen wit, fine literary 
tastes, and greatly enjoyed the comforts 
of his beautiful home in Green Bay, 
" Hazelwood," where he was surrounded 
by a loving and accomplished family. He 
died December 10, 1887. 



JOHN L. JORGENSEN, proprietor 
of the largest dry-goods and carpet 
establishment in northern Wiscon- 
sin, the same being located in the 
thriving and wide-awake city of Green 
Bay, Brown county, is a native of Den- 
mark, born of German ancestry May 27, 
1849, in the city of Nakskov, Laaland. 

Grandfather Jorgensen (who spelled 
his name "Juergens"), a highly educated 
man, resided in Schleswig, where he was 
a minister of the Lutheran Church. He 
was possessed of great force of character, 
interesting himself deeply in the politics 
of his country, and, being both pro- 
gressive and aggressive, he took an active 
part in the revolutionary risings of 1848, 
shortly after which he was removed to 
Denmark, the language of which country 
he spoke fluently. 

J. A. Jorgensen, father of our subject, 
who was one of a family of si.x children, 
received his education at the public 
schools of Denmark, which was supple- 
mented with a course of study at a 



college, his intention at first being to 
enter some profession. Preferring, how- 
ever, a mercantile career, he prepared 
himself for such in some business house 
of Nakskov, Denmark, where he re- 
mained, and he has been prominently 
and successfully engaged in mercantile 
pursuits for the past fifty years or more, 
being now one of the oldest and 
wealthiest merchants in that city, where 
he is highly esteemed for his integrity, 
and recognized as a man of influence and 
ability, and as a leading churchman. He 
married Miss Sophia Mortensen, a native 
of Denmark, who died in middle life, the 
mother of one son, John L. , the subject 
of this sketch. 

John L. Jorgensen received his educa- 
tion in his native town, and was reared 
to mercantile pursuits. At the age of 
sixteen years (in 1865), having decided to 
try his fortune in the New World, he set 
sail from his native land, and after an 
uneventful transatlantic voyage landed at 
Boston, whence he at once proceeded 
westward, arriving at Chicago, a stranger 
in a strange land. After a short sojourn 
in the metropolis of the West, he set 
out for Wisconsin, Neenah, Winnebago 
county, being his objective point, and 
here attended school for a short time in 
order to become conversant with the 
English language. Securing now a 
position in Mr. Pettibone's dry-goods 
store in Neenah, he remained there a year 
and a half, after which he was sent by 
Mr. Pettibone to Green Bay, where he 
clerked for him a long time in his store 
in that city; also was in the employ of 
D. Butler & Son for a brief period. 
Having by this time saved some money, 
he commenced the dry-goods business 
May 27, 1876, at Fort Howard, in part- 
nership with A. Gray, of that place, in 
which they continued two and one-half 
years, when they divided the stock, and 
Mr. Jorgensen opened out a similar busi- 
ness for his own account in Fort Howard, 
commencing on a small scale, with but 
two clerks; but he soon found he had to 



12 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPUICAL RECORD. 



enlarge his store by adding to it from 
time to time. The business at last had 
grown to such proportions in 1887 that 
he was compelled to open a branch store 
in Green Bay, and form a joint-stock 
company composed of himself and his 
two brothers-in-law, G. A. and F. T. 
Blesch, under the firm name of Jorgen- 
sen, Blesch & Co. Soon the branch 
store became the chief one, and Mr. 
Jorgensen found himself under the neces- 
sity of building a new store on the same 
street, opposite the old one, which he 
fitted with all modern improvements, and 
to-day it is without exception the largest 
dry-goods and carpet store in northern 
Wisconsin. 

In 1877 John L. Jorgensen was mar- 
ried at Fort Howard, Wis., to Miss 
Sophia Blesch, daughter of Francis and 
Antoinette (Schneider) Blesch, natives, 
the father of Bingen-on-the-Rhine, Ger- 
many, the mother of Brussels, Belgium. 
Mrs. Jorgensen was born and educated at 
Fort Howard, is a lady of refined tastes, 
a great reader, a lover of home, flowers 
and home influences, and, withal, special- 
ly excelling as a musician. Our subject 
in his political preferences is a Republi- 
can, and in social affiliations is a member 
of the I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W. and 
Royal Arcanum; in the I. O. O. F. he is 
grand master for the State of W'isconsin, 
and he was instrumental in having the I. 
O. O. F. Home established in Green Bay, 
where at present some thirty members 
find a home and shelter, and he has been 
general manager and superintendent of 
this institution since its establishment. 



WILLIAM LUEKE, the able and 
efficient county treasurer of 
Brown county, stands promi- 
nent among the German-Ameri- 
can citizens of northern Wisconsin, by 
reason of his popularity, his administra- 
tive abilities and his long-established 
reputation for honesty and loyalty. 

He was born December 24, 1850, in 



Fahlenverder, Province of Brandenburg, 
Prussia, (iermany, of which province, in 
the city of Nauen, Potsdam, his ancestors, 
who were for the most part millers by oc- 
cupation, as far back as can be traced, 
had "a local habitation and a name." 
Here his father, Charles F. Lueke, was 
born December 4, 1822, and here he was 
reared and taught the trade of miller in 
the ancestral mills. After serving his ap- 
prenticeship he became a journeyman in 
the business, traveling from place to place 
(as is the custom in the Fatherland), 
finally settling in Fahlenverder, where he 
married Miss Amelia Hordlemann, young- 
est dauehter of one of the prosperous 
farmers of that locality. Here to Mr. 
and Mrs. Lueke were born two children, 
William (our subject) and Louisa, the lat- 
ter of whom died in Milwaukee, Wis., 
shortly after the family's arrival in the 
Western World, in the fall of 1854, the 
then village of Green Bay being their ob- 
jective point. Here the father first found 
employment with G. T. Kyber, in the 
construction of the old military plank 
road running from Green Bay to Fond du 
Lac, next spring moving to De Pere, 
where he found employment as a miller, 
his legitimate vocation, and so continued 
until i860, in which year he bought a 
mill on Cedar creek, near Green Bay. In 
the following year, however, he abandoned 
this and, returning to De Pere, made his 
home there till the spring of 1867, at 
which time he moved to Wrightstown, 
where he built a gristmill, on the East 
river, more frequently called ' ' Devil 
river," which mill he successfully operated 
till July 4, 1880, when it was destroyed 
by fire; he also owned a fine farm of 160 
acres of land. Selling out this property 
in the fall of 1880, he removed to Mani- 
towoc, and here remained till the spring 
of 1 883, the year of his taking up his resi- 
dence in Greenleaf, Brown county, where, 
in association with his son William, he es- 
tablished a grain and general mercantile 
business, which they successfully con- 
ducted till April 7, 1890, when they dis- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPUWAL RECORD. 



13 



solved partnership, the father taking the 
store, the son retaining sole control of the 
grain branch of the concern. Charles F. 
Lueke continued the store up to his death, 
which occurred March 23, 1891, when he 
was sixty-seven years old, the county los- 
ing one of its best-known and most highly- 
respected citizens, esteemed by all for his 
sterling honesty and manly qualities of 
head and heart. He was an active and 
consistent member of the Lutheran 
Church, and in his political affiliations 
was a lifelong Democrat, although no 
partisan. In Wisconsin were born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Lueke children as follows: 
Mary, now Mrs. Gehrke; Albert; Emma, 
now Mrs. Alten; Charles, Minnie and 
Fred — eight children in all. The mother 
is still living in Greenleaf, Brown county. 

William Lueke, the subject proper of 
this memoir, secured a liberal education, 
in part at the schools of De Pere, in part 
at the North Western University of 
Watertown, Wis. Learning the trade of 
miller under his father's instruction, he 
followed same till the summer of 1874, 
when he embarked in the hotel business 
in Greenleaf, erecting the "Greenleaf 
Hotel," now operated by Albert Lueke, 
who purchased it in 1887. Our subject 
then devoted his entire attention to the 
mercantile and grain businesses in the same 
village, retiring from the former in 1890, 
as already recorded, and from the latter 
at the time of his moving to Green Bay, 
May 14, 1 89 1, renting his warehouses to 
other parties. 

In the fall of 1890 he received the 
Democratic nomination for county treas- 
urer, and was elected by a majority of 
1,200, his unquestioned popularity being 
proven by his re-election in the fall of 
1892, and he is yet filling the incumbency 
with characteristic ability and fidelity. 

On July 12, 1 87 1, Mr. Lueke was 
married to Miss Augusta Wuerger, a na- 
tive of Germany, and their union has been 
blessed with a family of seven children, 
named respectively: Charles, Flora, Clara, 
William, Anna, Nora and Lillie. Mr. and 



Mrs. Lueke are members of the Lutheran 
Church, and are in the enjoyment of the 
well-merited esteem and regard of the 
community at large. 



JOHN BETH, senior member of the 
widely-known wholesale and retail 
grocery firm of John Beth & Sons, 
is one of those successful merchants 
who in early life acquired a knowledge of 
the value of time and money, and who had 
been early trained to possess patience, 
qualified with perseverance; to remember 
that time is money, and that there are 
just sixty minutes in one hour; and to 
never forget that whatever is worth doing 
at all is worth doing well. 

Mr. Beth is a native of Bruttig, Ger- 
many, born on the river Moselle, Rhein 
Province, January 25, 1840, a son of 
Theodore and Catherine (Goebel) Beth; 
also of German nativity, who in 1852, 
with their little family of children, emi- 
grated to the United States, making their 
first New-World home in Milwaukee. 
Here the father, who was a shoemaker, 
followed his trade until 1855, when he 
came to Green Bay, where he continued 
his trade up to about the time of his death, 
which occurred May 3, 1857; his wife had 
died October 24, 1S52. They were the 
parents of six children, viz. : Jacob, 
Joseph, John and Frank, who all reside 
in Green Bay; Maggie, who is the wife 
of Thomas Hubert, of Menominee, Mich. ; 
and Katie, who died November i, 1S52, 
at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

As will be seen, the subject of this 
sketch was twelve j'ears old when the 
family came to the United States, so his 
education had already been secured in 
Germany, he having attended school 
there between the ages of seven and 
twelve. At thirteen he commenced work- 
ing from home, in Wisconsin, engaging 
in various occupations for the next few 
years, or until 1861, when, the Civil war 
having burst over the land, his ardor to 
fight for his adopted country prompted 



14 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



him to enlist for service in the Union 
army. Accordingly, on June 14, that 
year, he set out on foot for Appleton, 
Wis., and the followinj^ day entered the 
Appleton Light Infantry, being the third 
recruit in it from Green Bay. The quota 
of this company, however, was not filled 
at that time, and our subject, not to be 
thwarted in his intentions, proceeded by 
rail to Alton, 111., where he enlisted in 
Company K, Twenty-fourth Illinois In- 
fantry, three-years' service. This regi- 
ment was attached to the Army of the 
Cumberland June 30, 1861, and partici- 
pated in the battles of Perryville (Ky.j, 
Stone River and Chickamauga, at which 
latter engagement he received a gunshot 
wound in the left elbow, which confined 
him to hospital for some time. On July 
30, 1864, Mr. Beth received an honorable 
discharge, and returned home to Green 
Bay. He then commenced clerking in a 
grocery store, and so continued until 
March i, 1870, when he embarked in the 
wholesale and retail crockery and glass- 
ware trade, which for eight years he con- 
ducted with encouraging success. In 
April, 1878, he combined general gro- 
ceries, also wholesale and retail, and 
carried on these departments until 1891, 
when he closed out the crockery and 
glassware, substituting flour and feed. In 
1886 he put up his present substantial 
brick building, two stories and basement, 
53 X 100 feet, on Washington street. 

On January 10, 1865, Mr. Beth was 
married in Green Bay to Miss Elizabeth 
Knapp, a native of St. Louis, Mo. Her 
parents resided in Monroe, Wis., for sev- 
eral years, but are both now deceased, the 
father having died in St. Louis, Mo. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Beth were born eleven 
children, nine of whom are yet living, a 
brief record of them being as follows: 
Leonard was married September 24, 1890, 
to Miss Mary Mahn, who was born in 
Green Ba}', daughter of Theodore Mahn, 
an early pioneer of the city, and they have 
two children, Laura E. and Aaron (he is 
a member of the Modern Woodmen); 



John \'alentine was married October 10, 
1 893, to Mary Dennis, who was born in 
Belgium, daughter of David Dennis, of 
Green Bay; Maggie was married in 1889 
to Benjamin Smith, of Green Bay, and 
they have two children, Clarence and 
Chester; Elizabeth is married to Joseph 
Dennis, and has two children, Louie and 
Raymond; and Anna, Fred, Emma 
Charley, and Louie. 

Mr. Beth is a representative self-made 
man, having by his own industry and 
sound judgment, commencing on a bor- 
rowed capital of thirty dollars, risen to 
his present commercial standing, doing a 
business to the amount of one hundred 
and twenty thousand dollars per annum. 
Outside of members of his own family, he 
gives employment to eight hands, and 
three of his sons are now associated with 
him in business. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, and has served as supervisor. 
Socially, he is a member of T. O. Howe 
Post No. 124, G. A. R. , of which he was 
commander two years; president of the 
Peninsular Veteran Association, and a 
member of the Catholic Knights of 
Wisconsin. 



M 



RS. ROSAMOND (BROWN) 
FOLLETT, deceased. This 
lady, who for so many years 
was editor and proprietor of 
the Gazittc, Green Bay, was a native of 
New York State, born at Dansville, Jan- 
uary I, 1847. Her early life was happy 
and abounded in good influences, while 
the privileges of excellent schools were 
enjoyed by her, which by degrees brought 
her into a beautiful womanhood, thor- 
oughly equipped in purpose and prepara- 
tion for a useful career. Her education 
for the most part was received at the 
public schools and seminary of the place 
of her birth, also at Auburn, N. Y. , and 
at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

On May 29, 1873, she was united in 
marriage, at Bath, N. Y., with Dwight I. 
Follett, one of the founders and proprie- 




69 



yio (/i-<^^/^y^-(y!'^oCy 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



•17 



tors of the Green Bay (Wis.) Gazette, 
which had been estabHshed by him and 
Col. George C. Ginty early in 1866. In 
September of the same year, however, 
Mr. Follett sold his interest to Col. Ginty, 
but reconnected himself in May, 1868, 
with the paper by purchase of the 
Colonel's interest (who in the meantime 
had associated himself with William B. 
Tapley, of Racine), the firm name be- 
coming Tapley & Follett. This arrange- 
ment continued about eighteen months, 
or until January i, 1870, when Mr. Tap- 
ley sold out to George E. Hoskinson, and 
the new firm of Hoskinson & Follett then 
changed the name of the paper to The 
State Gazette, commencing a daily issue 
in November, 1871, and in 1882 Mr. Fol- 
lett assumed sole ownership and control. 
The Gazette has always stood in the front 
rank of the Republican political journals 
of the State of Wisconsin. 

The home which Mr. and Mrs. Fol- 
lett created by their marriage was ideal 
in its happiness, till the young wife saw, 
with unspeakable sorrow, that an incura- 
ble malady would soon take her husband 
from her. After much painful suffering 
he was called from earth June 24, 1888, 
deeply mourned by a wide circle of 
friends. He was a man of perfect recti- 
tude, just and honorable, and possessed 
of a good mind and a true heart — a lover 
of things beautiful in nature, literature 
and art. After his death the responsi- 
bility of the extensive business, which he 
had wisely planned, but which, owing to 
ill-health, he had never been able to 
bring to its best possibilities, were laid 
upon his sorrowing widow. She rose to 
her new duties, however, with a strength 
and capacity which astonished even those 
who knew her best. The necessities of 
the situation, and, doubtless, the des- 
peration of her grief, stimulated her every 
energy into activity. Discouragements 
that seemed almost paralyzing yielded to 
her unconquerable determination, and she 
persevered till success was complete. 
But the shadow of death was upon her. 



and the bright, useful and beautiful life 
was doomed to total eclipse. Early in 
the spring of 1894 Mrs. Follett began to 
realize that her health, which she had 
thought to be almost faultless, was rap- 
idly failing, and in searching for a cause 
it was found that she was suffering from 
an internal cancer, from which it was 
early seen there was no possible cure. 
How this knowledge moved her brave, 
resolute soul can never be known, for she 
made no sign of either fear or regret, 
though her sufferings were intense. She 
bore all with uncomplaining fortitude, 
responding to the faithful and tender 
ministrations of friends with loving grati- 
tude, while her thoughts were of others 
rather than of herself, even to the last 
hour of consciousness. 

The end came at last, death releasing 
her from her sufferings August 27, 1894, 
and three days later all that was mortal 
of the departed was laid beside the re- 
mains of her husband amid the peace and 
silence of Woodlawn cemetery, Green 
Bay. A great concourse of the people of 
the city where for twenty years she had 
lived and wrought — old and young, rich 
and poor — citizens from other places, 
officials, representatives of the Press 
Association, and many friends from even 
greater distance, followed the remains to 
their last resting-place. The funeral took 
place from the Presbyterian Church, of 
which she was a member. Rev. J. L. 
Hewitt officiating, assisted by Revs. F. R. 
Haff and H. W. Thompson. Among 
those assembled to pay their last respects 
to their loving friend were members of 
the Press Association, as just mentioned, 
with which organization early in her 
newspaper life she had identified herself, 
becoming after the death of her husband 
a constant attendant at its sessions. 
Eulogies in the Press were numerous, and 
from the Green Bay Gazette we glean 
the following: * * * " Simple and touch- 
ing were the ceremonies at the funeral; 
grief and sorrow were the emotions of al. 
who had come to bid her a last farewelll 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



There were those who had known her 
long and intimately, and who will miss 
her greatly, and there were those who 
thought they had stood farther from her, 
yet had often felt the touch of her 
friendly hand, had frequently heard from 
her words of sympathy and of cheer, and 
who had come to see in her a sister, 
friend and mother." The Green Bay 
AtivooUc also paid a beautiful tribute to 
the memor)' of her whose life had left the 
world the better for her having lived, and 
we quote the following : "It is with 
deep sadness that we realize that the 
vital spark has fled from the suffering 
body of our long kind friend, highly 
respected citizen and co-laborer in 
the newspaper field, Mrs. Rosamond 
Follett. We grieve at the severance 
of those early ties of friendship and 
almost kindred feeling that long years 
of harmonious work in a common cause, 
without a jar or discord, had cemented. 
We grieve that we shall nevermore see 
the kindl)' face, animated by its cheerful, 
benevolent spirit. At the same time we 
feel thankful that the inevitable parting 
is over, and the free spirit has risen from 
the tortured clay, unhampered with cares 
and griefs of earthly life, to unending 
peace and blessed rest in the mansions 
that the Master went before to prepare. 

* * * Her work was well done from the 
cradle to the grave. In the years that we 
have known her, from the time that she 
came here as a bride until she finally laid 
down the pen and entered the chamber of 
suffering, we have found nothing in her to 
criticise, and everything to commend. 
We recall her sturdy step, as with strong 
frame she supported the failing energies 
and wasting frame of her late husband, 
Dwight I. Follett, shouldering the weight 
of the cares of his business as he entered 
the dark valley, and assuming the busi- 
ness altogether when he passed away. 

* * * A perfectly healthy and whole- 
some childhood and youth laid the foun- 
dation of those powers of endurance so 
valuable to her. She was a ready writer. 



with a faculty 
courteous, and 
whom she had 
There was no false 



of pleasing; was always 

made friends of all with 

dealings or acquaintance. 

pride about her, and 



she was careful never to assume a dig- 
nity that would drive away the humble. 
She was sympathetic for the woes of oth- 
ers, and always ready to relieve the dis- 
tressed." Mrs. Follett left one son, John 
C. Follett, to mourn the loss of a loving 
mother. — [In compiling the above sketch, 
the writer is indebted for many sugges- 
tions to a beautiful article from the pen 
of Edwin D. Coe, which appears in the 
"National Printer-Journalist," of Octo- 
ber, 1894. — Ed. 



AUSTIN F. OLMSTED, M. D., 
for over twenty years a highly 
respected citizen of Green Bay, 
enjoying an unchallenged reputa- 
tion as a successful physician and surgeon, 
is a native of Middlebury, Vt., born July 
20, 1843. 

Erastus Olmsted, grandfather of our 
subject, was of Welsh descent, and was 
born in Middlebury, Vt., of which locality 
his ancestry, in this country, were pioneers. 
By trade Erastus was a chair-maker, 
which he carried on at his home in the 
country, near Middlebury, becoming pros- 
perous. He had a numerous family of 
children, of whom Juba Olmsted, father 
of our subject, was born August 15, 1807, 
in Middlebury, Vt. He learned his 
father's trade, and followed it for a time, 
but eventually took up farming, which he 
made his life work for the rest of his days, 
in 1850 moving with his family from Ver- 
mont to Wisconsin, and settling on a 
farm in Fond du Lac county, four miles 
south of the city of that name. Here, by 
industry and judicious thrift, he accumu- 
lated a comfortable competence, and by his 
e.xemplary life, sincerity of heart, genuine 
charit}- and elevation of character, won 
the highest esteem and respect in the com- 
munity in which he lived. He died in 
1854, at the early age of forty-seven 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



years, deeply regretted by all who knew 
him. In religious faith he was a member 
of the M. E. Church, in politics a stanch 
Whig. In 1829, he was married to Miss 
Sarah K. Huston, daughter of Robert 
Huston, an honored pioneer of Middle- 
bury, Vt., and three children, all sons, 
were born to this union, viz. : Wallace 
Juba, a minister in the M. E. Church, at 
present stationed at West Bend, Wis. ; 
Charles Cook, a practicing physician at 
Kansas City (he studied medicine under 
Dr. Patchen, of Fond du Lac, and gradu- 
ated at Cleveland, Ohio); and Austin P., 
the subject of this sketch. The mother 
of these was married, the second time, to 
Hiram Edgerton, and is now living at 
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 

Austin F. Olmsted received his liter- 
ary education at the Fond du Lac high 
school and Lawrence University, Apple- 
ton, which latter institution he left at the 
end of two years, for a time thereafter 
clerking in a store. Deciding on making 
the noble profession of medicine his life- 
work, he during these years, as circum- 
stances permitted, studied the science, and 
in 1 87 1 entered Cleveland (Ohio) Home- 
opathic Hospital College, where he grad- 
uated in the spring of 1874, immediately 
thereafter settling in Green Bay, where 
he has since remained in the active prac- 
tice of his profession. He now ranks 
second to none in the county among the 
followers of ^sculapius and Galen, his 
specialty, perhaps, being obstetrics, in 
which he has had a wide and uniformly 
successful experience, which can be also 
truly said of his general practice; and this, 
coupled with his well-known professional 
zeal, as well as attentiveness to his 
patients, has established for him an en- 
viable reputation throughout the length 
and breadth of the Fox River Valley. He 
is associated with the American Institute 
of Homeopathy, and is an active member 
of the State Homeopathic Medical Society 
of Wisconsin. 

On October 21, 1863, Dr. Olmsted 
was married to Miss Harriet Sylvester, 



daughter of Seth and Rachel (Young) Syl- 
vester, and three children have been born 
to them, named respectively: Minnie 
Edna, Clara K. and Austin O. Dr. and 
Mrs. Olmsted are active workers in the 
Presbyterian Church at Green Bay (form- 
erly connected with the Congregational 
Society), of which she is a member. So- 
cially, he is affiliated with the Knights of 
Pythias, Independent Order of Foresters 
and Royal Arcanum, and in his political 
preferences casts his vote in the interests 
of the Republican party. Public-spirited, 
and in all things progressive, he has iden- 
tified himself with every civic movement 
tending to the advancement and prosperity 
of the city and county of his adoption, 
where, as a useful, loyal and intelligent 
citizen, he is held in the highest regard. 



PH. MARTIN. This gentleman, 
who has been prosecuting attor- 
ney for Brown county since 1888, 
is a native of the county, born in 
Rockland township April 21, 1862. Ed- 
ward and Bridget (Farrell) Martin, 
natives of Ireland, parents of subject, 
came to the United States when young, 
settling in Rockland township, where 
they engaged in farming, and are still 
living. 

P. H. Martin, whose name opens this 
brief sketch, received his education at the 
schools of Rockland and in the city of 
De Pere. He was reared on the farm, 
but at the age of eighteen he commenced 
teaching school in Brown county, a voca- 
tion he followed some five years. In 
1885 he came to the city of Green Bay, 
and for some time was in the United 
States railway mail service as postal 
clerk on the Chicago, Milwaukee & 
St. Paul railroad, running between 
Green Bay and Milwaukee. In 1883 
he commenced reading law in the 
office of Hudd & Wigman, attorneys- 
at-law, Green Bay, and in 1887 he 
was admitted to the bar. In 1889 he 
entered into partnership with Mr. Wig- 



20 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



man, under the firm name of W'ignian & 
Martin, and has since been engaged in 
regular practice. In the fall of 1888 he 
was elected to his present incumbency, 
that of prosecuting attorney for Brown 
county, which he fills with eminent 
ability, and to the complete satisfaction 
of the people. 

In 1 886 P. H. Martin and Miss Mary 
Wigman were united in marriage. She 
is a daughter of J. H. M. Wigman, senior 
member of the firm, and an early pioneer 
of Brown county. To this marriage four 
children have been born, viz. : Marie, 
Agnes, John Edward and Patrick Jerome. 
Mr. and Mrs. Martin are members of St. 
John's Catholic Church. In politics he 
is a Democrat. 



ADAM SPUHLER, of the firm of A. 
Spuhler & Co. (limited), whole- 
sale and retail dealers in dry 
goods, clothing, carpets, hats, 
caps, notions, etc., in Green Bay, has 
been a prominent resident of that city 
since 1879, <i"'' ^n enterprising merchant 
of several \ears standing. 

Mr. Spuhler is a native of Wisconsin, 
born in Washington county, in 1846, of 
German parents. Henry Spuhler, his 
father, was born in Bavaria, where he 
married Miss Sarah Zepp, of the same 
country, the young couple soon afterward 
emigrating to the United States, making 
their first home in Washington county. 
Wis., where they took up a farm. In 
I S67 they moved to Dodge county, same 
State, settling at Beaver Dam, where they 
passed the rest of their busy lives, the 
father dying in 1870, the mother in 1880. 
Their family numbered seven children, 
five of whom are yet living, namely: Mol- 
lie, wife of Benjamin Fifield, a farmer of 
Lake county, Ind. ; Mary, wife of Charles 
Schuette, of Beaver Dam, Wis. ; Lizzie, 
wife of Andrew Schluckebier, also of 
Beaver Dam; Adam, of whom we write; 
and John, a cigar manufacturer, in Wi- 
nona, Minnesota. 



The subject of this notice was reared 
on his father's farm in Washington county. 
Wis., receiving his education at the win- 
ter schools of the neighborhood of his 
home. In 1861, then fifteen years old, 
he entered the dry-goods store of Newton 
& Willard, in Beaver Dam, remaining 
with them till they sold out in 1865 to 
Hebgen & Lehrkund. With the latter 
firm he clerked till 1867, in which year he 
commenced business in the same town, 
in partnership with a Mr. Schluckebier, 
carrying on a prosperous dry-goods trade 
till 1873, when the firm dissolved and our 
subject moved to Wrightstown, in Brown 
county. Here he was associated with a 
Mr. Mueller in the same line of trade from 
1873 to 1879, the style of the firm being 
Mueller & Spuhler, and in that year they 
transferred their business to the more 
thriving town of Green Bay, here remain- 
ing in partnership till 1 886, the year of 
Mr. Mueller's death. After that event 
Mr. Spuhler continued the retail business 
alone till 1 889, when, having established 
a wide connection and an enviable repu- 
tation for fair and square dealing he e.\- 
panded his business by combining the 
wholesale trade with the retail, changing 
the style of the house to the A. Spuhler & 
Co. (limited). 

In 1867, in Dodge county, Wis., Mr. 
Spuhler was married to Miss Jennie Far- 
dell, a native of England, but reared to 
womanhood in Dodge county. Wis., and 
daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Bishop) 
Fardell, highly respectable English 
people who immigrated to the United 
States several years ago, settling in 
Dodge county. Wis., where Mr. Fardell 
died in 1887, and his widow is yet living. 
To our subject and wife have been born 
seven children, to wit: Sarah, Nellie 
(wife of D. Lucas, a boiler manufacturer 
in Ft. Howard, Wis.); Fred (assisting in 
his father's store), Alice, Mabel, Jennie 
and Louise. In his political predilections 
Mr. Spuhler is a Democrat; in 1881-82 
he served his city as alderman of the 
First ward, and is now a member of the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



21 



town council and of the county board, 
and was chairman of the Finance commit- 
tee of that board some years. Socially 
he is affiliated with the F. & A. M., at 
Green Bay, Washington Lodge No. 2 1 , 
Warren Chapter No. 8, Council No. 13, 
and Palestine Commandery No. 20, K. 
T. ; is a member of the I. O. O. F. , 
A. O. U. W., and of Pochequette Lodge, 
K. of P., Uniformed Rank. In religious 
faith he and his wife are members of the 
M. E. Church. Mr. Spuhler is one of 
those men of business to whom success is 
bound to come, a success that is the re- 
sult of his own individual e.xertions, and 
not of that "luck" which the world 
(little understanding what the word im- 
ports) so often ascribes to those who rise 
unaided to distinction. No man knows 
better how to time his efforts, and while 
he has never wasted his force on worth- 
less and unattainable objects, he well 
knows how to take advantage of opportu- 
nities promising advantages to his busi- 
ness. 



HON. JAMES HENRY ELMORE, 
the efficient, progressive and pop- 
ular mayor of the city of Green 
Bay, is a native of Wisconsin, 
born in Mukwonago, Waukesha count}', 
January 6, 1843. The first of the Elmore 
family in the United States, of whom our 
subject is a worthy representative, were 
three brothers who came from England, 
one settling in New York State, one in 
Connecticut, and the third in South Caro- 
lina, the first of the three being the im- 
mediate progenitor of Mayor Elmore. 

Our subject received his elementary 
education at the common schools of his 
native town, whi;h was supplemented 
with a course of stud}' at the East Troy 
school taught by Mr. Markham, who after- 
ward became principal of the " Markham 
Academy," Milwaukee. At the age of 
fifteen he entered Racine College, which 
he attended two years, and we then find 
him connected with his father's mercan- 



tile business in Mukwonago, later in the 
capacity of reporter for various news- 
papers, being stationed, during the winter 
of 1862-63. at Madison, Wis. In the 
spring of 1863 he came to Green Bay, 
and engaged in the grain elevator and for- 
warding business, in which he remained 
until 1877, removing then to Milwaukee, 
where, for a year, he was interested in 
the commission trade, after which he 
spent several years in traveling and 
employing his time at various occupa- 
tions. Two summers he spent in New 
York; was in the Black Hills and in 
Arizona; at Crystal Falls, Mich., where, 
for one year (1882), he was superintend- 
ent of the Crystal Falls Iron Company. 
Returning to Green Bay, he received the 
appointment. May, 1884, of receiver for 
Strong's bank, the mixed-up affairs of' 
which institution he succeeded in unravel- 
ing and clearing up in such a highly credit- 
able and satisfactory manner as to receive 
from all concerned, including the judge of 
the court, the highest encomiums, the 
upshot being his appointment at different 
times as assignee to various estates. Mr. 
Elmore's next occupation was in the 
manufacture of and dealing in cedar poles, 
ties, piling posts, shingles, etc., in which 
line he has since done a remarkably large 
business, and at the present time he is in 
partnership with James Delaney, of Fort 
Howard. 

Mr. Elmore has at various times had 
abundant proof of his popularity by elec- 
tion to various positions of honor and 
trust, including, more than once, the 
highest civic office in the gift of the 
people. In 1873 he was elected, without 
opposition, the first mayor of Fort How- 
ard; also served as alderman of the same 
borough, and after coming to Green Bay, 
in 1883, he was elected mayor of that city 
in 1890, which incumbency he has since 
filled continuously, having been elected 
twice without opposition, and once (1892) 
over an opponent who succeeded in cap- 
turing only about one-fourth of the votes. 
Mr. Elmore was again elected in 1895. 



22 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Although known to be a stanch Demo- 
crat, still he has always had the support 
of all parties, regardless of political l)ias, 
the general feeling being that the chief 
magistrate of a city should be a man />ro 
bono publico, and not a politician. 

Since assuming the reins of civic gov- 
ernment in Green Bay, Mayor Elmore 
has had the pleasure of seeing vast im- 
provements in the fast rising city, among 
which may be mentioned a couple of miles 
of cedar block paving; several miles of 
sewers; two old bridges rebuilt, and a new 
one erected; the reorganization of the 
Fire Department, which is now in all re- 
spects a model one, equipped with the 
Gamewell fire-alarm telegraph s\stem, 
besides many other improvements, all 
tending to place Green Bay among the 
model cities of the State. The latest 
project, in the way of public progressive- 
ness, is the new high school, which, it is 
intended, is to be built of Lake Superior 
red sandstone, and which will be an orna- 
ment to the city. To his efforts, also. 
Green Bay is indebted for the best system 
of street railroads in the United States, 
everything pertaining to it being of the 
most modern design. 

On January 19, 1S76, Mayor Elmore 
was married to Miss Anna Leola Chap- 
man, daughter of Col. William Chapman, 
U. S. A., and one child has been born to 
them, named William Chapman. Mrs. 
Elmore is a prominent member of the 
Daughters of the Revolution, of which 
she was appointed regent for the State of 
Wisconsin. Mayor Elmore is a member 
of the F. & A. M., and is a Knight Temp- 
lar; he is also affiliated with the Order of 
Elks. 



GUSTAV KUSTERMANN. This 
well-known, popular and promi- 
nent citizen of Green Bay, of 
which flourishing city he has 
been postmaster since 1892, is a native 
of Detmold, Germany, born May 24, 
1850. 



Carl Ludwig Kustermann, grandfather 
of our subject, was a farmer and mechanic 
(as was his father before him) in Schoet- 
mar (Lippe-Detmold), and died there in 
advanced life, the parent of a large 
family of children, one of whom, Carl 
(father of our subject), was born in 1820, 
also in Schoetmar. He (Carl) was reared 
to the trade of gunsmith, and was em- 
ployed as such in the German army for 
nearly thirty years, also serving in the 
Schleswig-Holstein campaign and the 
Prussian-Austrian war of 1866. In 1846 
he married Julia Wolleben, daughter of 
Gustav Wolleben, by which union four 
children were born — all sons — to-wit: 
Carl, Gustav, Robert and Otto, the last 
named dying at the age of fourteen years; 
Robert was in partnership with his 
brother Gustav in the book and music 
business at Green Bay until 1894; Carl 
and Gustav will be more fully spoken of 
farther on. The mother of this family 
died in 1886, the father in 1894. 

Gustav Kustermann, whose name in- 
troduces this sketch, received his educa- 
tion at the gymnasium or high school in 
Detmold, graduating therefrom, and when 
fourteen years old went to the city of 
Hamburg, where he served a three-years' 
apprenticeship to the wholesale dry-goods 
business. At the age of eighteen, in 
1868, he emigrated to America, from the 
port of debarkation coming direct to 
Wisconsin and Green Bay, whither, not 
long before, two of his old schoolmates 
had come and settled. Here he clerked 
in the hardware store of St. Louis 
Case & Co., but at the end of about six 
months secured the position of book- 
keeper in the office of the Green Bay 
Advocate, at that time owned by Robin- 
son & Bro. , and filled the incumbency 
with the utmost satisfaction for three 
years, or until 1872. On March 15 of 
that year, in company with Louis Neese 
and Erastus Root, he established in 
Green Bay a stationery and job-printing 
business, the style of the firm being 
"Neese, Kustermann & Root " ; but De- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



23 



cember 15, 1873, the firm experienced a 
change, Mr. Root and a Mr. Kimball tak- 
ing the job-printing branch, our subject 
and Mr. Neese retaining the stationery de- 
partment, adding thereto music and 
musical instruments, the name of the 
firm being Neese & Kustermann until 
May I, 1876, when Mr. Kustermann 
bought out Mr. Neese's share, and from 
that time until 1S80 carried on the con- 
cern alone. In that year his brother 
Robert became associated with him in 
the business, the partnership existing till 
1894, when the latter retired from the 
firm (as already stated), since when our 
subject has continued the business alone. 
He carries a well-assorted line of sta- 
tionery and all its adjuncts, as well as 
a complete assortment of musical instru- 
ments, his trade in these particular lines 
not being surpassed by any similar enter- 
prise in northern Wisconsin. In all his 
business obligations he is prompt and 
reliable, and his innate courtesy and 
obliging disposition have brought him 
hosts of friends and customers. 

Mr. Kustermann is a ready writer, as 
well as a clear, forcible speaker, in either 
English, German or French, and his 
trenchant pen has contributed not a few 
interesting articles to one or other of the 
standard European journals, among which 
may be mentioned £>u- Gartailaube, pub- 
lished in Leipzig, besides political articles 
during election campaigns, to home jour- 
nals, especially the leading newspapers of 
Milwaukee. Recently he compiled a high- 
ly-interesting work on the ' ' World's Fair " 
or " Columbian Exposition," being a col- 
lection of articles written by him for a 
newspaper published in his native town. 
In oratory he has secured a wide reputa- 
tion as a good, reliable all-round political 
speaker, whether on the "stump" or on 
the platform, and he has always been 
affiliated with the Republican party, 
wherein he has never failed to exert a 
substantial influence. Nor have his 
efforts for the cause remained altogether 
unrewarded. Twice was he nominated 



for Congress, although through no fault 
of his own on each occasion he had the 
minority; but, by his pure, yet forcible 
language, clear and concise reasoning, he 
left upon the minds of his auditors a last- 
ing impression that there was a man 
among them worthy not only of the metal 
of any political foe, but also of the respect 
and esteem of the community at large — a 
citizen, in truth, of whom the State might 
well feel proud. During the last political 
campaign he was urged by some of the 
leading spirits of his party to become a 
candidate for the highest State office in 
the gift of the people; but he resolutely 
declined to "listen to the song of the 
Siren." Indeed, it has been said, and in 
no spirit of mere flattery, that, without 
doubt, Mr. Kustermann, in point of edu- 
cation and natural ability, is one of the 
most representative German-American 
citizens in the State of Wisconsin. In 
February, 1892, he was appointed post- 
master at Green Bay by President Harri- 
son, and is still holding the office, his 
term expiring in 1896. In civic affairs he 
has served in the city council of Green 
Bay, also as city treasurer, and has been 
a member of the county board. 

On June 12, 1875, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Emma Schel- 
lenbeck, of Green Bay, and four children, 
all daughters, named respectively: Tillie, 
Alma, Olga and Emma, have come to 
bless their home. 

Carl Kustermann, eldest son of Carl 
and Julia (Wolleben) Kustermann has 
been assistant postmaster at Green Bay 
since 1 892. He was born in Detmold, Ger- 
many, October 29, 1847, and in 1868 
came to Green Bay, where he first found 
employment as clerk in the dry-goods 
store of D. Butler. At the end of a year 
he entered the office of the register of 
deeds, where he clerked some twelve 
months, his next employment being as 
bookkeeper for a lumber company at Lit- 
tle Sturgeon Bay, an incumbency he filled 
three years. In 1873 he paid a six- 
months' visit to Europe, and on his return 



24 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



to Green Bay engaged for his own ac- 
count in a white-goods and shirt-factory 
business; but finding the same unprofit- 
able, he accepted a position as manager 
of the shoe and clothing store of B. Fol- 
lett, holding the same for two years, at 
the end of which time he entered the 
Green Bay Savings Bank as assistant 
cashier. In 1878 the bank aiTairs were 
wound up. and Mr. Kustermann removed 
to Helenville, Jefferson Co., ^^'is., where 
for si.x years he conducted a general store; 
then returned to Green Bay to fill the 
position of bookkeeper for Anson Eldred 
& Son, lumber merchants, but, in 1892, 
he left this to accept his present position 
in the postoffice. 

In 1873 Carl Kustermann was married 
to Miss Margaret Grimm, who was born 
in Jefferson, Wis., daughter of Adam 
Grimm, the celebrated apiarist, who died 
in 1876. To Mr. and Mrs. Kustermann 
were born two children, Julia and Agnes, 
who lost their mother in 1882, and in 
18S4 their father was married to Miss 
Anna Haubert, of White Water, Wis., 
daughter of Joseph and Marie (Rust) 
Haubert, natives of Bavaria, Germany. 
By this marriage there are three children: 
Otto, Erna and Herbert. Mr. and Mrs. 
Kustermann are members of St. Paul's 
German Lutheran Church, and in his 
political preferences he is a Republican 
in national affairs, but independent in 
local issues. 



ALONZO KIMBALL. The family 
in America, of which the subject 
of this sketch is a worthy mem- 
ber, dates back to one Richard 
Kimball, who in 1634 came from Ipswich, 
county of Suffolk, England, to America. 
It is presumed that he settled in Ipswich, 
Esse.x Co., Mass., for his son Henry is 
known to have been a resident of that 
town in 1640, while another son, Thomas, 
was in Charlestown, Suffolk county, 
in 1653. 



Boyce Kimball, a lineal descendant of 
the immigrant Richard, was born June 
26, 1 73 1, in Ipswich, Mass., where he 
married, and the children born to him 
were as follows: Boyce, Rebecca, Jona- 
than, Ebenezer, Mary, Susanna, Pris- 
cilla, Timothy, Richard, Amasa and Ruel. 
Of these, Ruel Kimball was married Jan- 
uary I, 1799, to Hannah Mather, and 
settled in Marlboro, Vt. , where he was a 
Presbyterian minister. The children born 
to this union were Ruel, Amanda, Cotton, 
Hulda, Alonzo, David M., Lucy (who 
married Rev. Henry Bannister, of Evans- 
ton, 111.), Mary, Harriet and Martin L., 
Alonzo, our subject, being the only sur- 
vivor; Amanda, the second in the family, 
married Alanson Merwin, and they cele- 
brated their golden wedding in 1875. 
Ruel Kimball was for the most part self- 
educated, and was a man of strong con- 
victions, one who represented the true 
type of orthodo.x Presbyterianism. He 
was a very useful man, was beloved for 
his many good qualities of head and 
heart, and was possessed of sound com- 
mon sense and judgment. He could 
draw a deed or contract of any kind, and 
was an adviser and friend to all. He died 
at East Hampton, Mass., October i, 
1847. Mrs. Hannah (Mather) Kimball, 
mother of our subject, was a daughter of 
Timothy Mather, who was a descendant 
of Increase Mather, the father of Cotton 
Mather. She was a woman of great 
force of character, and may be said to 
have inherited much of the spirit of her 
noble ancestors. She died in Leyden, 
N. Y. , at the age of seventy-eight years, 
eight months and eight days. 

Alonzo Kimball, the subject proper of 
these lines, was born November 20, 1 808, 
in the town of Le Ra\', Jefferson county, 
N. Y., and received his primary educa- 
tion at various schools, which was sup- 
plemented with a course at Union 
College, Schenectady, N. Y. , where he 
graduated in 1836, while Dr. Nott was 
president. After this he taught school 
about ten years, and then engaged in 




.^■m: 



^ 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



business, conducting a general store in 
Green Bay several years, whither he 
came May 22, 1849; in 1854 he com- 
menced the hardware business. From 
the time of his first entering the arena of 
commercial trade success followed his 
efforts, and his reputation for honesty 
and veracity became as a household word 
in the Fox River Valley. On October i, 
1S40, Mr. Kimball married Miss Sarah 
Weston, daughter of Rev. Isaiah Weston, 
who, during the war of 1 8 1 2, was revenue 
collector at New Bedford, Mass., and 
later lived in Dalton, same State, where 
he was engaged in business, and preached 
the Gospel of love to the people. He 
died there of paralysis February 17, 1821, 
aged forty-eight years and sixteen days, 
deeply lamented. Six children blessed 
the union of Mr. and Mrs. Kimball, viz. : 
Mary C, A. Weston, Charles T. , Mather 
D., Sarah and William Dwight; of whom 
A. Weston is general agent of Illinois for 
the Northwestern Life Insurance Com- 
pany 'of Milwaukee, and has made an 
enviable record; Mather D. is in the em- 
ploy of the same company; Charles T. 
conducts his father's business; Mary C. 
is the wife of M. H. Walker, and Sarah 
married L. B. Sale, who was drowned 
in the Fox river with his two sons, 
Richard and Robert; William Dwight 
died at the age of two years. Mr. and 
Mrs. Kimball lived a happy life together 
of over haJf a century, having celebrated 
their golden wedding October i, 1890. 
She died in Green Ba}' June 27, 1891, 
aged nearly ninet}' years, an active mem- 
ber of the Presb3'terian Church. Charity 
was her twin sister. Rich and poor 
alike, she called them all her friends, and 
her name and deeds of benevolence will 
long be held in blessed remembrance by 
Ihe people. Mr. Kimball is a member 
of the Presbyterian Church at Green Bay, 
and was appointed an elder in 1858. His 
venerable appearance on the streets, 
bearing on his snowy head the winter of 
over eighty-six years, reminds the passers- 
by of the patriarchs of old, and the 



respect shown is evidence sufficient of 
the high esteem in which he is held 
by all. 



WALTER THOMAS HAGEN, M. 
D., who is fast making his way 
to the front rank of his profes- 
sion, not only as a physician in 
general practice, but also as an oculist and 
aurist, as a specialist, is yet a young man, 
with the promise of a brilliant future before 
him. 

He is a native of Green Bay, Wis., 
born October 19, 1868, a son of Frank 
and Nellie (Magher) Hagen, the former 
of whom was born in Frankfort, Germany, 
and when a seven-year-old lad came to 
the United States with his parents. For 
a time they made their home in Fond du 
Lac, Wis., finally removing to Winona, 
Minn. , where Frank grew to manhood, 
after which he returned to Wisconsin and 
was engaged in business in Oshkosh till 
1865, the year of his coming to Green 
Bay. Here he established a liverj'-stable 
business, which he carried on successfully 
some twenty-seven years, eventually 
becoming actively interested in a stone 
quarry and in a steamboat line; he also 
takes government contracts for the build- 
ing of piers, breakwaters, etc. His wife 
is a native of Ireland, and, coming to this 
country when young, was reared to woman- 
hood in Cleveland, Ohio ; she is the 
mother of four children, viz. : Frank, 
Walter T. , William and Mary. 

The subject proper of this sketch 
received his elementary education at the 
common and high schools of Green Bay, 
and learned the trade of printer in Eras- 
tus Root's office. When seventeen years 
old he entered a drug store in Green Bay, 
subsequently clerking in one at Stephen- 
son, Mich., prior to which, July i, 1885, 
he had commenced the study of medicine 
under the preceptorship of Dr. J. R. 
Brandt, formerly a well-known physician, 
of Brown county, Wis., now of Chicago. 
Being now fully prepared for college, our 



28 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



subject entered the University of Michi- 
gan, at Ann Arbor, October i, 1885; but 
ill health prevented him from completinj;; 
his course, and at the end of two years he 
had to return home. In October, i88g, 
he entered Jefferson Medical College, 
Philadelphia, where, after two years' 
attendance, he graduated April 15, 1891, 
during which time he made a special study 
of the eye and ear. Along with some 
friends he took the State (Pennsylvania) 
examination, which he passed satisfactor- 
ily, and he is also registered in the State 
of Illinois. In July, 1891, he returned to 
Green Bay, where he opened an office, 
and after about one month's general 
practice became assistant to Dr. E. W. 
Bartlett, the eminent eye and ear special- 
ist, of Milwaukee. At the end of si.\ 
months he returned to Philadelphia, and 
took a private course in general medicine 
and literature, at the same time holding 
the position of assistant in the Eye and 
Ear Department of Jefferson Medical 
College Hospital. 

On December 10, 1892, he again 
returned to Green Bay, and at once com- 
menced the practice of his chosen pro- 
fession, in which he has met with emi- 
nent success, particularly in his specialty — 
eye, ear and throat treatment — in which, 
as an ardent student, thoroughly read-up 
in all the details, he has no superior and 
but few peers in the State. Socially the 
Doctor is a member of the I. O. O. F. , 
and in politics he is an active Republican. 



CAPTAIN JOSEPH G. LAWTON. 
But few men have come more 
directly in contact with the mone- 
tary institutions, and the business 
men of the country, and none have com- 
manded more completely their respect 
and confidence than this gentleman. His 
ancestors in this country were not only 
early English colonists of the educated 
and wealthy class, but were active in the 
affairs of the colony of New York, Massa- 
chusetts and Connecticut — men of high 



standing in professional, commercial, poli- 
tical and also military affairs of those 
early days in New England. 

The name Lawton was original spelled 
and pronounced Layton, by some simple 
metamorphosis becoming, during the life- 
time of the eldest born in this country, 
what it now is. Capt. Lawton traces his 
ancestry to one John Layton, who was 
born in 1630, and who, in 1652, at the 
age of twenty-two years, in company with 
others, mostly from Connecticut and other 
portions of New England colonies, settled 
in Newtown, Long Island, N. Y. Twenty- 
eight members of this colony, John Lay- 
ton being of their number, purchased 
farms direct from the Indian owners, 
although also purchasing titles from the 
government of New Netherlands, of which 
Peter Stuyvesant was then governor; and 
it is worthy of record that this purchase 
from the Indians was the only one of 
that kind made, excepting a similiar 
transaction effected by William Penn, in 
Pennsylvania. During John Layton'* resi- 
dence in New Netherlands, that colony 
fell into the hands of the Duke of York, 
and on account of the active and promin- 
ent part he took against Governor Stuy- 
vesant, Laj'ton made many enemies among 
the Dutch colonists. Consequently he 
moved with his family to Suffield, Conn., 
where he died September 17, 1690, and 
was buried in the Presbyterian graveyard 
by the side of his wife, Benedicta. Their 
gravestones are still (1894) e.xtant, and 
the name inscribed thereon is plainly 
"Lawton," so that the change of the 
spelling of the name presumably must 
have taken place some time in the latter 
part of the seventeenth century. John 
Layton was married twice; the first time 
September 2 1, 1659, to Johanna Williams, 
by whom he had one daughter, Mary. 
His second marriage occurred at Ports- 
mouth, R. I., in 1665, the lady of his 
choice being Benedicta, and to this union 
were born three children (perhaps more) 
as follows: Benedicta, born October 13, 
1666, married in 1683; William, born 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



29 



April 15, 1669, died May 8, 1677; and 
James, born April 5, 1673, married 
November 9, 1693, to Abigail Lamb, who 
bore him two children, both dying young; 
the mother passed away November 14, 
1696. For his second wife James married 
Faith Newell, who bore him five children, 
their names and dates of birth being as 
follows: Christopher Jacob, July 20, 1701; 
Charity, November 8, 1703; Mercy, 
November 23, 1705; John, April 26, 1708, 
and died August 22, 17 14. 

Christopher Jacob Lawton, the eldest 
of this family, was the great-great-grand- 
father of Capt. Joseph G. Lawton. He 
was married in 1731 to Abigail Kellogg, 
who was born in Leicester, Mass., in 
1702, and died in 1734. He was a law- 
yer of considerable note, spoken of in 
Washburn's History as an honor and or- 
nament to his profession. In 1735 he 
moved to Leicester, Mass., where he 
served as a member of the general court 
of Massachusetts during the years 1736, 
1739. 1740 and 1 74 1, and as moderator 
of the court in 1739. He had one child, 
Pliny, born in 1732, in Suffield, Conn., 
and married, in 1750, to Lucretia Sar- 
gent, a great-granddaughter of William 
Sargent who came from England in 1638. 
By this marriage there was but one child 
who did not die young — William, born 
April 9, 1759. Pliny Lawton was a phy- 
sician, becoming prominent in his pro- 
fession at Leicester, Mass. ; he died from 
small-pox, and was buried in one of his 
own fields. William Lawton, his son, 
who also became a physician and sur- 
geon, served during the war of the Rev- 
olution, in the Fifth Regiment Alassachu- 
setts infantry, and in 1794 was appointed 
by President George Washington as sur- 
geon at West Point. In 1784 he was 
married in the Presbyterian Church at 
Flushing, L. I., by Rev. Matthias Bur- 
net, to Abigail Farrington, who died 
about the year 1800, and was buried at 
Flushing. To this marriage were born 
four children, viz. : Charles (father of the 
subject proper of this sketch, and of 



whom further mention will presently be 
made); Mary, born October 23, 17S9, 
married John Ogilvie Roorbach (had six 
children: William, Benjamin, Charles L. , 
Mary, John Ogilvie, Jr., and Sarah); 
Amelia, born in 1792; and William, born 
at West Point, N. Y. , in 1795, married 
January 17, 18 17, to Maria R. Guion 
(had six children: Frederick, Franklin, 
Julia, Cornelia, Maria and J. Warrenj. 

Charles Lawton, eldest son of Dr. 
William and Abigail (Farrington) Lawton 
was born at Leicester, Mass., in 1787. 
On January 17, 1809, he was married in 
New York City to Miss Sophia Dobson 
Willson. In the war of 1812-14 he was 
commissioned a captain, and served as 
such to the close of the struggle, after 
which he returned to New York where he 
became actively engaged in business for 
some years. In 1826 he and his brother 
William, and others, organized what is 
known as the "Board of Brokers, " the 
nucleus of the present New York Stock Ex- 
change. At one time he served as treasurer 
of the City of New York. In 1827 he 
moved to Ogdensburg, N. Y. , and was 
there engaged in the lumber business until 
1830 when he decided to move to Potts- 
ville, Penn., where there were extensive 
mining operations, and the following brief 
account of their trip may not be uninter- 
esting to the reader: 

The family and servants, all told, com- 
prised nineteen persons, of whom the two 
eldest sons had gone on before, the coach- 
man and cook traveling the entire dis- 
tance in the family carriage. That left 
fifteen persons to go by steamboat from 
Ogdensburg to Oswego. They left their 
own home for a hotel, there to await the 
departure of the steamer which was de- 
layed in starting. At last, about 9 o'clock 
P. M., all was ready to "get aboard," but 
before starting the captain of the steamer 
recommended Mr. Charles Lawton, as 
his party was a pretty large one, to 
"count noses," to make sure that all 
were on the steamer. This being done, 
to their surprise one was missing; a search 



COMMEMVUATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was made, and on returning; to the hotel, 
behold! a younpson was discovered sound 
asleep across the foot of the bed, so well 
covered up with the bed clothes that he 
had been overlooked. This young son 
was Joseph G. Lawton. eight years old, 
the subject of this biographical sketch. 
From Oswego the family proceeded by 
canal to Albany, N. Y. , thence by steam- 
boat to New York, from which city a 
chartered stage-coach conveyed them to 
Philadelphia, while from that point another 
chartered stage-coach carried them to their 
destination, Pottsviile. Penn., one hun- 
dred miles distant, the family arriving 
October 4. i S30. Until a residence which 
Mr. Lawton had engaged was prepared 
for their reception, they took up their 
quarters at a new hotel at Port Carbon; 
but as soon as possible moved into the 
house. In this they made their home one 
year, and then removed into a more com- 
modious residence which Mr. Lawton 
bought, and this comparatively elegant 
home the family occupied many years. 

Charles Lawton ere long took a very 
prominent and acti\c part in business mat- 
ters and other affairs of Pntts\ille, becom- 
ing one of the most extensive miners and 
shippers of coal at that place. He died 
there July 21, 1858; his wife passed from 
earth .\pril 19, 1 844. while on a visit to 
New York City, and they rest side by side 
in the cemeterj' at Pottsviile. Fourteen 
children were born to them as follows: 
John W'illson, born ,\pril 22, 1810 (never 
married): Alfred Tom, born August 16, 
181 1, married October 16. 1834, to Mary 
Kern Nichols, daughter of Francis B. 
Nichols, who was on board the U. S. 
frigate "Chesapeake" in her memorable 
fight with the British frigate "Shannon," 
on which occasion he was wounded by a 
ball which entered his left side below the 
heart, passed thence down into the groin, 
causing lameness for many years; Mary 
Willson. born March 28, 181 3, married 
May 10, 1832, to William H. Mann, of 
Pottsviile, and died November 12, 1879; 
Sophia Matilda, born September 15, 181 5, 



married Charles Warder Bacon May 10, 
1832, and died December 22, 1839; 
Charles, born April 27, 1817, married at 
Pottsviile, Penn., April 7, 1842, to Eliza- 
beth Evans Ridgeway, and died April 17, 
1 891; Catherine Dobson, born Decem- 
ber 31, 1 81 8, married April 11, 1843, at 
Pottsviile, Penn., to John Charles Neville, 
now of Green Bay, Wis., and died April 
16, 1876; William, born April 15, 1820, 
died August 5, 1820; Joseph Grellet, sub- 
ject proper of sketch, whose personal 
biography is given further on; Sarah Havi- 
land, born May i, 1823, twice married, 
first time October 5, 1847, to Alfred Sab- 
baton (who died), second time June 28, 
1 8 58, to William Henry Bruce Gilbert, 
and now lives at De Pere, Wis. ; Walter 
Van Wagener, born October 8, 1824, 
married to Julia Willis, who died June 5, 
1 88 1, and for his second wife wedded 
Elizabeth E. Eustis, and died September 
30, 1888, at Boston, Mass.; Amelia, born 
December 6, 1825, married May 13, 
1S48, to John Ogilvie Roorbach, and now 
lives at Mystic, Conn. ; William Thorn- 
ton, born December 6, 1828, died Octo- 
ber 14, 1833; George Augustus, born De- 
cember 6, 1829, married April 18, 1853, 
at Green Bay, Wis., to Sophie Pauline 
Mitchell, and now lives at Afton, Rock 
Co., Wis.; and Anna Maria, born August 
9, 1834, married at Erie, Penn., March 
4, 1858, to George Selden, and died 
March 2, 1871, at Erie. 

Capt. Joseph G. Lawton, whose name 
introduces this sketch, was born February 
14, 1822, in New York City, where, on 
Broome street, his father had erected 
four fine dwelling houses, in one of which 
it was destined our subject should first see 
the light. He safely passed through the 
years of his childhood and earlier boy- 
hood, and was in his ninth year when the 
family made their memorable trip from 
Ogdensburg, N. Y. , to Pottsviile, Penn. 
At the latter city he was placed in a pri- 
vate school kept by one Silas Hough, 
where he received his elementary instruc- 
tion, and then at the end of one year 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3t 



entered the hi^h school of the place. In 
this educational institution he remained 
until he was was about fourteen years old, 
after which he became a student at the 
Pennsylvania University at Philadelphia, 
leaving at the close of one year to enter 
upon his first business training. This was 
in a fruit and wine importing house, in 
Philadelphia, in which he remained until 
1 840, when he returned to Pottsville, and 
soon afterward, in compau}- with his 
brother John, and assisted by his father, 
purchased the Mammoth Vein Coal Mine, 
on Mill creek, at the foot of Broad moun- 
tain, which they operated until 1S49, also 
conducting in connection a general store. 
In that same year our subject began the 
study of law. 

Having heard and read much of the 
brilliant opportunities awaiting men of 
energy in the West, he on March i, 1851, 
set out on a prospecting tour, to Green 
Bay., arriving there on the 17th of the 
same month. So favorably was he im- 
pressed with the country and its surround- 
ings, that he at once returned to Potts- 
ville, and made preparations to move his 
family to the new Wisconsin Eldorado. 
Accordingly, a party — consisting of his 
wife and four children; his brother-in-law, 
W. H. Mann, wife and two children; his 
brother, G. A. Lawton, and sister, Anna 
]\Iaria Lawton — set out with their effects, 
arriving at Green Bay August 4, 1851. 
In 1852 J. G. Lawton formed a partner- 
ship with Otto Tank, for the purpose of 
operating a foundry and machine shop at 
Fort Howard, and same year purchased 
Private Claim 12 and 13, 450 acres on 
the west side of Fox river. Hereon he 
built a commodious house, into which the 
family moved December 14, 1852. In 
the spring of the following year he organ- 
ized in Green Bay, under State charter, 
the Fo.x River Bank, of which he was 
elected president and his brother, G. A., 
cashier. In June, same year, the partner- 
ship between him and Mr. Tank was dis- 
solved. During all these years Mr. Law- 
ton, busy as he was, still found time to 



prosecute his law studies, and could have 
been admitted to the bar, had he not, at 
the request of Morgan L. Martin, pro- 
ceeded to New York for the purpose of 
selling the bonds which he received for 
carrying on the improvements on Fox 
river, under contract with the State. Mr. 
Lawton succeeded in his mission, and in 
December, 1853, proceeded to Madison, 
Wis. , to attend the Legislative Assembly, 
in the interest of Morgan L. Martin, to 
endeavor to secure the issue of bonds by 
the governor, as per contract with the 
State. After no little delay and consid- 
erable effort, this important mission sub- 
stantially was successful. Mr. Lawton's 
success depended in a great measure on the 
interpretation of the laws already passed, 
which laws the opponents of the improve- 
ment refused to execute. Then the friends 
of the improvement suggested to Mr. 
Lawton that he should form a company 
to complete the improvement, and prom- 
ised that they would give himself and 
friends a liberal charter. Having secured 
the consent of Morgan L. Martin, Mr. 
Lawton himself drew up a charter which 
was presented to that session of the Leg- 
islature. At that time, however, there 
was great excitement over the impeach- 
ment of Judge Hubbell, and the Legisla- 
ture decided to try the impeachment at 
an adjourned meeting to be held in June 
following, when, after the acquittal of 
Judge Hubbell, the Legislature took up 
the subject of the Fox and Wisconsin im- 
provement, and granted a charter to 
Morgan L. Martin, Dr. Darling, Otto 
Tank, Joseph G. Lawton, Edward Conk- 
lin and Dr. U. H. Peak (who were incor- 
porated as the Fox and Wisconsin Im- 
provement Company) conditional that they 
each enter into a bond of $10,000 for the 
faithful performance of their part of the 
contract. Prior to the meeting of the 
adjourned session of the Legislature in 
June, 1854, Mr. Lawton had purchased 
from the executor of the estate of Joshua 
F. Cox, the undivided half interest in the 
town plat of De Pere as well as of the 



32 



commemorath'e biographical record. 



water power of the De Pare dam on both 
sides of the Fox river at De Pere. Imme- 
diatel)' after receipt of tiie cliarter of the 
Fox and Wisconsin Improvement Coin- 
pan)' they organized, executed the requisite 
bonds to the State, and appointed a com- 
mittee consisting; of Morgan L. Martin, 
Dr. Darlinj.; and Joseph G. Lawton, to 
proceed to New York in order to nep;otiate 
requisite funds for the companj-. This 
the committee succeeded in doinj;, and 
while in New York Mr. Lawton arranged 
with John & A. H. Lowery, owners of 
the other undivided half of the Joshua F. 
Cox estate, to deed the whole estate to a 
company called the " De Pere Company," 
and to issue bonds for the improvement of 
same. 

Early in 1855 Mr. Lawton purchased 
the stock of the Erie City Bank, at Erie, 
Penn., and in June of the same year 
moved with his family to that city in or- 
der to fill the position of cashier of that 
institution, an incumbency he tilled until 
1857. In 1858 he sold the Erie City 
Bank to C. B. Wright, then of Philadof- 
phia, Penn., and on June 7, that year, 
returned to Wisconsin with his family, 
locating at De Pere. In 1856 he had 
founded the Brown County Bank of I)e- 
Pere with a ca]Mtal of $25,000, appoint- 
ing G. A. Lawton, president, and J. O. 
Roorbach, cashier. On August 4, 1858, 
he commenced the erection of a stone 
dwelling in De Pere, on the north end of 
Broadway, on Private Claim 28, into 
which he moved with his family on the 
last day of that year. New Year's Eve be- 
ing celebrated within the new and elegant 
structure. After leaving the army in 1863 
(an account of his militar}' experience ap- 
pears farther on), and recovering some- 
what from an illness brought on by ex- 
posure in the service, he set out east on 
December 3 1 , that year, to arrange for the 
erection of a stave factory at West De- 
Pere, also for the erecting of a smelting 
furnace and flax factory. Succeeding in 
his mission, these enterprises were at 
once commenced. In May, 1863, he 



laid out and platted all that part of West 
De Pere lying on Private Claim 28. In 
the same year he built a wing dam on the 
west side of the river, and dug a canal 
200 feet long, which in 1867 was extend- 
ed 600 feet farther. In 1864 he built a 
new bridge i , 500 feet long between East 
and West De Pere; also built a sash and 
door factory — 80 x 40 feet — in West De- 
Pere; and it may be here noted that his 
work here during the two years, 1863-64, 
increased the population of West De- 
Pere from 150 to 2,500. From 1858 to 
1 88 1 the family lived in the stone house 
he had built at the north end of Broad- 
way, East De Pere, and cleared and 
farmed a 200-acre tract of land, and in 
1889 he moved into his present residence. 
No. 610, Broadway. Since 188 1 the 
Captain has lived a retired life. 

On February 19, 1844, Capt. Joseph 
G. Lawton was married to Miss Ellen V. 
Baird, daughter of Capt. Thomas J. 
Bairdof the U. S. army, and grand-daugh- 
ter of Mathew Carey, the Philadelphia 
publisher and philanthropist, who pub- 
lished the first Bible printed from mova- 
ble type in the United States, a copy of 
which, dated 181 2, is now owned by Capt. 
Lawton. Henry C. Carey, an uncle of 
Mrs. Ellen V. Lawton, was a well-known 
author of standard works on political econ- 
omy. To the marriage of Capt. Lawton 
and Ellen V. (Baird) Lawton were born 
children as follows: Charles Augustus, 
December 16, 1844, Fannie Augusta, 
August 30, 1846, Henry Carey, May 23, 
1848 (died February 3, 1858), and Caro- 
line Virginia, May 13, 1850, all born in 
St. Clair, Penn. ; Sophie Willson, August 
2, 1852, in Green Bay, Wis.; Ellen Jose- 
phine, August I, 1854, in Fort Howard, 
Wis., died February 3, 1888. Of these, 
Charles Augustus was married September 
5, 1866, in De Pere, Wis., to Elcey Mor- 
gan Arndt, who was born November 27, 
1846; they have two children, Edward 
Wallace, born October 20, 1867, and 
Ellen Baird, born April 9, 1869. Fannie 
Augusta was married at De Pere Septem- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



33 



ber 26, 1867, to Jeremiah S. Dunham, 
and they also have two children: Lewis 
Augustus, born February 10, 1869; and 
Edith Virginia, born May 17, 1872. Caro- 
line Virginia was married in De Pere, Oc- 
tober 4, 1876, to Archie Lynn Gowey, 
and they have six children: Archie Lynn, 
Eliza Carey, Paul Eugene, Pauline 
Eugenie, Ellen Virginia and Clarence 
Parish. Ellen Josephine married, June 
25. 1879, Erwin A. Thompson, and they 
have two children: Nanine M., born Aug- 
ust 2, 1881, and Bessie D., born March 
28, 1885. On February 19, 1894, Capt. 
and Mrs. Lawton celebrated their ' ' golden 
wedding," amid many congratulations 
and much rejoicing. Capt. Lawton was 
by birth a member of the Society of 
Friends; but having been married by a 
' ' hireling Priest " he was ' ' disowned. " In 
1 842 he united with the Episcopal Church, 
afterward, in 1887, becoming a member 
of the Presbyterian Church, with which 
he is still associated. In 1843 he joined 
the F. & A. M. and the I. O. O. F. 

Military Record of Capt. Joscpli G. 
Law ton. — On August 20, 1861, Joseph 
G. Lawton was authorized, by Governor 
Harvey, of Wisconsin, to raise a com- 
pany for service in the war of the Rebell- 
ion. By September 22 he had enlisted 
fort}- men, and soon thereafter received a 
commission as first lieutenant, dated Sep- 
tember 27, 1861; later was commissioned 
captain, and by October 21 recruited his 
company to one hundred men. On No- 
vember 1 2 they were ordered into camp 
at Camp Wood, Fond du Lac, arrived 
there on the 15th, and were assigned to 
the Fourteenth Regiment Wis. V. I. 
The first night they passed at Camp 
Wood, the thermometer registered twenty- 
six degrees below zero. At six A. M., 
March 8, 1862, the Fourteenth regiment 
left Fond du Lac and arrived two days 
later at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., 
and there were cheered with the view of 
g;reen fields and dry land instead of a 
countr}- covered with snow a foot deep, 
as in Camp Wood. On March 23 they 



left Benton Barracks on steamer ' ' Minne- 
ha-ha" for seat of war; left Cairo, 111., 
March 25, and Paducah, Ky., 26th, arriv- 
ing at Savannah, Ga., 27th, and disem- 
barking from steamer 28th. Encamped at 
Savannah until April 6, on which day 
they embarked on steamer for Pittsburg 
Landing; disembarked 1 1 p. M. same day, 
and by daylight of following morning 
had occupied the right of the left wing of 
General Smith's division. The regiment, 
including Captain Lawton and his com- 
pany, participated in the battle of Pitts- 
burg Landing April 7, 1862, and in a 
charge captured a Rebel battery of three 
guns, which, by Captain Lawton's orders 
and in his presence, were spiked. Dur- 
ing a slight lull in the firing, after the 
spiking of the guns. Captain Lawton ob- 
served a number of soldiers retreating, 
and supposing they were of his company, 
hastened to rally them, and gave them 
orders to get under cover in the woods. 
They obeyed, and then Captain Lawton 
discovered that they were chiefly mem- 
bers of an Illinois regiment who had 
passed through the ranks of his regiment; 
soon afterward an officer of that regiment 
came up and requested Captain Lawton's 
assistance in re-forming the men. This 
was soon accomplished, and their Colonel 
gave the order to march and ' ' fire at 
will." At this the Lieutenant-Colonel 
rode up and asked the Colonel why the 
men should fire when there was no 
enemy in sight; to which he replied: 
"Only to make a noise and let them 
know we are here." Captain Lawton 
fearing that his own regiment would be 
in the line of their fire, unless they had 
retreated, went in search of them and 
meeting a lieutenant of cavalry, the latter 
suggested that the Captain should rally a 
large number of soldiers who had become 
separated from their regiments. This he 
proceeded to do, and on looking arouna 
perceived the color-bearer of his own 
regiment and a corporal guard. Asking 
them where the regiment was, he received 
the reply that "the regiment was all cut 



34 



COMMEMORATIVE BJOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



to pieces." [To do the color-bearer jus- 
tice, it should be added that afterward, 
when he was put on oath b)' pension ex- 
aminers, he swore that it was not he who 
gave that answer, but the corporal.] 
Capt. Lawton ordered them to halt, 
and then rallied the retreating soldiers 
around the flag, about a dozen of them 
responding. He was also endeavoring to 
get other soldiers to jcjin the little squad, 
which took him some 150 yards away, 
and on his return he found that the color- 
bearer and the rest of the rallied soldiers 
had disappeared. The cavalry lieuten- 
ant said they had "gone off into the 
woods to the left;" and while the)' were 
yet talking a lieutenant of infantry came 
up, and reported to the cavalry lieuten- 
ant that the enemy were in full retreat. 
This being the case, Capt. Lawton re- 
paired to the regimental surgeon's head- 
quarters, which were in sight, and while 
talking with Surgeon Walker, the latter, 
looking over his shoulder, exclaimed to 
Capt. I-awton: "There is \our regi- 
ment marching by." Of course, the re- 
port of the regiment being cut to pieces 
was false or imaginary, as it had been 
ordered to this part of the field to guard 
a battery. The Captain then rejoined 
his regiment, which was marched back to 
place of bivouac, formed in line and or- 
dered to "rest" for the night. During 
the Sth, 9th, loth and nth of April, 
after the fight, the regiment was without 
tents, and every night it rained. 

Capt. Lawton relates some interest- 
ing incidents illustrative of the bravery 
and coolness of the men, among which 
may be here recorded the following: A 
si.\teen-year-oId soldier, named Philip 
Duirr, had in his excitement loaded his 
rifle ball-end of cartridge down, instead 
of powder-end, rendering the rifle tempo- 
rarily useless as a firearm. The young 
soldier, running to the Captain, reported 
his mistake, and asked what he should 
do. "Throw away your gun and pick 
up another." "But it's numbered, and 
the boys will say I lost it." "Then take 



your rod and draw the load." So, in 
spite of the enemy's bullets flying thick 
around him, he deliberately extracted the 
charge from the barrel and reloaded his 
rifle, then ran to his captain and reported 
his "gun all right," but he could not 
"return ramrod." as the wormer had 
been screwed too tight on the rod. So 
the captain and he put their united 
strength to the job, but even then could 
not unscrew it. The rod was then 
thrown away and another picked up, and 
he regained the ranks. Another inci- 
dent: After the battle, when the 
wounded were being cared for, Capt. 
Lawton, observing a wounded soldier 
lying on the ground in the hospital tent, 
stopped to talk to him. He found the 
man had been wounded thirty-six hours 
before, and to all appearance a bullet 
had passed through his body, entering 
his breast near the heart and coming out 
at the back. The unfortunate soldier 
had been gi\en up b\' one or two of the 
surgeons; but Capt. Lawton, thinking 
that as he had lived so long after being 
wounded there might yet be some chance 
of saving his life, called to his assistance 
a surgeon who had just amputated both 
legs of a soldier at the thighs. This 
surgeon, after carefully examining the 
wound, said to the apparently dying man: 
" You are a good deal better than a dead 
man yet; what you want most is some- 
thing to cat; the ball has not passed 
through your body, but has simply 
entered here in your breast, broken a ril), 
glanced off, and run clear around under 
the skin, and come out at the back." 
The soldier immediately arose, and, 
although weak, walked off in search of 
his company as if nothing had happened; 
he had been lying on the ground nearly 
two days under the impression that he 
had received a fatal wound — such is the 
force of imagination! 

On April 10, Col. Wood, who had 
been appointed provost-marshal of the 
camp, appointed Capt. Lawton ofificer of 
the day, giving him at the same time the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



35 



use of his horse, and he had to remain in 
the saddle ail day long, from early morn- 
ing; until night. On the i 5th Gov. Harvey 
and staff arrived, and one of the latter, 
Commissary-Gen. E. Wadsworth, called 
on Capt. Lawton to inform him that 
before starting for the seat of war he had 
been at De Pere and there learned that 
his (Capt. Lawton's) wife was very sick, 
and that the attending physician had said 
that her husband's return home was the 
only hope for her life being saved. Con- 
sequently, on the 18th he sent in his 
resignation, which Gen. Wadsworth pre- 
vailed on Col. Wood to accept, and Gov. 
Harvey to approve. On the 19th Capt. 
Lawton accompanied Gov. Harvey to 
Gen. Grant's headquarters, and the Gov- 
ernor induced the General to accept the 
resignation, and grant Capt. Lawton leave 
of absence and transportation home pend- 
ing its approval by Gen. Halleck. The 
Captain accompanied Gov. Harvey to the 
steamboat, on which they were to go to 
Cairo on their way to Wisconsin, and 
just as they arrived at the gangway to the 
upper cabin, some one told the Governor 
that "a man wished to see him." There- 
upon Gov. Harvey requested Capt. Law- 
ton to take up to the cabin a Rebel gun 
and some other relics he was taking home, 
saying he would "be back in a minute." 
The Captain took the articles from him, 
carried them into the cabin, and had just 
laid them on the table when some one 
came on board exclaiming, ' ' the Governor 
is drowned; " he had made a mis-step and 
had fallen off the gang-plank. Capt. 
Lawton left on the evening of the 19th 
and arrived home, a very sick man, on 
the afternoon of April 23, i>S63. 



HENRY WATER.MOLEN, clerk 
of the circuit court of Brown 
county, is a native of Belgium, 
born October 28, 1836, a son of 
Christopher and Mary (Demuylder) Water- 
molen. The family immigrated to the" 
United States in 1856, settling in Belle- 



vue township. Brown Co., Wis., where 
the father died three weeks afterward; 
the mother passed from earth in Febru- 
ary, i860. They were the parents of 
three children, namely: Christopher, 
who resides on the old homestead in 
Bellevue township; Francis, retired, hav- 
ing his residence in Green Bay, and 
Henry, the subject of this sketch. 

Henry \\'atermolen was reared and 
educated in his native land, and, as will 
be seen, was twenty years old when he 
came to the New World. For a time, in 
order to become conversant with the Ene- 
lish language, he attended school at 
Henry, 111., subsequently (1861) taking a 
course at Munn's Business College, Chi- 
cago. In that city he was employed in a 
warehouse and commission business, 
through the day, in the evenings attend- 
ing school, until the age of twenty-six, at 
which time he returned to Green Bay. 
Here he engaged in the stave and shingle 
business two years, after which he moved 
to De Pere, same count}', and in Febru- 
ary, 1865, embarked in general mercan- 
tile trade, continuing in same till 1882. 
In that year he returned to Green Bay, 
having received the appointment of deputy 
sheriff, an incumbency he filled four years, 
at the end of which time he was elected 
sheriff, serving as such until 1S88, when 
he was elected to his present official posi- 
tion. 

On September 5, 1865, Mr. Water- 
molen was united in marriage with Miss 
Elizabeth Tuyls, also a native of Bel- 
gium, daughter of John and Anna Marie 
(Van Op. den Bosch) Tuyls, of the same 
country, who came with their family to 
America and to Brown county. Wis., in 
1855; they died in Preble township. To 
Mr. and Mrs. \\'atermolen were born 
eight children, four of whom are yet liv- 
ing, to-wit: Isabella, a school teacher in 
Milwaukee, Wis.; Frances A., a student 
in the law office of Ellis & Merrill, Green 
Bay; Louise and Dora. The deceased 
are Charles F. , who died in infancy- 
Josephine, at the age of seven and a half 



36 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 



years, Louie F. , in infancy, and Octavie, 
at the age of four years. The parents 
are members of St. Willebrord's (Catho- 
lic) Church. Mr. W'atertnolen in politics 
is an ardent Democrat, and in addition to 
the public offices above mentioned he 
served as a member of the board of trus- 
tees of De Pare; as clerk of Lawrence 
township; assessor for De Pere eight 
years, and for several years was county 
poor commissioner. 



JR. MINAHAN, M. D. Among the 
eminent physicians and surgeons of 
Brown county, the more prominent 
of whom find place in this volume, 
none enjoys to a greater extent the con- 
fidence and esteem of the community at 
large than the gentleman, although yet a 
young man, whose name is here recorded. 
Dr. J. R. Minahan is a native of Wis- 
consin, born September 6, 1862, in Calu- 
met county, a son of William B. and 
Mary (Shaughnessy) Minahan, natives of 
Ireland, who immigrated thence in single 
life to this country, settling in New York 
State. In New York they were married, 
and in 1850 they came west to Wisconsin, 
locating first in Manitowoc county and 
later in Calumet count}', for the most part 
making their home in the town of Chilton. 



REV. PROSPER GOEPFERT, C. 
S. Sp. Emerson, the great Amer- 
ican writer, has said that ' ' society 
is a troop of thinkers, and the best 
heads among them take the best places," 
an epigram peculiarly applicable to the 
reverend gentleman whose name is here 
recorded. 

The subject of this sketch was born 
a little over fifty years ago, in a suburban 
parish of Colmar, in the (then) French 
Province of Alsace. At an early age he 
began his classical studies in the flourish- 
ing college of that town, where year after 
year he distinguished himself in all his 
classes, and won the esteem and affection 



of his masters and fellow-students. At 
the age of eighteen he felt himself called 
to enter the arena of foreign missions, 
and with that purpose in view entered the 
Society of the Holy Ghost, whose mem- 
bers, though laboring in every part of the 
earth, are chiefly devoted to the conver- 
sion of the heathen in Africa, where they 
have established numerous Christian set- 
tlements. After spending three years at 
the College of Langonnet, in Brittany, 
where he finished his literary studies, he 
took a five-years' philosophical and theo- 
logical course at the seminary of the So- 
ciety in Paris. Here, always crowned 
with marked success, he eagerly availed 
himself of every opportunity' to "drink 
deep of the Pierian spring." 

In 1 866 he was raised to the priest- 
hood by Prince Cardinal Chigi, then Papal 
nuncio at the court of Napoleon III. In 
the following \ear his superiors, instead 
of complying with his desires to de\ote 
his life to the conversion of the unen- 
lightened natives of the dark continent, 
sent him to Rockwell College, Cashel, 
Ireland, where he remained for twenty- 
two years as master of novices, and pro- 
fessor of almost every branch of educa- 
tion. During the last ten years of Father 
Goepfert's stay in Erin he filled with dis- 
tinction the position of president of Rock- 
well College, which has always ranked 
among the foremost educational institu- 
tions of the country. 

In 1890 our subject came to Michigan, 
and at Dearborn, Wayne county, he was 
for three years the beloved pastor of a 
parish under the direction of the Congre- 
gation of the Holy Ghost, and although 
but a limited field for so eminent a scholar 
and prominent a priest of the Congrega- 
tion, he was the same hard worker in his 
Master's vineyard, and when he was sent 
to his present charge in Green Bay, Wis., 
he left a record of Christian charity, genial 
characteristics, hospitality, and last, not 
least, hard work in the comforting of the 
unfortunate and the salvation of souls. 
Early in the year 1893 he came to Green 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



37 



Bay to take charge of the thriving parish 
of St. John. 

Besides his many other accompHsh- 
ments, Father Goepfert has attained no 
httle distinction as an author, having writ- 
ten and published, during his sojourn in 
Ireland, a work of much celebrity, en- 
titled " Life of the Venerable Libermann, 
Founder of the Congregation of the Holy 
Ghost;" he also founded and edited till 
his departure from Ireland the popular 
monthly magazine, "The Messenger of 
St. Joseph." In spite of his hard studies 
and harder teaching, as well as the great 
responsibility confided to him. Father 
Goepfert is still active, hale and vigorous, 
and his healthy appearance predicts for 
him a long period yet of energetic useful- 
ness and success as a minister in his new 
field of labor. 



Be. BRETT, M. D., is the oldest 
active practitioner in the city of 
Green Bay. He is a native of 
the State of Maine, born in 
Franklin county in 1835, ^ son of C. H. 
and Mary (Hunter) Brett, also of Maine 
nativity, the mother born in Franklin 
county. About the year 1 862 the family 
came west, locating in Minnesota, the 
parents shortly afterward moving to and 
settling in the town of Henry, S. Dak. 
They were quiet, unassuming, farming 
people, in their honorable pursuit, desir- 
ing to live " far from the madding crowd's 
ignoble strife." They were the parents 
of nine children, as follows: B. C., of 
whom this sketch chiefly relates; Mrs. 
Lucy A. Baker (a widow), residing in St. 
Paul, Minn. ; Mrs. E. P. Baker, in Henry, 
S. Dak.; George E., in Mankato, Minn.; 
Frank R. and Mrs. G. F. Piper, both 
also in Henry, S. Dak., and Jennie M., 
Maud, and Mrs. Sarah Jordan, deceased. 
B. C. Brett received his elementary 
education in the schools of Franklin 
county and Augusta, Maine, and in 1857 
entered the medical department of Bow- 
doin College, Brunswick, same State, 



whence, in 1859, he went to the medical 
department of Dartmouth College. Han- 
over, N. H. , where he graduated in the 
class of '60. He then commenced hospi- 
tal and dispensary practice in New York 
City, diligently devoting to it his entire 
time and attention until 1862, in which 
year he came to Highland, Iowa Co., 
Wis. Here, the Civil war being in pro- 
gress, he was offered a commission as 
assistant-surgeon to the Sixteenth Wis. 
V. I., which he, however, declined; but 
later (same year) was commissioned as- 
sistant-surgeon to the Twenty-first Wis. 
V. I., which position he accepted. He 
joined the regiment at Mitchellville, 
Tenn., and served with it throughout the 
campaign in which it participated in the 
battles of Stone River, Chickamauga and 
minor engagements, as well as those 
which occurred during " Sherman's march 
to the sea." In January, 1865, the Doc- 
tor was commissioned surgeon in the 
Seventeenth Wis. \. I., but on account 
of the illness of his wife was obliged to 
decline. In 1865 he was honorably dis- 
charged from the service at Savannah, 
Ga. , and returned to Wisconsin. In 
1 866 he commenced the general practice 
of his profession in the town of Brodhead, 
Green county, remaining there until Jul)', 
1872, when he came to Green Bay. In 
addition to his regular practice Dr. Brett 
is A. A. Surgeon in the U. S. Marine 
Hospital Service, has been Health Officer 
of Green Bay fifteen years, and for nine 
years was U. S. E.xamining Surgeon for 
Pensions. 

On April 19, i860, Dr. B. C. Brett 
was united in marriage with Miss Lucy 
Wilson Eastman, daughter of William H. 
and Eliza Eastman, all of the State of 
Maine, who after the war of the Rebellion 
came to Green Bay; the parents are both 
deceased, the father having died January 
10, 1887, the mother July 17, 1884. To 
Dr. and Mrs. Brett were born children as 
follows: Frank, who died in Green Ba}' 
August 2, 1879, at the age of nineteen; 
Fred N. (married), attending Rush Medi- 



38 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



cal College, Chicago; Anna E., Jennie 
M., and James R., all at home. The 
parents are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Ur. Brett is president of the 
Wisconsin State Medical Society, presi- 
dent of the Brown County Medical So- 
ciety, a member of the Fox River Valley 
Medical Society, of the Brainerd Medical 
Society, and of the Menomonee River 
Medical Society. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of Washington Lodge, No. 21, F. & 
A. M., and of Warren Chapter; is Sur- 
geon of T. O. Howe Post, G. A. R. ; and 
is a member of the Wisconsin Command- 
ery of the Loyal Legion of the United 
States. Politically he is an active Re- 
publican. 



XA\IER MARTIN was born Janu- 
ary 10, 1832, in the commune of 
Grez-Doiceau, Province of Bra- 
bant, Kingdom of Belgium, emi- 
grating to the United States with his 
father and mother, brothers and sisters, 
and landing in New York, July 5, 1853, 
from which city he proceeded at once to 
Philadelphia. Here his father and mother 
remained about a year, whence they 
moved to Brown county, Wis., locating 
in the Belgium settlement, where they 
bought governnient land, and there they 
lived, with their children, by farming and 
making shingles. They were honest. 
God-fearing people, and members of the 
French Presbyterian Church. The family 
trace their ancestry to the year 1665, and, 
originally, to the city of Paris, France. 

John Martin, father of Xavier, was 
born in the Parish of Dion-le-val, Depart- 
ment of the Dyle, on the 21st Brumaire, 
in the year XIII of the French Republic, 
which date corresponds with the 12th of 
November, 1 804. He died on his farm 
in 1 870. 

Aseline Bosel, mother of Xavier, was 
born in the city of Brussels, Belgium, in 
October, 1805, and died in the city of 
Green Bay, Wis., in 1874. John Martin, 
by his wife Aseline, raised a family of 



nine children, their names and births 
being as follows: Constant, born May 
1 I, 1830, lived in the city of Green Bay, 
engaged in the real-estate and insurance 
business until his death, which occurred 
June 16, 1894; Xavier, born January 10, 
1832, now living in the city of Green Bay, 
engaged in the real-estate and insurance 
business; Martin Leon, born June 28, 
1834, died July 2, 1863, and until his 
death was engaged in farming and lum- 
bering; Pierre Joseph, born November 24, 
1836, dietl February 3, 1840; Desire, 
born August 23, 1839, died August 16, 
1855; Mary Eleonore (now Mrs. Joseph 
Dhyne), born XtJvember 23, 1841, is 
residing in the city of Green Bay; Alex- 
ander, born December 6, 1843, now 
residing at Bayfield, Wis. ; Elie, born 
August 12, 1848, is now residing in the 
city of Green Bay, engaged in the real- 
estate and insurance business, and is also 
a popular justice of the peace; Celina 
(now Mrs. Francois Hannon), born Janu- 
ary 29, 1852, is living on their farm in the 
town of Scott, Brown Co., Wisconsin. 

Xavier Martin came from Belgium to 
Philadelphia, Penn., in 1853, where he 
remained four years, and there studied 
the English language and literature under 
Prof. Gardner, a professor of languages 
and literature in that citj-. In 1857 he 
left Philadelphia and came to Brown 
county. Wis., visiting the Belgian settle- 
ment, where his people lived. Here he 
was induced to locate, there being no one 
in the settlement who could speak, read 
or write the English language, and for 
five years Mr. Martin labored among the 
people of the settlement in the capacity 
of school teacher, justice of the peace, 
town clerk, school superintendent and 
postmaster, and, in a great measure, 
through him, his energy and his influence 
in his official capacity, new highways were 
laid out, new school districts were formed, 
new school-houses were built, and teachers 
provided. In the fall of 1862, at the 
general election, he was elected register 
of deeds for Brown county, consequently 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



39 



on the 1st of January, 1863, he had to 
leave the Belgian settlement and move 
with his family to the city of Green Bay, 
there to assume the duties of register of 
deeds, to which he was elected for four 
consecutive terms (eight )-ears). In 1871 
he established his present business, that 
of real-estate and insurance agent, in 
which he has been engaged up to the pres- 
ent time, and he has been closely identi- 
fied with the business interests of the 
city of Green Bay for over thirty- 
one years. He has served his city 
in various official capacities. In 1875 
and 1876 he was an active member of the 
city council; was president of same dur- 
ing the last year, and was chairman of the 
Finance Committee both years. In 1882 
he was elected city assessor by the city 
council, an office he has continued to fill 
with credit to himself and satisfaction of 
his constituents, having been elected and 
re-elected to that important office thirteen 
times, and is still occupying that position. 
Mr. Martin has been thrice married: 
First time, in 1855, in Philadelphia, 
Penn., to Miss Mary R. Gray, the second 
time in 1873 to Miss Augusta Bliske, who 
bore him eight children, six of whom are 
living, as follows: Rudolph, Albert, Paul- 
ine, Frederick, Evelynn and Richard. 
The mother of these children died in 
Green Bay in 1887, and in 1888 Mr. 
Martin married Mrs. Amelia Dendoven 
(«tr Amelia Gosin), daughter of Dieudon- 
nez Gosin, who, in 1858. came from Bel- 
gium to one of the Belgian settlements in 
Kewaunee county. Wis. In his political 
preferments Mr. Martin is an active Re- 
publican. He is one of the founders of 
the Wisconsin Society for the Prevention 
of Cruelty to Animals, organized in 1874 
and incorporated in 1882; was elected its 
first president, and has filled that office 
ever since. Socially he is a member of 
the Knights of Honor, and of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is 
also a member of Washington Lodge No. 
21, of Free and Accepted Masons, and in 
Masonry has been elected and served as 



senior deacon, and junior and senior 
warden; in the chapter of Royal Arch 
Masons he has been elected and served as 
scribe one year, king two years, and is 
now a royal and select master in the 
Council of Royal and Select Masters. 



CONSTANT MARTIN, late dealer 
in real estate, and insurance and 
general collection agent, was a 
native of the Province of Brabant, 
Belgium, born May 11, 1830, a son of 
John and Aseline (Bosel) Martin. 

Our subject was reared and educated 
in his native land, and followed the rest 
of the family to the United States. Im- 
mediately on his arrival in Philadelphia 
he commenced the study of the English 
language. In Belgium he had been en- 
gaged as clerk, but in this country he at 
once commenced buying and selling land, 
and became one af the most extensive 
real-estate dealers in northern Wisconsin, 
largely interested in town property. In 
1853 Mr. Martin was united in marriage, 
in Philadelphia, with Miss Fannie Gillon, 
a native of Brussels, Belgium, by whom 
there were two children, viz. : Clotilde 
and Joseph, who both died in 1870 (as 
did also their mother), the girl at the age 
of fourteen years, the boy when two 
months old. In 1870 Mr. Martin was 
married, in Green Bay, to Mary Louisa 
Rosenberg, a native of Johnstown, N. Y. , 
daughter of Peter and Louisa (Isham) 
Rosenberg, who came from New York 
State to Clinton, Wis. , and from there in 
1867 to Green Bay, where both died. To 
this second marriage of Mr. Martin were 
born two children, viz. : James C. , engaged 
in the insurance business with his father, 
and George, deceased in infancy. In his 
political preferences our subject was an 
Independent. In 1866 he was a member 
of the Assembly; in 1867 he was deputy 
United States assessor; in 1870 he was 
deputy marshal for the Northern District 
of Wisconsin; also, same year, postmaster 
at Red River, and was a member and 



4o 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



chairman of the board. For five years 
he was town clerk of Red River; served 
as a justice of the peace five years; and 
for two years was school superintendent 
for Kewaunee county, ^^r. Slartin was a 
resident (jf that county from 1859 to 1874, 
and of Green Bay from 1874 until his 
death, which occurred June 16, 1894. 
From 1885 till 1892 he was an active 
member of the board of education in the 
city of Green Bay. This family trace 
their ancestry to the year 1665, and orig- 
inally to the City of Paris, France. 



WEBSTER A. BINGH,\M. Pre- 
senting as it does a worthy ex- 
ample to the rising generation, 
the life of this gentleman, which 
from early boyhood has been one of as- 
siduous industry, untiring energy and un- 
questioned integrity, is well deserving of 
being sketched, however briefly, in the 
pages of this volume. 

Mr. Bingham was born March 25, 
1844, in Ogle county. 111., a son of Hol- 
land Weeks and Sarah S. (Goodrich) 
Bingham, both natives of Cornwall, Vt., 
the father born in 1804, the mother in 
1 8 10. They were married in the East, 
in 1836; moved, in 1838, to a farm in 
Ogle county. 111., and from there, in 1849, 
to Watertown, Wis., one daughter, aged 
eight years, and one son (our subject), 
aged five years, accompanying them. The 
latter was educated at the Watertown 
(Wis.) High School, and at the age of 
fourteen conniienced the battle of life by 
carrying brick at twenty-five cents per 
day. He also during the summer vaca- 
tions worked in a machine shop; a part of 
the time, up to the age of seventeen, ran 
a stationary engine, and when he was but 
sixteen years old he taught a country 
school near Watertown; by which it will 
be seen that his early life experience was 
of a decidedly versatile character. But 
he was always equal to the occasion. He 
was possessed of vigorons natural abilities, 
and although his opportunities for acquir- 



ing knowledge were but few, yet he ap- 
plied his powers of observation upon the 
things which were nearest to him, and the 
boy became father to the man. In 1861, 
at the age of seventeen, he enlisted in the 
First Wis. V. C, in which regiment he 
experienced three years of constant active 
service in the Civil war, never being absent 
from his post of duty during any engage- 
ment in which the" First " participated. 
He received slight promotions in the non- 
commissioned line, and in 1864, at the 
age of twenty, by reason of expiration of 
term of service, was mustered out as regi- 
mental quartermaster-sergeant. Return- 
ing to Wisconsin, he entered upon a 
course of study at the Spencerian Business 
College, Milwaukee, and when his course 
was nearl\- completed secured a position 
in one of the departments of the college 
as teacher, which he held for a short time 
until a situation was open to him in a cer- 
tain large wholesale hardware house in 
Milwaukee, at that time one of the most 
prominent firms in the West. In this 
business he remained as salesman eight 
years, advancing from a salary of five 
hundred dollars to twenty-five hundred 
dollars per annum, and becoming very 
popular with the trade. In the fall of 
1872 he engaged in a general merchandise 
business in West De Pere, Brown Co., 
Wis., on a small capital, which was more 
than doubled the first two years, the sales 
having been pushed up to ninety thousand 
dollars the first year, in an ordinary coun- 
try store, and for several successive years 
increased until a steady and permanent 
trade was established, which has been al- 
most phenomenally successful from its 
commencement to the present time. The 
business has been conducted on the best 
and most secure business priciples, and 
no firm in Brown county stands higher 
either with customers or creditors. 

In 1887 Mr. Bingham made a trip to 
California, in reality for recreation; but 
an opening for manufacturing presenting 
itself strongly, he became one of the 
members of a large corporation organized 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



41 



for the purpose of manufacturing fire-clay 
products, principally vitrified pipe for ir- 
rigation purposes, city sewers, etc. The 
full management of this company was 
soon placed in his hands, and for several 
years he has been the president and man- 
ager of the "Pacific Clay Manufacturing 
Company," of Los Angeles, Cal. The 
concern is in a most prosperous condi- 
tion, and has paid regular dividends to the 
stockholders each year, under his manage- 
ment. He retains his business interests 
in De Pere (which is really his home), and 
gives them as much personal attention as 
is needed. 

In 1869 Mr. Bingham was married in 
Milwaukee to Miss Fannie H. Bird, of 
Cambridge, Mass. , and three children 
have blessed their union, named respect- 
ively: Mary Homer, Arthur Walter and 
Susan Abbott. In religious faith he has 
been an active member of the Congrega- 
tional Church from the age of sixteen; in 
political predilections he is a Republican, 
but not an active politician, and has 
served on the board of education of West 
De Pere, ten years, and as mayor of that 
city, one year. Now at the age of fifty 
years, and in the prime of life, Mr. Bing- 
ham is in perfect health, with some of thg 
best years before him, as he believes, and 
he deserves to lake pride in a substantial, 
though modest, business record which 
stands without a blemish. 



M 



ARTIN VAN BEEK, owner of 
one of the finest farms in 
Preble township, Brown coun- 
ty, is well-known as one of the 
most industrious and progressive farmers 
of his section. 

He was born October 29, 1842, in 
Holland, son of John Van Beek, who 
was a carpenter by trade, at which he 
worked in his native country, being also 
employed as a plow maker. In 1850 
John Van Beek emigrated from Holland, 
on June 24, that year, landing in Green 
Bay, Wis., with his family of five chil- 



dren — three sons and two daughters. On 
arriving here he had but ten guilders (four 
dollars) left, and immediately went to 
work for Judge Ellis (at a place near 
where Hagemeister's brewery now is), 
repairing a sawmill, and also at his trade. 
So limited were their circumstances at 
first that the family lived in a stable, and 
later for four months in a blacksmith 
shop, aftter which they removed to a house 
owned by Joshua Whitney's father. Thus 
Mr. Van Beek struggled along, and after 
some years was able to purchase a house 
and lot, and still later 120 acres of land 
in Preble township. Brown county, part 
of which is now incorporated in the farm 
of our subject. John Van Beek passed 
from earth in 1883, ^^ Bay Settlement; 
his wife died May 23, 1880, at the same 
place, and they now lie buried in Bay Set- 
tlement cemetery. After coming here 
Mr. Van Beek visited his native country 
once, but was not content to remain 
there. From being a poor man he had, 
by hard work and honest industry, ac- 
cumulated a comfortable competence, 
and he was highly respected in his lo- 
cality. 

Martin Van Beek was deprived of 
educational advantages in his youth by 
the limited circumstances of his parents, 
who needed his help; but he was anxious 
to learn, and attended night school even 
after his marriage. During his later years 
he has been a great reader, and in this 
manner, and by observation, he has se- 
cured a practical education. When but 
a boy he was initiated into the details of 
the lumber business, becoming quite 
skilled in the care of saws, and was also 
expert at manufacturing shingles by hand. 
When a little older he did some sailing on 
the lakes and ocean. At New Franken, 
Wis. , he found work as head sawyer in a 
shingle mill. He was completely at home 
in the lumber business, and during fifteen 
springs he "rode logs," at which he had 
few equals, for which hazardous labor he 
has been paid as much as seven dollars per 
day. But being of a roving disposition. 



42 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



he has not been content to remain at 
home all the time, and, especially as a 
sailor, has probably traveled more than 
any other farmer in his neifjhborhood. 

On January 2, 1867, Mr. Van Beek 
was married to Miss Catharine Bomber, 
who was born April iiS. 1843, in Bel- 
gium, a daughter of Agelius Bomber, and 
came to the United States when thirteen 
years old; her parents resided in Green 
Bay. To this marriage have been born 
thirteen children, three of whom — Mar- 
garet A., Joseph and William — are de- 
ceased. The others are named as fol- 
lows: Mary, Hcnr}-. John, Josephine, 
Joseph, Gertrude. Elizabeth, Samuel, 
AloN'sius and William. At the time of 
his marriage Mr. \'an Beek located in 
Green Bay, and shortly after went with a 
surveying corps, who were laying out the 
course of the Green Bay, Winona & St. 
Paul railroad. Upon his return home he 
again engaged in the lumber business, 
remaining with one firm, Clouse & 
Featherly, for five years, during which 
time his work was such that he gained 
some knowledge of the blacksmith and 
machinist trades. For two summers he 
was in the employ of Earl & Case, and 
received good wages, scaling lumber and 
"booming logs." He also commenced 
to learn the printer's trade in the Gazette 
office at Green Bay, but gave it up on 
account of his health. During these 
years he had saved some money, and 
built a home in Green Bay, which he 
subsequently traded for forty acres of 
land where he now lives, and to which 
he has added other forty acres. When 
he took up his residence on this land it 
was covered with stumps, was very 
swampy, and, altogether, in such poor 
condition that he found it necessary to 
tile almost the whole farm. But his 
labor has been well repaid, for to-day he 
has one of the best farms in Preble town- 
ship, the result of years of hard work and 
systematic management. While not a 
life-long farmer, he has, during his resi- 
dence here, proven himself capable and 



progressive in the agricultural depart- 
ment, paying special attention to the 
raising of garden truck. 

During the Civil war Mr. Van Beek 
enlisted in the United States service, at 
Oconto, Wis., but was rejected on ac- 
count of his youth. He afterward en- 
listed at Berlin, Wis., and was again 
rejected, this time on account of injuries 
received in a fall. Politically he is a 
stanch Republican, and a strong sup- 
porter of the principles of that party, but 
he gi\es no time to party affairs, his own 
interests requiring all his attention. In 
religious connection he and his wife are 
members of the Catholic Church, in 
which he has been councilor some \ears. 



E 



DWARD DECKER was born 
Ma\' 2, 1827, in Casco, Cumber- 
land Co., Maine, son of David 
and Eliza (Dunhamj Decker. 
The progenitor of the Decker family in 
America was the great-great-grandfather 
of our subject, coming from England, and 
settling on the Kennebec river, in Maine, 
where he became a prominent and pros- 
perous citizen. His grandson, David 
Decker, removed to Cumberland county, 
Maine, in an early day, married Jemima 
Decker, a cousin, and they became the 
parents of the following children: Mary, 
David, John, William, Eunice, Charles, 
Nathan and Spencer. Of these, David 
Decker, was a well-known character in 
his community, was a Jacksonian Demo- 
crat, and had considerable influence in 
local and State politics. By occupation 
he was a merchant and miller, his mill 
property being situated on the Kennebec 
river; and as he was a capable business 
man he prospered, but he also met with 
many reverses. About 1857 he was in- 
duced by his son, Edward, to come west 
to Wisconsin, where he purchased a half 
section of land in Kewaunee county, near 
Casco, so named by his son, Edward, in 
honor of his birthplace. Here David 
Decker died in 1865 at the age of sixty- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



45 



four years. His wife, Eliza (Dunham), 
was a daughter of Jesse Dunham, a na- 
tive of Boston, Mass., who resided in 
Otisfield, Maine. Domestic, kind-hearted, 
■charitable, and possessed of many en- 
dearing quaHties of head and heart, she 
had hosts of friends. To her and her 
husband were born eight children, name- 
l}': Edward, Eliza Ann, Stillman, Levi, 
Lucy, Adeline, Jesse and Lizzie. She 
died in 1S89, at the age of eighty years. 
Her family, the Dunhams, were generally 
noted for stability in business and social 
circles. 

Edward Decker received in his boy- 
hood but few advantages, even of the 
public schools, and at the age of fourteen 
he left home and proceeding to Portland, 
Maine, there obtained a position, working 
for eight dollars per month. When six- 
teen years old he went to Boston, where 
he clerked for his uncle in a general store 
two years. During his stay in that city 
Mr. Decker heard a good deal about 
Iowa, enough to induce him to set out for 
that State; but while in Milwaukee he was 
persuaded to locate with a large party in 
^^^isconsin, and thus the State gained a 
valuable citizen. He landed in Milwau- 
kee, May 2, 1845, and after one year's 
residence in Watertown, Wis., moved to 
Oshkosh, where he embarked in the lum- 
ber business, being the first man to run 
logs to that place, in which connection he 
became well known. Under a treaty 
with the Indians, Robert Grignon had 
permission to build a sawmill on Indian 
lands along the Little Wolf river, and 
!Mr. Decker contracted to stock the mill 
with logs, he receiving half of the lumber. 
This lumber was rafted and run down the 
river, where it was disposed of among the 
•early settlers of Winnebago county, and 
pieces of same are still to be found in the 
old houses of that section. Mr. Decker 
■continued in the lumber business three 
years, and then built a hotel in Menasha, 
which he conducted for a short time. 
Selling this and other property he re- 
anoved in 1855 to Kewaunee county. Wis. 



(where he entered a large amount of land 
with the intention of establishing a set- 
tlement), opened a store and cleared 
some land. In 1856 the county was or- 
ganized and county officers elected, but 
Mr. Decker declined to ha\e anything to 
do with the organization. The county 
officers being inexperienced, however, all 
failed to qualify in the following January, 
and he was requested by prominent busi- 
ness men in the county to organize the 
affairs and establish the different offices. 
Having set the machinery going, and hav- 
ing been deputized by the treasurer and 
clerk, he set to work to put things in run- 
ning order, and the business was soon in 
proper condition. At the end of two 
years he was elected clerk, and continued 
to serve as such many years, being re- 
elected often against his wish; he held the 
office until January i, 1869. In the fall 
of 1859 Mr. Decker was elected State 
senator, in which capacity he served one 
term. At the next convention his name 
was again used, but he refused to be a 
candidate, and when tendered the nomi- 
nation declined to accept it. In the same 
fall the Republicans and Democrats called 
a mass convention, and again offered him 
the nomination, which he, as before, re- 
fused. 

Regardless of party politics, he per- 
formed some deeds of daring and acts of 
charity that are entitled to honorable 
mention in the history of the State. Dur- 
ing the Civil war the draft was inevitable 
in many counties in Wisconsin, and in 
some armed resistance was feared. The 
principal population of Kewaunee county 
was foreign, and resisted the draft; armed 
bodies of men discussed the situation, and 
excitement ran high. Troops had been 
ordered to the scene of trouble, blood- 
shed seemed unavoidable, and the feeling 
was bitter against the government. At 
this critical stage the cooler heads of the 
representative men of the State proposed 
Edward Decker as the only man who in 
all probability could act as United States 
deputy provost marshal, and avert blood- 



46 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHWAL RECORD. 



shed and the dire consequences attending 
it. He realized to the full the difficult 
task before him, but finally was persuaded 
to accept it. His record as county officer, 
friend, business man and neifjhbor, all 
combined to aid him, but it was weeks 
after accepting the office before any im- 
pression could be made on the wrathful 
inhabitants, who regarded him as an 
enemy to their rights and privileges. 
Many of his acquaintances refused to 
speak to him on meeting, and manifested 
marked hostility. He had stipulated that 
no armed force should be sent into the 
Territory, and had secured other rights 
and privileges which he could make use 
of if occasion demanded; so by degrees 
the hostility subsided, and his influence 
with the people was felt. The cooler 
heads saw the wisdom of his counsel, 
and eventually the obno.xious draft was 
avoided, money was subscribed liberally, 
and bounties were paid. Mr. Decker's 
full share in bringing this about will never 
be fully learned, but many an old farmer 
and father remembers the aid he received 
in that trying time. 

During all these years, besides attend- 
ing to his public duties, he looked after 
his settlement on Decker creek, which, 
as before mentioned, was named ' ' Casco " 
in honor of his birthplace. He eventually 
established a lumber mill, which is still in 
operation; owns 1,500 acres in a body at 
Casco, and 1,500 acres in the vicinity. 
His long service in the county office made 
him familiar with every acre of land in 
Kewaunee and Door counties, where he 
owns, altogether, over ten thousand acres, 
this land being accumulated by degrees, 
excepting the old homestead at Casco, 
where he bought three thousand acres at 
one time. After withdrawing from the 
county ofTices Mr. Decker intended to go 
into the railroad business, starting a road 
from Green Bay to St. Paul, and a com- 
pany was organized which obtained a 
charter. Associated with Mr. Decker 
were Col. C. B. Robinson, editor of the 
Green Bay Adi-ocatc, and Anton Klaus, 



a merchant and lumberman. The pro- 
ject was a bold one. and there is no doubt 
that, had it been carried out. it would 
have been a success, and the road would 
probably have been the first through the 
Northwest to the Pacific coast; but al- 
though aid was voted, no material pro- 
gress was made. In 1868 Mr. Decker 
concluded to embark in the undertaking 
in earnest; new directors were elected, 
and he was made president, but Provi- 
dence had ordered it otherwise. He was 
injured in a runaway, his left arm being 
so mangled as to necessitate amputation, 
he was disabled for over a year, and he 
consequently resigned the presidenc\-, and 
the road was subsequently built b\- others 
to Winona, Minn., instead of St. Paul. 
Always active in business affairs, he has 
been interested in many deals, and has 
been a silent partner in various concerns. 

While residing in Kewaunee he had 
an interest in the large lumber mills there, 
which he subsequently sold to good ad- 
vantage. In 1872 he took up his resi- 
dence in Green Bay, and purchased a 
controlling interest in the Bank of Com- 
merce, of which he became one of the 
officers, and with which he retained his 
connection several years. Removing 
again to Casco, he built up quite an ex- 
tensive business there, also conducting 
from that place his interest in various 
enterprises with which he was identified. 
He became one of the main stockholders 
of the Kewaunee Exchange Bank, which 
has since been incorporated as one of the 
State Banks of Wisconsin, and of which 
he is now president. In 1881 he started 
a private bank at Ahnapee, called the 
Bank of Ahnapee. of which he is president 
and owns the entire stock. In 18SS, in 
company with James Keogh. he founded 
the Bank of Sturgeon Bay, of which he is 
also president. In February, 1891, Mr. 
Decker and his son David organized the 
Bank of Two Rivers, Wis., of which he 
is president and David Decker cashier. 

Though ever engaged with the many 
duties of the various commercial enter- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



47 



prises with which he was connected, Mr. 
Decker still found time to devote to news- 
paper work. In June, 1859, he brought 
to Kewaunee a printing press, which he 
had purchased at Menasha, where it had 
been used to print a small weekly. None 
of the Kewaunee citizens knew of this 
enterprise till its arrival, and having a 
cousin who acted as his clerk, and who 
was a professional printer, Mr. Decker 
got him to set it up and started the Ke- 
waunee Enterprise, a paper politically 
Democratic; in January, 1869, it was 
sold to John M. Reed. In 1885 Mr. 
Decker bought a half interest in the Green 
Bay Advocate, which has since been in- 
corporated as the Green Bay Advocate 
Company, of which he fs president and 
principal stockholder. This paper is pub- 
lished both daily and weekly and is also 
Democratic. Mr. Decker has just com- 
pleted the building of a railroad from Casco 
Junction to Sturgeon Bay, called the 
Ahnapee & Western railway, of which he 
is president. The road, which is practically 
his own conception, is thirty-four miles in 
length, and is operated as a general freight 
and passenger line. 

Mr. Decker is the father of six chil- 
dren, viz. : George A. (of California), 
Mrs. Anna Curtin, David B., Edward, 
Nathan and Libbie, the latter of whom is 
a student at Grafton Hall. 

Although Mr. Decker's position in life 
makes him a conspicuous figure in this 
part of the State of Wisconsin, he is yet 
the most companionable and approach- 
able of men, and has an ever ready ear 
and a helping hand for those in distress or 
seeking advice in business matters. In 
summing up his life sketch it is but just to 
speak more fully of his relation to the 
business world of the State, for the men 
that compose it have universally a high 
respect for his integritj' and moral worth. 
His success in life has led to many in- 
quiries regarding his methods in business, 
which are sound and safe, and peculiarly 
free from the vortex of speculation which 
has made a few wealthy men, but which 



has ruined so many of the really progres- 
sive and enterprising. Aside from his 
proverbial square-dealing with rich and 
poor, it is his attention to details that has 
been the foundation and rock of all his suc- 
cesses. The services he has rendered in 
developing the resources of the State, and 
more especially those of Kewaunee and 
Door counties, 'will best be appreciated 
by a new and thinking generation, who 
will be more able, as time gives opportun- 
ity for reflection, to truly comprehend and 
revere the memory of its pioneers who 
were its best benefactors. 



JH. EBELING, one of the most 
prominent millers in Green Bay, was 
born in 1S36 in Holstein, Germany, 
a son of J. H. and Anna Dorothea 
(Winert) Ebeling. The father, who was 
also a miller, died in Germany in 1851^ 
the mother surviving until about 1887. 
Of their eighteen children, Henry N. and 
J. H. (our subject) now reside in Green 
Bay. 

In 1864 J. H. Ebeling came to the 
United States, and in Mishicot, Mani- 
towoc Co., Wis., was engaged, in part- 
nership with Mr. Soenksen, in milling 
until 1866, when he came to Green Bay. 
Here he worked as a miller for a Mr. 
Hoeffel two years; then, in 1868, went to 
New Franken, Brown county, built a 
flour mill, and under the firm name of 
Smith & Ebeling carried on the business 
until 1S76, when the mill was destroyed 
by fire. In 1877 the present flour mills 
were erected, Mr. Ebeling and H. A. 
Straubel being then the proprietors. The 
mills were built with four run of buhrs, 
and later rebuilt to the roller system and 
enlarged to a capacity of 300 barrels of 
flour per day, with an elevator attached, 
of 45,000 bushels capacity. The mills 
were run under the firm name of Ebeling 
& Straubel's mill until March, 1894, when 
Mr. Ebeling bought his partner's interest, 
and has since conducted the business on 
his sole account. Mr. Ebeling is presi- 



4S 



COMMEMORATIVE BlOOIiAPUICAL RECORD. 



dent of the Columbian Baker\' Company, 
is a stockholder in the Brown County Fair 
& Park Association, and holds various 
other important business interests. 

He was married, in 1865. in Mishicot, 
to Miss Mary, dauf,'hter of Carl Frederic 
and Augusta (Kunze) Altmann, all natives 
of Dresden, Germanj-. To this union 
were born four children, viz. : J. H., Jr., 
engineer at the mills; Frederic Charles, 
traveling salesman for the same; Marie 
C. ; and William Theodore, shipping clerk 
for the mills. Mr. Ebeling is in politics a 
Republican. His business qualifications 
are universally recognized, and it may be 
mentioned, to his great credit, that he 
started in his present lucrative trade with 
a cash capital of only one thousand dollars. 



CHARLES WEST DAY, of the 
city of De Perc, was born July i, 
1836, in the town of Limerick, 
Jefferson Co., N. Y. , and is a son 
of Otis and Elmira (Scribner) Day, both 
also natives of New York State, the for- 
mer of whom was a farmer by occupa- 
tion. Three children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Day in New York State, as fol- 
lows: Charles W., our subject; Philander 
L. a butcher and farmer, of Wrightstown, 
Wis., and Frances, who died in Wrights- 
town at the age of seven vears. 

In November, i 849, Otis Day sold his 
farm and decided to come to Wisconsin, 
then the " Far West," which State was 
offering cheap homes at the time men- 
tioned. Accompanied by his family, he 
journeyed to Buffalo, N. Y. ; and thence 
via the lakes to Manitowoc; thence to 
Green Bay, in January, 1850, reaching 
Wrightstown, Brown county, where he 
entered a tract of eighty acres of land. 
The route from Green Bay to this land 
led through an unbroken wilderness, and 
from De Pere down was only a trail, which 
had to be cut through to form a road for 
the passage of his team. On his eighty 
acres Mr. Day erected the first habitation 
ever occupied by a white man in that re- 



gion — a cabin of logs covered with bass- 
wood boughs, which was occupied by the 
Daj' family seven or eight years before a 
more substantial and pretentious residence 
was substituted. The sufferings of the 
famih' from sickness at that early day 
were terrible in the extreme, and at one 
time Charles W. was the only member of 
the household able to be on his feet. He 
brought supplies from De Pere on his 
back, often through knee-deep snow, and 
on one occasion, returning from one of 
these trips, found his only sister a corpse. 
The growth of timber was very dense, 
and great labor was required in felling it. 
Shingles made by hand were the only 
source of revenue, and it required two 
days' hard work to secure a load, that is 
a thousand, which after being hauled to 
De Pere, the nearest market, by ox-team, 
brought but seventy-five cents in trade in 
goods at the store. As the timber was 
felled, an axe was used to make incisions 
in the ground, into which seed corn was 
dropped, and the natural fertility of the 
soil producing good crops, a comfortable 
living was gradually derived from this 
cereal. The death of Otis Day occurred on 
this farm June 20, 1882, and that of Mrs. 
Day May 7, 1890, and their remains now 
lie in Greenleaf cemetery. 

Charles West Day received such an 
education as the schools of his early days 
afforded, and has lived to see great changes 
in the conduct of these institutions, the 
advantages of which he has fully availed 
himself of for the benefit, at least, of his 
own children. He of course began life on 
a farm, but was early initiated into the 
mysteries of lumbering, the general voca- 
tion of his neighborhood. At the age of 
twenty he left his old home to begin the 
battle of life for himself, and has made a 
good fight. The first summer of his ca- 
reer was passed in company with Reuben 
Thompson in making shingles by hand; 
the following year he worked for a Mr. 
Blake, of De Pere, who was building cor- 
duroy roads, and the next winter received 
his first real start in life by clearing five 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



49 



hundred dollars with a team of oxen he 
had purchased the year previous. 

On July 3, i860, Mr. Day was mar- 
ried to Miss Juliette Chase, who was born 
June 14, 1840, in the town of Charleston, 
Kalamazoo Co., Mich. Her parents, 
Henrj' and Persis (Averill) Chase, were 
New Englanders, but came from Canada 
to Michigan, and later, in 1856, moved to 
De Pere via Green Baj', four years after- 
ward removing to Wrightstown. The 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Day was sol- 
emnized by Squire Brown on the site of 
the "Old Agency House," a short dis- 
tance north of De Pere. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Day located on eighty acres of 
timberland bought of Lucien Wright, in 
partnership with H. S. Wright, whereon 
he built a log shanty, and the fast}- man- 
ner in which Mrs. Day kept the humble 
abode was the comment of all the neigh- 
bors round about. All the timber was 
cut from the land, which Mr. Daj- sold 
after passing one winter thereon, and 
he then moved to Greenleaf, the follow- 
ing winter locating on the old homestead, 
where he continued lumbering. Here a 
water-mill had been erected by Otis Day, 
which Charles W. con\erted into a steam- 
mill — something of a novelty in its day — 
which in later years was enlarged and im- 
proved. Mr. Day, in his time, has bought 
and sold thousands of acres of timberland, 
which he has resold after cutting off the 
timber, and to-day owns a tract of 500 
acres, of which 400 are under cultivation. 
In August, 1884, he removed to De Pere, 
where he has ever since resided, although 
his business interests lie entirely in 
Wrightstown, in and around Greenleaf. 

Politicall}' a Republican, Mr. Day cast 
his first Presidential vote for Abraham 
Lincoln. He has never been an office- 
seeker, but has always been one of the 
advisers and counselors of his party in his 
section, and has filled various local offices, 
though on two occasions, when elected 
township trustee, he declined to serve. 
For twenty-nine years he was school 
treasurer of his township, four years of 



which he served after leaving the District, 
and was, in fact, legally disqualified from 
serving. In 1886 he was elected to the 
State Senate, and served the term to the 
gratification of all concerned. In all his 
monetary transactions, involving thou- 
sands upon thousands of dollars, he has 
never had a lawsuit, which fact is in itself 
sufficient demonstration of the rectitude 
of his conduct. To the foresight, skill, 
industry and indomitable energy of such 
citizens does Brown county owe much of 
her prosperity. Mr. Day is not a mem- 
ber of a secret lodge or secret society of 
any kind, preferring to spend his leisure 
time in the home circle of his interesting 
famil}', which is a true type of an ideal 
American home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Day have had born to 
them seven children, as follows: Ed- 
ward B. , of Greenleaf; Persis E., now 
the wife of W. H. Earles, M. D., of Mil- 
waukee; Mary E., married to B. I. Bray- 
ten, of St. Paul; Alma E., who died in 
infancy; Carlton A., at home; Frederick 
E., who also died in infancy; and Lillian 
M., at home. 



HON. JOHN M. HOGAN. This 
gentleman is a well-known prom- 
inent farmer, of Preble township, 
Brown county, in whose career 
as a successful merchant and financier 
we find one of the best examples of safe 
conservative enterprise. 

Patrick Hogan, his father, was a na- 
tive of County Clare, Ireland, where he 
received a liberal education. When little 
more than a lad he emigrated to the 
United States, and in New York City 
learned the trade of hatter, which he fol- 
lowed for some time there. In that city 
he married Miss Isabella McGillan, a na- 
tive of Tyrone, Ireland, who came to 
America with a sister, both being then in 
their young womanhood, and to this 
union were born two children: John M., 
and Mary. When our subject was yet 
an infant his parents came west, and 



5° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHJCAL RECORD. 



landing in Detroit, Mich., the mother 
and child were left there while the father 
proceeded farther westward to Milwaukee, 
Wis., where he purchased land in the 
neighborhood, situated in Town 1 2, 
Washington county. Later the family 
joined him, and on this farm they lived 
three years, at the end of which time they 
moved to Green Bay, residing there un- 
til March, i860, when they came to 
Preble township and settled on the farm 
now owned by our subject. Very little 
clearing had been done on this piece of 
land at the time the family came to it, 
but hard work and industrious persever- 
ance soon converted it into a productive 
farm. The father resided here at vari- 
ous times, occasionally in Green Bay, 
where he died July 17, 1887, his remains 
being interred in Allouez township ceme- 
tery. His widow, now seventy-four years 
of age, is living with our subject; she is a 
member of the Church of St. John the 
Evangelist, at Green Bay. The daughter, 
Mary, died when four and one-half years 
old, and is also buried in Allouez town- 
ship cemetery. Mr. Hogan was a typ- 
ical self-made man, one who climbed from 
the bottom rung of the ladder of success 
to the top, totally unaided, and by his 
own indefatigable exertions and labor. 
John M. Hogan, the subject proper of 
these lines, was born, in 1848, in New 
York City, whence when an infant he was 
brought by his parents to Wisconsin, as 
above related. At the common schools 
of his boyhood period he received a fair 
education, and was reared to agricultural 
pursuits, in which he was thoroughly 
trained. In 1882, in company with 
Peter Tuyls, he embarked in general 
merchandising in Green Bay, their store 
being located on Main street, where they 
met with encouraging success, but failing 
health compelled his retirement. Selling 
his interest in the store, he for a time 
lived comparatively retired, occasionally 
buying and selling real estate, in which he 
also made a success. Two years after 
the death of his father he purchased the 



home farm, and believing it would im- 
prove his health, in the spring of 1890 
returned to it, and has remained there 
ever since, not doing any active work, 
however, as the farm, which now com- 
prises eighty acres, is looked after by 
others. In politics he is a Republican, 
but no partisan, as in county and town- 
ship matters he votes for the individual 
he considers best suited to theoflfice, while 
in State and National affairs he invariably 
supports his party ticket. He has been 
called upon to serve his township in var- 
ious capacities, such as chairman of the 
board of supervisors some seven years, 
justice of the peace and treasurer of the 
school board, at all times acquitting him- 
self with credit and honor, and to the sat- 
isfaction of his constituents. In the fall 
of 1880 he was elected representative to 
the State Legislature, in which he served 
one term with marked ability. Much 
credit is due to Mr. Hogan for the envia- 
ble position in society he has elevated 
himself to, he being recognized as a lead- 
ing man in the county, and a wise coun- 
selor. At the breaking out of the war of 
the Rebellion Mr. Hogan was too young 
to enlist, being then but twelve years of 
age, but on May 26, 1864, when not quite 
si.vteen years old, he enlisted at Green 
Bay without the knowledge of his par- 
ents, becoming a member of Company G, 
Forty-first Wis. V. I. He served with 
his command at Memphis, Tenn., and 
was on picket duty there when the Con- 
federate general Forrest made the attack 
on that place in 1864. Mr. Hogan com- 
pleted his term of enlistment, and on 
September 23, 1864, was honorably dis- 
charged from the service, in Milwaukee. 



PHILIPP MULLER. In the life 
of this well-known gentleman there 
is presented a lesson for the youth 
of any land; something to be found 
in it of a nature encouraging to the young 
aspirant, who, without friends or fortune, 
is struggling to overcome obstacles in his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



efforts to acquire a comfortable compe- 
tence, if not absolute wealth. 

Mr. Muller was born in Prussia, Sep- 
tember 6, 1 83 1, in one of the wine-grow- 
ing districts that luxuriate along the fer- 
tile banks of the beautiful river Moselle, 
and distant some eighteen miles from the 
city of Trier. He is the second child and 
eldest son of Matthias Muller, a well-to-do 
landowner in Germany, also a wine-grower 
and cooper, making his own casks for use 
in his business. Young Philipp was brought 
up to this industry, working steadily at it 
after leaving school, until he was nine- 
teen years old, when he decided to emi- 
grate to America, here to seek his fortune. 

On May i, 1850, in company with a 
cousin, Matthias Hoffman, he set sail 
from the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in the 
American ship "Edwina," and after a 
quick passage of thirty days, landed at 
New York, where he found his funds 
completely e.xhausted. His cousin, how- 
ever, kindly came to his assistance, sup- 
plying him with sufficient money to bring 
him on to Wisconsin, and after landing in 
Milwaukee, he and his cousin (for they 
were still companions in their journey) 
proceeded to Sheboygan, thence by foot 
to Manitowoc, where our subject found 
his first employment on American soil, 
commencing, as will be seen, in debt. 
His employer was one Richter, who kept 
several cows a short distance from Mani- 
towoc, and young Muller's duties were 
to attend to them, receiving the sum 
of eight dollars per month for his serv- 
ices, boarding all this time in Mani- 
towoc with John Raymer, a fellow-coun- 
tryman. On leaving Richter he went to 
Two Rivers and commenced work in the 
sawmill of H. H. Smith, at the same 
wages as he had previously got; but in 
two short weeks the terrible scourge, 
cholera, broke out, paralyzing work, and 
people fleeing from the place, one of the 
fugitives allowing our subject to occupy 
his deserted home, and here the latter re- 
mained, living as best he could. When 
the plague had abated, people began to re- 



turn to their homes, the sawmill was once 
more started up, and Mr. Muller found 
work until the fall of the year, at which 
time the mill was closed. Purchasing a 
strong pair of boots and an axe, he ne.xt 
tried his hand at chopping cordwood at two 
shillings and sixpence per cord, but at 
the end of winter he found on settling up 
that he owed his employer eight dollars 
after giving him his axe, which was not a 
very encouraging transaction. In the 
spring he again engaged to work in Smith's 
sawmill at eight dollars per month, and 
found himself at the end of the season 
with just thirteen dollars in cash. From 
that he again went to lumbering in the 
woods for a short time; then, purchasing 
an axe and a cross-cut saw, cut cordwood 
for a time, after which for the remainder 
of the winter he made shingles, and on 
settling up in the spring he found that, 
after surrendering his tools to his em- 
ployer, he was enabled to begin the sum- 
mer of 1852 simply out of debt. Work- 
ing again in a sawmill at nine dollars per 
month, he succeeded in saving by the 
commencement of winter about twenty- 
five dollars, and for the next few months 
he found various kinds of employment for 
no more than his board. 

Next year, leaving Two Rivers, he 
hired out at Neshoto at sixteen dollars 
per month, and at the end of something 
over a year he had saved $160, with 
which sum he proceeded to New York in 
order to meet his parents, brothers and 
sisters and an old uncle, all of whom had 
just landed from Germany, and were 
without money to take them westward. 
Mr. Muller, however, brought them all 
to Wisconsin, thirteen in number, and 
when they reached Two Rivers there was 
not a penny left in the party, so Mr. 
Muller had to borrow two shillings where- 
with to pay the wharfage on the chattels. 
The family' then went to live with a rela- 
tive in Two Rivers, but the junior mem- 
bers soon found work, the boys at peeling 
bark, the girls as domestics. A farm was 
rented for the parents and the old uncle. 



52 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the youngest child going with them. In 
the following spring, in Mishicot town- 
ship. Manitowoc county, the father 
bought eighty acres of uncleared land, 
paying on account $35, which money was 
supplied by Philipp, saved by him out of 
his earnings in the lumber woods, where 
he worked at $18 per month. Later on, 
finding themselves unable to meet pay- 
ments falling due on this land, forty acres 
had to be sold in order to clear them- 
selves. There was not a single stick cut 
on the remaining forty acres, so there 
was a vast amount of work to be done to 
make a clearing. A log house, 16x24 
feet, was first built, and this was the only 
shelter for the family, at that time seven 
in munber, for a long time. By i860 
sufficient improvements were made, our 
subject furnishing out of his hard-earned 
wages all the necessary means; and, in- 
deed, it may be said he was the mainstay 
of the family until they were able to sup- 
port themselves from the product of the 
farm, and then he began for himself. 

On December 7, 1861, Mr. Muller 
was married to Miss Magdalene Flem- 
ming, who was born May 5. 1842, in 
Luxemburg, Germany, a daughter of 
Frank Flemming, who in 1S56 came from 
Antwerp, Belgium, to New York, bring- 
ing his family, from there traveling west- 
ward to Wisconsin, and settling in Ne- 
shoto, Manitowoc county, where the 
marriage took place, 'Squire Jacob King 
performing the ceremony. In Neshoto 
the young people connnenced housekeep- 
ing, and after a five-years' residence there 
moved to Two Rivers, Mr. Muller work- 
ing there in sawmills; thence proceeded 
to Kewaunee, where he was employed in 
the same line of work, his wages being 
now $3 per day, for eight years working 
in the mill summers and "scaling" logs 
winters, after which for nineteen years 
he was employed in sawmills only — a 
total of twenty-seven years, eight years 
under one employer, the remainder with 
three different companies, never being 
discharged from anyone of them, and not 



leaving Kewaunee until the last log in the 
neighborhood was sawed. 

From there Mr. Muller came to the 
city of Green Bay, owning some lots 
there, but after a short sojourn re- 
moved into the country. In the fall of 
1877 he came to his present farm of 
ninety-three acres in Preble township. 
Brown county, situated four miles south- 
east of Green Bay, and here he has since 
resided, prosperously engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits, including stock-raising. 
When he came to this farm it was in a 
very wild condition, covered with under- 
brush and fallen timber, but by dint of 
assiduous labor and untiring energy he 
has converted it into a luxuriant farm of 
fertile fields. Two sons and two daugh- 
ters complete the happy family circle, 
viz. : Jacob, born February 6, 1863, in Ne- 
shoto; George, born March 18, 1866, also 
in Neshoto; Catherine, born June 15. 
1875, in Kewaunee, and Elizabeth, born 
August 21, 1877, ^1^0 '" Kewaunee. 
They are all on the farm, the sons assist- 
ing the father in the general work thereon. 
Politically our subject is a Democrat, his 
first vote being cast for Franklin Pierce, 
and has served his township in various 
offices, such as road overseer for District 
No. 5, two terms. The family are wor- 
thy members of the Catholic Church, and 
enjoy the respect and esteem of all who 
know them. 



HON. S. D. HASTINGS, Jr., Cir- 
cuit Judge of the District com- 
prising Brown, Oconto, Marinette 
and Door counties, was born 
June 19, 1 84 1, in Philadelphia, a son of 
Samuel D. and Margaretta (Schubert) 
Hastings, the former a native of Massa- 
chusetts, the latter of Pennsylvania. 

Samuel D. Hastings was reared in his 
native State, and as a representative of a 
business house was sent to Philadelphia, 
where he, resided until 1845, when he 
came to Wisconsin and located in Wal- 
worth county, where he was an earnest 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



53 



worker in the cause of temperance, until 
1 85 1, at which time he removed to La- 
Crosse, Wis. In the fall of 1857 he was 
elected State Treasurer of Wisconsin, and 
filled the office eight years. On his elec- 
tion to this responsible office he removed 
to Madison, the capital of the State, and 
there he and his wife still reside. Since 
the expiration of his office as State 
Treasurer, in 1865, he has devoted all 
his attention to the cause of temperance. 
His children are three in number, 
namely: S. D., our subject; EmmaM., 
wife of H. R. Hobart, editor of the 
Rni/zi'ay Ag^c, of Chicago, 111., and Flor- 
ence L. , married to H. W. Hoyt, princi- 
pal owner of the Gates Iron Works, of 
the same city. 

Hon. S. D. Hastings came to Brown 
county in August, 1867, from Madison, 
where for two years he had been 
in the practice of law; in 1883 he was 
elected to his present high position, and 
was re-elected in 1889 — each term being 
for six years. He was a graduate of 
Beloit College and of the Albany (N. Y.) 
Law C'lllege; was admitted to the bar of 
New York in 1865, and, with his eighteen- 
years' experience at the bar, was fully 
prepared for the duties of the circuit 
judgeship, taking his seat on the bench 
January i, 1884. The Judge was first 
married, in 1863, at Beloit, Wis., to Miss 
Marj' C. Kendall, a native of Milwaukee, 
and a daughter of the late J. G. Kendall, 
a pioneer of Beloit. Airs. Hastings be- 
came the mother of three daughters, 
Lillias M. (the only one now living), 
and in 1868 passed to the other side of 
Life's river. In 1872 the Judge chose for 
his second wife Miss Hetta Sue Clapp, 
whom he married in her native city, 
Kenosha, Wis. Her parents were Na- 
thaniel P. and Sarah (McCoy) Clapp, 
natives of New York, and pioneers of 
Kenosha before Wisconsin was admitted 
to the sisterhood of States. The father, 
who was prominent as a stock dealer, 
was accidentally killed, while in New York 
with a shipment of cattle; the mother 



died in Green Bay in 1889. To this 
second marriage of Judge Hastings have 
been born five children — Florence N., 
now aged fourteen; S. D., Jr., now aged 
eleven, and three sons who died in in- 
fancy. Mrs. Hastings has one living 
sister, the wife of George G. Greene, of 
the firm of Greene & Vrooman, attor- 
neys-at-law. 

Judge Hastings is a Republican in 
politics; he was president of the Green 
Bay school board for years, and has 
been president of the board of directors 
of the city library since its organization 
in 1890; he is a member of the board of 
directors of the Electric Light Company 
of Green Ba}', of the Kellogg National 
Bank of Green Bay, and of the Oconto 
National Bank of Oconto. For several 
years he has been lecturer in the law de- 
partment of the Wisconsin University at 
Madison. He has filled all these positions 
of usefulness with marked ability, and 
few men of his years in the State of 
Wisconsin stand higher in the esteem of 
its citizens. 



EDWIN HART was one of the 
early pioneers of Brown county. 
Wis., having come here in 1S30, 
in the emplo\- of the United States 
Government, to assist in the rebuilding of 
Fort Howard, and in other public works. 
He was employed by the government 
some years, having charge, part of the 
time, of the surveying force on the con- 
struction of military roads from Green 
Bay to Manitowoc and Calumet, as well 
as a lighthouse and fort at Mackinac 
straits. Later he took up his residence 
in Green Bay — in that portion of it known 
as Navarino — as a carpenter and con- 
tractor. During his active life he took 
many large contracts, and nearly all the 
old landmarks in and about Brown county 
are his handiwork. In 1829, prior to 
coming to Green Baj', he erected a Mission 
church on Mackinac Island, but in the 



54 



COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fall of that year he returned to Cleve- 
land. 

Mr. Hart was born May 5, 1807, in 
Griswold, New London Co., Conn., a son 
of Judah and Abigail (Belden) Hart, both 
also natives of Connecticut, in which 
State they were married. In 1822 they 
moved westward to Ohio, first locating in 
Cleveland, and in 1824 settling on a farm 
in Brownhelin township, Lorain county, 
same State, where they died within three 
days of each other. The father served in 
the war of 1812. 

Edwin Hart, of whom this sketch 
more particularly relates, was fifteen 
years old when the family moved from 
Connecticut to Ohio, and in Cleveland he 
learned carpentry (which was his regular 
trade), there remaining until coming to 
Wisconsin in the employ of the govern- 
ment, as related at the commencement 
of the sketch. In 1832 he was married 
in Green Bay to Miss Eliza J. Glass, a 
native of Clarksville, Ohio, and daughter 
of Joseph and Effie fRoger) Glass, who 
were married in Ohio, and came to Green 
Bay in 1828; the father, who was a fur 
trader, died in Green Bay, the mother 
passing away in 1856 in Oconto. After 
marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Hart con- 
tinued to reside in Green Bay until 1852, 
removing then to Oconto, same State, 
where he embarked in the lumber, mill- 
ing and steamboat business, and where 
they still reside. This old pioneer couple 
had a family of eight children, a brief 
record of whom is as follows: (i) George 
E. resides in California. (2) Levi W. was 
killed in the railroad accident at Ashta- 
bula, Ohio, in December, 1876, when 
about forty years of age; he was a travel- 
ing salesman at the time, with residence 
in Akron, Ohio, and on hearing of the ac- 
cident his wife, Mrs. Susie (May) Hart, 
having some foreboding as to his fate, 
drove all the way to Cleveland in a cut- 
ter, to find her fears were only too well 
founded; when his remains were dis- 
covered in the wreck both arms and the 
right leg had been burned off, but the rest 



of the body, especially the face, was com- 
paratively uninjured. (3) Mar\' A. is the 
wife of Dr. S. A. Coleman, of Cleveland, 
Ohio. (4) Clifford B. is a member of the 
firm of H. W. & C. B. Hart, owners and 
managers of Hart's Steamboat Line, 
Green Bay. (5) Eliza Jane is the wife of 
B. J. Brown, of Menominee, Mich. (6) 
Cyrus S. is editor of the Oconto County 
Reporter. (7) Capt. H. \V. is in partner- 
ship with his brother C. B., as above 
mentioned. (8) Franklin died at Oconto, 
Wis., in 1863. Mr. Hart in politics was 
originally a Whig, and since the formation 
of the party has been a stanch Repub- 
lican. Socially he is a member of the 
I. O. O. F. 



CAPTAIN H. W. HART, senior 
member of the firm of H. W. 
& C. B. Hart, owners and mana- 
gers of Hart's Steamboat Line, 
Green Bay, is a native of the town, born 
January 8, 1846, a son of Edwin and 
Eliza J. (Glass) Hart. 

At the age of six years he moved with 
his parents to Oconto. Wis. , where he 
received his education. In early life, 
when a mere boy of fourteen years, he 
shipped on board a lake vessel in the 
capacity of cook, from which humble 
position, by energy and perseverance, he 
rose step by step, in the various ex- 
periences of a sailor's life, at the age of 
eighteen years becoming captain of his own 
ship, the steamer "Eagle"; this vessel 
was built in Oshkosh and was rechristened 
in Oconto, running between the latter 
city and Green Bay for two seasons, after 
which it carried both freight and passen- 
gers for a time, and was then turned into 
a tug boat for raft towing. Hart's Steam- 
boat Line was founded in 1873, with a 
capital of $140,000, by Capts. H. W. 
and C. B. Hart, both able and ex- 
perienced steamboat men. They built 
the "May Queen" in Green Bay, and ran 
her on the old line for two seasons, after- 
ward building the "Northwest" and re- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



55 



building the "May yueen," which was 
burned at the dock in Green Bay in 1877. 
In the spring of 1878 they launched the 
steamer "Welcome," and some time 
afterward the " C. W. Moore," which our 
subject ran between Green Bay and 
Manistique until 1888, when the " Fannie 
C. Hart" was built, which he has since 
run between Green Bay and Cheboygan, 
Mich. The last-named boat was re- 
modeled in 1890; the "Eugene C. Hart" 
was built in 1890, and run on the same 
route with the "Fannie C. Hart," the 
company now owning four propellers — 
the "Fannie C. Hart," "Eugene C. 
Hart," "C. W. Moore" and the "Wel- 
come " — all stanch, speedy, safe and re- 
liable boats. The two brothers take 
great pride in the "Fannie" and 
"Eugene," which they command in 
person. 

In June, 1868, Capt. H. W. Hart 
was married to Miss Hattie A. Wagner, 
a native of Ogdensburg, N. Y., daughter 
of Stephen H. Wagner, now a resident of 
Green Bay, and to this union si.\ children 
were born, viz. : Fannie C. , wife of 
Frederick Brett, of Green Bay; Edwin 
W. ; Katie and Eliza J., who died of scar- 
let fever at the ages of six and four years 
respectively; Hattie A. and Julia B. 
Capt. H. W. Hart in politics is an active 
Republican; socially he is a member of 
the F. & A. M. , Washington Lodge No. 
21, Warren Chapter, and Palestine Com- 
mandery, all of Green Bay. 



ELEAZER HOLMES ELLIS was 
born August 26, 1826, in Brown 
county. Wis., at or near Green 
Bay. His Grandfather Ellis was 
a native of Connecticut, and was of Welsh 
extraction. He and his wife, who was 
also a native of Connecticut, removed to 
Herkimer county, N. Y. , where Mr. El- 
lis died when still young; his widow pass- 
ed away at the age of about seventy-seven 
years, the mother of two children, Albert 
Gallatin, and Sophronia (Mrs. Holmes). 



Mr. and Mrs. Holmes removed to Brown 
county. Wis., in 1841; both have since 
died leaving many descendants, Albert G. 
E. Holmes, a merchant of Green Bay, 
being their eldest son. 

Albert G. Ellis, the father of Judge 
Ellis, was born August 24, 1800, in Ver- 
ona, N. Y. He received a common- 
school education, and at the age of four- 
teen years entered a printing office in old 
Herkimer, N. Y., there laying the founda- 
tion of a thoroughly practical education, 
which proved of immense value to him in 
after life. He was full of ambition, and 
at the age of twenty-five sought a wider 
field of usefulness in what were then the 
wilds of Brown county. Wis. His first 
visit to this country was made about 
1 82 1, when he came with the Oneida In- 
dians, who were removed to Wisconsin 
from Oneida county, N. Y. He was em- 
ployed as a surveyor, and assisted in lay- 
ing out the land of the Indian Reserva- 
tion in Brown county, which then includ- 
ed the greater part of northern Wiscon- 
sin. He was familiar with Indian cus- 
toms, and after the survey was completed 
remained as a permanent citizen and soon 
became a valuable acquisition to the new 
settlements, being a man of more than 
ordinary ability, and of great force of 
character. He taught school at three 
different places in the neighborhood 
of Fort Howard and Green Bay. In 1824 
Mr. Ellis returned to Oneida county; 
N. Y. , where he married Miss Pamela, 
daughter of Elijah Holmes, of West 
Winfield, N. Y. , and the young couple 
came to Green Bay, Brown county, then 
called La Baye Verte by the French and 
the old settlers. They began housekeep- 
ing at or near Shantytown, three miles 
south of Green Bay. Mr. Ellis taught 
school for some time, and later engaged 
in various occupations until he became 
identified with the Green Bay Intelligencer. 
He was a practical printer, became asso- 
ciated with John V. Suydam in the estab- 
lishing of the paper, and with him shares 
the honor of founding the first newspaper 



56 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in the Northwest territory. Soon after 
he severed his connection with the Green 
Bay Intelligencer he was elected a mem- 
ber of the Second Session of the Third 
Territorial House of Kepresentati\'es, 
which convened at Madison December 6, 
1 84 1. In 1842 he was re-elected, and 
had the honor of beinj^ elected speaker of 
the House ; he was ajjain re-elected in 
1843. In 1 84 1 or 1842 Mr. Ellis was 
appointed, by the United States Govern- 
ment, Surveyor-general for Wisconsin and 
Iowa, the office then being located at 
Dubuque, Iowa, whither he was accus- 
tomed to travel on horseback; he still 
made his home, however, at Green Ba}', 
and he rendered the government valuable 
services in both Territories. He also 
surveyed and subdivided many townships 
and sections in Wisconsin, embracing 
Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Door, Oconto, 
Brown and Outagamie counties. An un- 
tiring worker, he often, in running his lines, 
tireil out even his hardy French-Canadian 
assistants. He also rendered valuable 
service in this county, and as his surveys 
were remarkably correct, he was consid- 
ered quite an expert in his profession. 
He was no speculator, or he could have 
become wealthy, for he knew every valu- 
able foot of land in the surrounding 
country. In 1S38 he removed with his 
family to Hill Creek, one and a half miles 
east of Green Hay, where he carried on the 
business of milling and farming, and he 
there owned a sawmill, a gristmill, and a 
cabinet shop, all of which, with the farm, 
he successfully operated for many years. 
He was familiar with mechanics' tools and 
machinery, and could turn his hand to 
almost every kind of work — a valuable 
accomplishment indeed. He was moder- 
ately successful from a financial point of 
view, but sold much of his land at $3 
an acre, before values in land were on 
the increase. He also made some Gov- 
ernment surveys north of Stevens Point, 
to which place he removed in 1853, 
making investments there in town lots. 
Shortly after his arrival there he was ap- 



pointed receiver of the United States 
Land Office at that place, and he held the 
position several years. Among the prop- 
erties he bought there was a flouring mill, 
which he conducted for some time. He 
also started the Wisconsin Pinery, a 
paper Democratic in politics, which ex- 
isted until within a short time of this writ- 
ing; he was editor of the same for many 
years, but finally sold his interest. He 
was a very enterprising, puplic-spirited 
man, and at one time served as mayor of 
Stevens Point. He was an ardent mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church, to which he 
gave liberal support, and he helped to 
build the churches at Stevens Point and 
Green Bay; he was one of the incorporat- 
ors and a vestryman in the church at the 
latter place. Mr. Ellis was not a member 
of any secret organization. Having the 
welfare of the community always at heart, 
his many acts of charity and brotherly 
affection toward humanity in general en-* 
deared him \.vi every one, and he died De- 
cember 23. 1885, honored and respected 
by all who knew him, at the advanced age 
of eighty-five years. He was a man of 
regular habits and good principles, and his 
whole life is a lesson to posterity. Mrs. 
Pamela Ellis was also an active member 
of the Episcopal Church, and was beloved 
by all, old and young. She died at Green 
Bay, March 18, 1847, aged forty-three 
j'ears, the mother of six children, of whom 
Judge E. H. Ellis is the eldest, and the 
only survivor. 

Judge Ellis was educated in the pio- 
neer schools of Green Bay, and his father 
being anxious for him to study French 
and Latin, he procured good private 
teachers, some of whom resided in his 
family at the Hill Creek Mills for several 
years. Young Ellis entered the law office 
of Hon. Henry S. Baird, a well-known 
attorney in Green Bay and vicinity, who 
was the president of the first Legislative 
Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin, 
and after studying for three and a half 
years was admitted to the bar by Judge 
Andrew G. Miller, in October, 1847. The 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



57 



sjime autumn he set out, on horseback, 
to look up a suitable location, and at the 
age of t\vent}-one years "hung out his 
shingle" at Manitowoc Rapids, then the 
count}' seat of Manitowoc count}'. Here 
he practiced for three and a half j'ears 
with good success, and in the spring of 
1851 returned to Green Ba}-, where he 
opened an office and met with good suc- 
cess from the start. For many years he 
practiced alone, and was uniform!}' suc- 
cessful. As his business increased he en- 
tered into co-partnerships at different 
times with the well-known attorne}'S, S. 
D. Hastings, Jr. , now circuit judge, 
William H. Norris, George G. Greene 
and Carlton Merrill, the names of the 
firms being Ellis, Hastings & Greene, 
Norris & Ellis, Ellis, Greene & Merrill, 
and Ellis & Merrill; at present Mr. Ellis 
is practicing with Mr. Merrill. In 1869 
our subject was elected circuit judge, his 
circuit including the counties of Brown, 
Outagamie, Shawano, Oconto and Door. 
He was twice elected without opposition, 
and held the office for eight successive 
years, when he resigned and resumed the 
private practice of his profession. Judge 
Ellis has gained an enviable reputation as 
a member of the bench and bar of the 
State of Wisconsin, being looked upon as 
an able, conscientious and careful prac- 
titioner. His whole career has been a 
most honorable one, well worthy the em- 
ulation of the }'outh of our nation. Our 
subject is a member of the Episcopal 
Church, and has been connected with the 
same for more than forty }'ears. His pri- 
vate character is above reproach. 



JM. SMITH. The late J. M. Smith, 
of Green Bay, was born in Morris- 
town, N. J., December 13, 1S20, 
and was the eldest son of Jonathan 
Smith, who was at that time one of the 
most progressive farmers in that region. 
He was a subscriber to the first volume 
of the first agricultural paper printed in 
the United Si2A.es, the A/baiiv Cultivntor, 



a full file of which was seen in the old 
home at Morristown a few years ago; and 
was also the first man, so far as is known, to 
put down an underdrain in the United 
States. It was made by digging a deep 
ditch and putting large stones in the bot- 
tom, then filling in with smaller ones, 
and covering with sods and dirt. This 
drain, sixty-five years later, is still doing 
good work. Under the training of such 
a father Mr. Smith naturally acquired 
habits of industry and forethought, and 
being a close student of everything that 
came in his \\ay, he naturally did a good 
deal of independent thinking on his own 
account, and looked forward to a time 
when he would have land of his own, and 
test its capacity to grow crops. 

He enjoyed the benefit of as good 
schools as were within his reach; but as 
he grew older, he became earnestly desir- 
ous for something better, and finally en- 
tered the nearest academy, to prepare for 
college, hoping also to enter a law school 
when he should reach that point. But 
when ready to enter college, a dangerous 
accident to his father called him home, 
and changed the whole course of his life. 
He remained at home until he became of 
age, and made diligent use of his spare 
time in study of different kinds. Then, 
after a few months of teaching, he com- 
menced business for himself as a lumber- 
man and wood dealer in a small way, 
with such success that on the 14th of 
March, 1844, he felt qualified to take a 
partner, and was married, at Sparta, N. 
J., to Miss Emily B. Torrey. Two are 
better than one, if well mated, and cheer- 
ily they worked on for ten years together, 
with varying success, taking their full 
share of such disappointments as are 
common to those working their way, 
often under difficulties. But with sun- 
shine in the home, all sorts of things may 
be borne. 

In the spring of 1854, ten years after 
their marriage, they came with four sons 
to Wisconsin, and in July located in 
Green Bay, little thinking it was to be 



5S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPmCAL RECORD. 



their home for the balance of their lives. 
The chief productions of the place at that 
time were pine lumber and icebergs; and 
for a few years Mr. Smith was principally 
engaged in lumbering; but in 1857, when 
the bottom fell out of the lumber market, 
he turned his attention to whatever he 
could get to do, to afford a living for his 
family, until 1S61, and then came the 
terrible war. 

Ten children had been born to them 
(two were sleeping in the silent city), the 
eldest being at that time sixteen years 
old and the youngest ten months; but the 
country must have soldiers, and in Sep- 
tember of 1 86 1 Mr. Smith and the eldest 
son left the home in the care of the wife 
with her seven children, the eldest of the 
seven being but twelve years old, and 
went to help save the country. In five 
months he came home to die, as he 
thought; but he gradually improved in 
health until the fall of 1864, when he was 
drafted to serve another year, and again 
he joined the army, remaining therein 
until August, 1865, when the war was 
over, and he was honorably discharged. 
While he was absent, the mother and her 
sons did what they could at gardening, and 
soon after his return the market in the 
towns north of Green Bay was opened 
for the sale of vegetables, and as his 
health was not equal to any arduous labor, 
he went to work with his sons to try 
what might be done in that direction. A 
few acres of land were purchased at a 
hgh price, to begin on; but the demand 
for vegetables increased so rapidly that 
more was soon needed, and the garden 
increased in area from time to time, until 
it contained forty acres. By the help of 
true and loyal sons, the garden was 
finally paid for, and improved by under- 
draining and in other ways, until, if there 
is another forty-acre piece of land in Wis- 
consin of equal value and productiveness, 
and as favorably situated for a market 
garden, it would be hard to find it. 

But it must not be imagined that all 
of Mr. Smith's time or energy was spent 



on the garden. He was, dunng nearly 
all of these \ears, very largely identified 
with the agricultural and horticultural de- 
velopment of the State, and did much in 
other ways, not only by personal work, 
but with his pen, having been a regular 
contributor to several agricultural papers 
for several years; and was also an earnest 
worker in farmers' Conventions and Insti- 
tutes. He also, by special invitation, de- 
livered addresses before the American 
Pomological Society at Boston, and 
at the dinner at the celebrated Shaw's 
garden at St. Louis, as well as in many 
other places. He was one of the com- 
missioners from Wisconsin to the Cotton 
E.\position at New Orleans, and also a 
delegate from the Wisconsin Horticultural 
Society to the Convention of the Ameri- 
can Horticultural Society held in Cali- 
fornia. He was twenty-two years presi- 
dent of the Brown Count}' Horticultural 
and Agricultural Society; four years pres- 
ident of the Northern Wisconsin Agricul- 
tural and Mechanical Association, located 
at Oshkosh; and fifteen years president of 
the Wisconsin State Horticultural So- 
ciet}', in which he was largely instru- 
mental in introducing among its workers 
many educated women whose valuable 
papers have helped to make our horticul- 
tural volume one of the best, if not the 
very best, published in the United States. 
Mr. Smith was not a politician in the 
common acceptance of the term, never 
having been a seeker after office; but he 
was .thoroughly versed in political affairs, 
and acquainted by reputation with all the 
prominent men in the nation who have 
figured in political affairs since his early 
manhood. He was proud to call himself 
a Henry Clay Whig in his boyhood, and 
was one of the men who helped to or- 
ganize the first Republican part}- in Green 
Bay. He claimed the right to hold and 
enjoy his own opinions, but accorded to 
every other man the same right. He 
was a member of the Episcopal Church, 
but very broad in his views, and honored 
every man and woman who showed in 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPUWAL RECORD. 



59 



their dealings with 



their lives, and in 
their fellowmen, the spirit of Chris 
tianity, by whatever name the\' were 
called. He was extremely fond of music, 
having been a leader in church choirs in 
his earl}' manhood, and also in his later 
years, and a great many of his particular 
friends through life have been musical 
people. He was never better pleased 
than when he could gather a company of 
good singers around the organ in his own 
home, and wake the echoes with the 
ringing of the grand old anthems which 
were his particular favorites. Of little 
children he was very fond, and during his 
long illness often asked to have some of 
the little grandchildren brought in to see 
him. Having himself felt the pressure of 
hard times when he had a large family 
dependent on his efforts, he was sympa- 
thetic toward those who were trying to 
do their best, and still finding it hard to 
keep those dependent on them comfort- 
able, and always ready to lend a helping 
hand to lighten their burdens. 

He did not amass a large amount of 
money to leave to his children, but left 
them the heritage of an honorable name, 
unstained by any smirch of dishonor or 
treachery to any one, and his death, which 
occurred February 20, 1894, was felt in 
many homes whose inmates he had be- 
friended, as the departure of a near per- 
sonal friend. Not long after his death a 
farmer, who had often come to him for 
advice about agricultural matters, was 
heard to say: " I am worth thousands of 
dollars more than I should have been if I 
had never known J. M. Smith." He rests 
from his labors, but his memory lives in 
the hearts of many friends outside of his 
own home. 

Mrs. J. M. Smith was born in Bethany, 
Penn., January 31, 1821. Her father died 
before she was old enough to appreciate 
his worth, but her mother was a woman 
of such rare qualities of mind and heart 
that she was able to govern a large family 
with great firmness, and yet with such 
loving gentleness that the desire to dis- 



obey her was a rare thing among her flock 
of children. Mrs. Smith was early thrown 
upon her own resources, but managed to 
acquire what was considered in those 
days as a good common-school education, 
and at the early age of sixteen was given 
charge of a district school. The next 
four years were spent alternately in teach- 
ing and attending school, when she set- 
tled down to the steady business of teach- 
ing, until March 14, 1844, when she be- 
came the wife of J. M. Smith. Like her 
husband, she had grown up with habits of 
industry and economy, and always thought 
it worth while to learn how to perform 
the many sorts of work that are likely to 
fall to the lot of women in the common 
walks of life. Consequently in the many 
seasons of trial through which she has 
been called to pass, the knowledge, thus 
carefully stored away, has been a golden 
treasury from which she has often been 
able to draw for the benefit of others, as 
well as herself. 

The marriage proved to be a most 
happy one; the love plighted at the altar 
grew with the passing years, and was 
strengthened and intensified by the joys 
and sorrows which nearly fifty years must 
inevitably bring. Nine sons and two 
daughters were given to cheer and brighten 
the home, of whom seven sons and one 
daughter still remain. The children were 
ahvajs considered by both parents as 
God's best gift, and stood nobly by them 
through storm and sunshine; and are 
making, or we should say have already 
made, for themselves honorable places 
among their fellowmen. 



FRANK T. SMITH, now a resident 
of the town of Suamico, Brown 
county, is the third son of the late 
J. M. Smith, of Green Bay. He 
was born in Morristown, N. J., October 
27, 1849, and came with his parents to 
Green Bay, Wis., in 1854, where be 
lived until he removed to his present 
home. 



6o 



COMMEMORATIi'E BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



He enjoyed such advantages as were 
possible in the common schools to which 
he had access at that time, but bore his 
full share in the hardships incident to the 
times from 1857 until the close of the 
war. He was too young for a soldier in 
the army, or he would doubtless have 
been there; but all the heroism was not 
shown on the battlefields, and he with 
younger brothers bravely stood by the 
mother while the father and older brother 
were at the front, helping to save the 
country. After his father came home 
broken in health, Frank T. , with his 
brothers, worked faithfully at whatever 
they could do, not only in the summer, 
but during the winter, to help to support 
the family, and to pay for the garden, 
until he came of age. After that time he 
worked on with his father on a salary, 
gaining much practical knowledge in 
methods of cultivating land. 

On June 9, 1873, he married Miss 
Clara Taylor, a native of Susquehanna 
county, Penn., and daughter of Samuel 
and Mary (Bruce) Taylor, the latter of 
whom died when her daughter Clara was 
twelve years old. From the union of 
Frank T. and Clara Smith have been 
born six children, namely: Clifford I., 
born April 15, 1875; Elsie M., May 2, 
1877; Bessie R., July 25, 1879; Emrie 
B., September 22, i88i; Celia T., Sep- 
tember 17, 1883, and Stanley B., June 
16, 1887. Seven years (1880) after his 
marriage, Frank T. , preferring farming 
to gardening, left the employ of his father, 
and purchased one hundred acres of land 
in the town of Suamico, where he now 
hves. Only a small part of the land was 
adapted for the growing of crops when 
purchased, but most of it is now in fairly 
good condition, while some of it is highly 
manured, and from now on he will find 
much plainer sailing than in some of the 
past years. He has always led a strictly 
temperate life, following in this particular 
the example of his father and grandfather 
before him. He and his wife and older 
children are members of the Methodist 



Episcopal Church, and are also faithful 
workers in the cause of temperance. In 
his political faith he is a Republican, and 
cast his first presidential vote for U. S. 
Grant, on the occasion of that warrior's 
second candidacy for that office. But 
believing earnestly in Prohibition, and 
having an unfailing faith in the principles 
he advocates, he has since 1888 cast his 
vote in accordance therewith. 



DAVID McCartney. The stand- 
ard by which to judge a commu- 
nity is the character of its promi- 
nent citizens. Progress is rarely, 
if ever, the result of chance, but always 
the execution of well-laid plans based on 
a thorough comprehension of the laws of 
business. It is only by keeping in view 
the lives of men who are ever associated 
in the busy marts of commerce that we 
can judge of the importance of develop- 
ment, and the possibilities of progress. 
Thus it is, that from the commercial, 
more than the literary or political side, 
the most valuable lessons of life are to be 
extracted. In this connection, as a gen- 
tleman whose business qualifications have 
proven of the best, as indicated by the 
numerous enterprises he has brought to 
a successful issue, a brief biographical 
sketch is given of David McCartney. 

Some writer has said that the most 
prominent characteristics of the Scotch- 
Irish are stern integrit)-, the defense of 
liberty, and the love of God. Of such a 
grand old race is the subject of this 
sketch, who is a native of Count}- Down, 
Ireland, born near the city of Belfast, 
September 14, 18 14, of hardy, stalwart 
Scotch-Irish ancestry, from whom he in- 
herits, no doubt, his wonderful vitality, 
strong individuality, courage and deter- 
mination. He is a son of \\'illiam and 
Isabella (McCreary) McCartney, who 
about the year 1820, deciding to seek a 
new home in the New World, set sail 
from the shores of Erin with their little 
family, consisting of one son (the subject 



COMMEMORATIVE BWGRAPMIVAL RECORD. 



63 



of these lines) and one daughter. From 
the port of debarkation they made their 
way to Ohio, where for some years in 
Guernsey county, laterin Behnont county, 
the father followed ai^ricultural pursuits, 
which had been his vocation in the mother 
country. He died on the farm he last 
conducted, his widow passing away some 
years later at Monmouth, Warren Co., 
111. The blood running in their \eins of 
that stern and rugged race of Covenanters 
who left their Scottish mountains and 
glens for the North of Ireland, where re- 
ligious persecution could not follow them, 
the}' lived and died in that Presbyterian 
faith for which their forefathers had 
fought and bled. 

In Guernsey county, Ohio, David Mc- 
Cartney received such education as could 
be acquired at the primitive pioneer 
schools of the period, at the same time 
learning the trade of stone-cutter. His 
father had two brothers in this country, 
both builders and contractors, and with 
one of these, John McCartney, he was 
employed at the commencement of the 
construction of the Baltimore & Ohio 
railroad, his uncle having a contract 
thereon; and later he was given employ- 
ment by his other uncle, James McCart- 
ney, who had a contract for earlier work 
on the Philadelphia & Columbia railroad, 
afterward known as the Pennsylvania Cen- 
tral railroad. (At that time G. A. Thomp- 
son was civil engineer for the company, 
and by merit rose to be president of the 
same road). Subsequently Mr. McCart- 
ney was employed on. the construction of 
the Lake Erie & Pittsburg canal. In 1836, 
at the age of twenty-two years, he was 
married in Coshocton county, Ohio, to Miss 
Elizabeth Heslip, and the young couple 
then took up farming pursuits in that 
county, where and on other farms owned 
by him they resided for about eight years. 
Abandoning agriculture, Mr. McCartney 
now embarked in the milling and mercan- 
tile businesses at Hendrysburg, Belmont 
Co., Ohio, in connection therewith en- 
gaging in stock buying and general trad- 



ing. But his natural enterprising spirit 
was soaring yet higher, and in search of 
fortune he sought other fields, turning his 
attention naturally to railroad contract- 
ing. Among the new roads on which he 
secured contracts may be mentioned the 
Baltimore & Ohio, Central Ohio and the 
Hempfield railroad (now part of the Bal- 
timore & Ohio; this railroad was built 
about 1854-55, and the failure of the 
company resulted in a loss to Mr. McCart- 
ney of $80,000). Moving about the year 
1855 to Barnesville, Ohio, he there oper- 
ated a steam gristmill and a sawmill, 
which he owned in connection therewith, 
conducting other business, and at the end 
of ten years, in the spring of 1865, he 
came to Wisconsin. First locating in 
Oshkosh, he operated two steam sawmills 
there, but at the expiration of two years 
sold his interests and removed to Ft. 
Howard, where he became largely inter- 
ested in lumbering, sawmilling and other 
enterprises, involving the utilization of 
thousands of acres of pine land. In 1882 
Mr. McCartney retired from these inter- 
ests and established the McCartney's Ex- 
change Bank (a private institution) at 
Ft. Howard, which in 1892 was organized 
as a National Bank with a capital of 
$50,000, and is recognized as one of the 
safe and solid financial institutions of the 
State. 

In 1884, while visiting the Cotton 
Exposition at New Orleans, his attention 
was attracted to the State of Georgia and 
its resources; and judging that there was 
a good field for the profitable investment 
of capital, he in the year following pur- 
chased a tract of 3,500 acres of land, 
comprising three plantations, subsequently 
buying other tracts, consisting of 3,900 
acres, making a total of 7,400 acres. At 
Thomasville, the county town of Thomas 
county, Ga. , he built a comfortable resi- 
dence, where in the luxury of balmy 
breezes and cheerful sunbeams he passes 
his winter months, in the enjoyment of 
that ease and comfort which comes as 
the reward of years of industry and toil. 



64 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



The land he rents chiefly to negroes, who 
raise for the most jxirt cotton, but por- 
tions of the estate are covered with valu- 
able timber, mostly pine. 

During the Civil war Mr. McCartney 
was a])pointed a brigadier-general in the 
Ohio State militia, and also a United 
States provost-marshal, serving in the 
last-named office one and one-half years. 
During the famous raid into Ohio made 
by the Confederate general Morgan, our 
subject was in command of a thousand 
militiamen at Barnesville, in Belmont 
county, Ohio, guarding a long railroad 
trestle, over which were carried daily 
supplies for the Union army, as well as 
drafts of soldiers on their way to the seat 
of war. An attack on this trestle by 
Morgan was daily expected, and to further 
his ends he resorted to the following ruse: 
In order to learn what force there was 
guarding this work, from which he was but 
eight miles distant, he cut the telegraph 
wire, and instructed his own operator to 
telegraph to Gen. McCartney asking how 
many troops he had to defend the trestle, 
at the end of the message placing the 
name of Gen. I^urnsidc, who was in com- 
mand of the Union troops at Cincinnati. 
When the message reached Gen. McCart- 
ney, he happened to be in the telegraph 
office at Barnesville, reclining on a couch, 
and on reading over the dispatch he at 
once suspected it was a ' ' bogus " message. 
With the presence of mind which was ever 
ready to him, especially in moments of 
danger or seeming perplexity, he tele- 
graphed back that he had "sufficient 
force to guard the trestle, and enough 
men to capture Morgan's entire command 
should he come this way. " This clever 
thought of Gen. McCartney, crystallized 
in the return message he sent, and which 
of course was received by Morgan, was 
no doubt the cause of the latter abandon- 
ing his intended attack on the trestle, and 
making a detour to the north. Who can 
calculate of what inestimable value this 
act alone proved to the Union cause! But 
for the coolness, courage and presence of 



mind of this one man. Gen. McCartney, 
who can tell what terrible disaster might 
have ensued .■' The sequel is a matter of 
the history of the war. Shortly afterward 
Morgan and his entire command were 
captured, and he and his fellow prisoners 
passed through Barnesville, where they 
halted and were fed. Throughout the 
entire war the General was a stanch sup- 
porter of the government, giving liberally 
both of his means and influence. 

Twice married, our subject had. by 
his first wife, three children, namely: 
William, now of Guernsey county, Ohio; 
Ellen, deceased wife of William Huin- 
phreyville; and Thomas Jefferson, in 
business at Golden, Colo. The mother 
of these died February 17, 1845, ^n^ '" 
1847 Mr. McCartney married Miss Lena 
Eliza Harris, a native of Ohio, by which 
union there were three children as follows: 
Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Whelan, 
and now a resident of Fort Howard; 
Emma Belle, unmarried and living at 
home, and Laney Viola, who died un- 
married. The mother of these passed 
from earth June 3, 1884. A lifelong 
Presbyterian, Mr. McCartney has been a 
liberal contributor toward its support, 
as well as to all beneficent institutions, 
particularly in his own city and in Green 
Bay. At his own expense he built the 
First Presbyterian Church of Fort How- 
ard, at a cost of about eight thousand 
dollars, and presented it to the congrega- 
tion. He is a member and trustee of 
same. In his political sympathies he was 
a Whig until the organization of the Re- 
publican party, when he enrolled himself 
under its banner, as a zealous and loyal 
supporter of its principles. 

Before closing this sketch, there is to 
be added yet another to the record of Mr. 
McCartney's many gigantic undertakings; 
for although more than an octogenarian, 
he is as enterprising as he was twenty 
years ago, and he feels that he has not 
yet completed his task of doing good to 
his fellowmen. As an individual enter- 
prise, he is building at Fort Howard an 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



6S 



electric railroad, and also putting in an 
electric system for lighting the city, all of 
which will be completed ere long. Self- 
reliance is and has been one of his strong- 
est characteristics, and in his business 
enterprises he has always relied upon his 
own judgment for results rather than the 
opinion and advice of others. He is a 
man of fine as well as forcible intellectual 
qualities, an extensive reader and close 
thinker, of a remarkably practical cast of 
mind. He is cautious, but firm in his 
judgments, and reliable; in manner he is 
social and friendly, and possesses quali- 
ties that readily win admiration and re- 
spect. His mental faculties to-day, when 
he has passed fourscore milestones on the 
highway of life, are as clear as ever, and 
with seeming unabated energy he is man- 
aging his far-away Georgia plantation of 
over seven thousand acres; at the same 
time is the head of a bank doing a large 
business, and moreover is conducting the 
construction of the important and com- 
plicated work connected with the putting 
into operation the electric railroad and 
electric lighting already referred to. For 
some thirty years he has been promi- 
nently connected with the public and pri- 
vate enterprises of Ft. Howard, and with 
its social, educational and mercantile in- 
terests. In brief, Mr. McCartney is a 
man of sound common sense, of great 
courage and resolution, and executive 
ability; a Christian gentleman, generous 
and liberal toward all beneficent institu- 
tions that he believes to be for the good 
of his city and the public at large; just to 
a fault, and ever thoughtful of those con- 
nected with him in social and business re- 
lations. May he live on in the enjoy- 
ment of life, the admiration of his many 
friends. 



CAPTAIN CLIFFORD BELDON 
HART, junior member of the firm 
of H. W. & C. B. Hart, owners 
and managers of Hart's Steam- 
boat Line, Green Bay, is a native of the 



town, born November 13, 1S39, a son of 
Edwin and Eliza J. (Glass) Hart. 

In Green Bay and Oconto our subject 
received his education, attending the com- 
mon schools up to the age of twelve years, 
when he commenced sailing on the lakes 
between Oconto and Green Bay, and by 
his ability as a mariner, and close atten- 
tion to his duties, rose by degrees from a 
comparatively humble position to be cap- 
tain of his own steamboat. Hart's Steam- 
boat Line was founded in 1873, with a 
capital of $140,000, by Capts. H. W. 
and C. B. Hart, both able and experi- 
enced steamboat men. They have now 
four propellers — the "Fannie C. Hart," 
the "Eugene C. Hart," the " C. W. 
Moore," and the "Welcome" — all as 
stanch, safe and reliable as their com- 
manders. The two brothers Hart are 
captains of the ' ' Fannie " and ' ' Eugene " 
in person, taking great pride in their boats. 
They run chiefly between Green Bay, 
Wis., and Cheboygan, Mich., and during 
the season give employment to about one 
hundred men. Capt. C. B. Hart was 
also part owner of the schooners "Eva 
M. Cone" and "Union," both in their 
day plying between Green Bay and 
Chicago, and was captain of the "Eva 
M. Cone" from 1857 to 1863, and of the 
"Union" from 1863 to 1865. From 
1865 to 1883 he was steamboating on the 
Oconto river, returning to Green Bay in 
the latter year. 

On December 25, 1862, Capt. C. B. 
Hart was united in marriage with Miss 
Hattie Ellen St. Ores, a native of Illinois, 
but reared in Oconto, Wis., daughter of 
Lewis and Maryette St. Ores, who in an 
early day came from the East to Oconto, 
where the father was engaged in the lum- 
ber business till 1862; he died November 
13, 1893, preceded to the grave by his 
wife, who died in 1876 of heart disease. 
To Captain and Mrs. Hart has come one 
son, Eugene C, born December 7, 1880, 
who is at home with his parents. Politic- 
ally our subject is a Republican. In the 
fall of 1888 he joined Washington Lodge 



66 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



No. 21, F. & A. M., and at once became 
deeply interested in the workings of that 
fraternity, rising rapidly in the order 
until he attained thirty-second degree, 
being connected with \\'arreii Chapter 
No. 8, Palestine Conimandery, K. T. , 
and Wisconsin Consistory. He is also a 
member of Green Bay Lodge No. 259, 
B. P. O. E., and of the I. O. O. F.. 
Lodge No. 19, Green Bay, where he was 
initiated. 



H. LE ROY. Among the promi- 



nent agriculturists of De Pere town- 



^1 ship. Brown county, none is more 
deserving of mention than this gen- 
tleman, who is a worthy member of one 
of the early pioneer families of same. He 
is descended from hardy New England 
stock. 

Jonas Le Roy, father of our subject, 
Avas born August 12, 1S19, in West Troy, 
N. Y., son of Isaac Le Roy, a native of 
Poughkeepsie, who was a fisherman by 
occupation, following same along the 
banks of the Hudson river. His family 
consisted of four sons, John. William, 
Jonas and Henry. Jonas received a 
limited education in the subscription 
schools of the home neighborhood, left 
home at the age of nineteen, after his 
mother's death, and went to Cheapside, 
Deerfield, Mass., where he learned the 
trade of cabinet maker under Capt. 
Thayer, and some time later removed to 
Greenfield, same State, where he was 
employed in the cutlerj- factory of John 
Russell & Co. On September 10. 1S40, 
he was married in Greenfield to Miss 
Edith .\. King, who was born January 
29, 1 82 1, in Sunderland, Vt., daughter 
of James H. and Lilly (Willcutj King, 
the former of whom was a shoemaker by 
trade. In April, 1824, the King family 
moved to Massachusetts, and they were 
residing in Greenfield at the time of the 
daughter's marriage. The young couple 
immediately settled in Greenfield, and 
there remained about fourteen years, Mr. 



Le Roy continuing to work in the cutlery 
establishment. Two sons were born to 
them in Greenfield, viz.: John M., who 
enlisted in September, 1861, at De Pere, 
Wis., in Company F, Fourteenth Wis. 
V. I., and was killed at Vicksburg May 
22, 1863 (his body was never recovered), 
and David S. J., who died when five 
years old. From Greenfield the family 
removed to Deerfield, where one child, 
J. H., was born, and later to Conway, 
same State, where they also had one 
child, Edith A., now Mrs. W. R. Mat- 
thews, of De Pere, Wis. In May, 1856, 
the family came westward to Wisconsin, 
journeying by stage to Adams, Mass., 
thence by rail via West Troy to Buffalo, 
N. Y. , at the latter place taking the 
steamer "Michigan" for Green Bay, 
where they landed May 28. The trip 
from Green Bay to De Pere was made by 
boat. 

James S. King, a brother-in-law of 
Mr. Le Roy, had preceded them to Wis- 
consin, where, with money the latter had 
sent, he had purchased eighty acres of 
land in Section 32, De Pere township, 
along the Dickinson road. Some of the 
timber had been cut from this land during 
two winters of lumbering on it, but other- 
wise it was still in its primitive state, and 
they immediately set to work to clear a 
small space, where a log cabin, the first 
building on the farm, was erected. On 
this place was born one child, William S., 
now of De Pere. They resided here for 
eight years, and then, in 1865, sold the 
place, and purchased the farm our sub- 
ject now owns and resides upon, of which, 
at that time but fifteen acres were cleared. 
Another child was born on this farm, a 
daughter, who died in infancy. In Octo- 
ber, 1887, Mr. Le Roy removed to De- 
Pere on account of failing health, and 
there lived until his death, which oc- 
curred September 8, 1892; he was buried 
in Woodlawn cemetery. He was origin- 
ally a Whig, afterward a Republican, in 
politics, and for twelve years held the of- 
fice of clerk of De Pere township, a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



67 



record which speaks for itself; for two 
years he was justice of the peace in the 
city of De Pere. but his faihng health 
compelled him to give this up. In religious 
connection he was a member of the M. 
E. Church, with which his widow is also 
identified. Since his death she has con- 
tinued to reside in De Pere. They had 
lived a happy wedded life of over fifty 
years, and the golden anniversary of 
their marriage was appropriately cele- 
brated by the family. When they came 
to Brown county bears, deer and wolves 
still roamed the forests, and almost the 
entire country was yet in its primitive 
condition. Bears were often seen even 
on the farm, and frequently carried oH 
the pigs. A portion of the journey to 
their new home was made in an o.\-cart, 
and for several years oxen were the only 
beasts of burden the pioneers had. The 
land was covered with white and red oak, 
beech, pine and maple trees; in those 
days not only the men, but the women 
assisted in the clearing, and many were 
the hardships and privations endured by 
those early settlers before they had hewn 
for themselves a comfortable home from 
the dense forest. 

J. H. Le Roy was born February 7, 
1 85 1, in Deerfield, Mass., and in May, 
1856, came with his parents to De Pere 
township, Brown Co. , Wis. , where he 
received such education as the district 
schools of that time afforded. His older 
brother having enlisted in the Civil war, 
he was early put to work on the farm, 
and thus his attendance at even those 
primitive schools was limited to a few 
months each year. He was thoroughly 
trained to farming, and resided on the 
home place until 1872, in the fall of 
which year he entered the employ of 
James S. Scott as clerk in a grocery store 
in De Pere, remaining there two years. 
He then attended Lawrence University, 
at Appleton, three months, after which 
he returned to his present farm. The 
following winter he acted as bookkeeper 
and measurer for Henry Graves, at the 



Morrison Coal Kilns, in Glenmore town- 
ship. Brown county, but he has since al- 
ways made his home on the farm. He 
successfully conducts a general farming 
and stock-raising business, and in connec- 
tion with his agricultural operations runs 
a threshing machine. 

Mr. Le Roy was married, September 5, 
1878, in De Pere township, to Miss Susan 
A. Winton, who was born in De Pere, 
daughter of Charles A. Winton, a native 
of Pennsylvania, who came to Brown 
county in an early day. The young 
couple immediately took up their resi- 
dence on the farm, and here children as 
follows have been born to them: Edith 
A. (who is attending school at De Pere), 
Ellsworth G., Eva W., Ada P., J. H., 
Jr., and Charles A., all living. Politic- 
ally Mr. Le Roy is a stanch Republican, 
and keeps himself well informed in the 
movements of his party, in whose welfare 
he takes great interest. He has been 
elected to various offices in his township, 
having served as assessor (two terms), 
school director, school treasurer, town- 
ship clerk (eight years). United States 
census enumerator for his town in 1890, 
State census enumerator in 1885, and in 
each capacity discharging his duties with 
credit to himself and satisfaction to his 
fellow citizens. He has also been called 
upon to act as representative to county 
conventions and assemblies, and he is one 
of the " wheel horses" of the Republican 
party in his section. Socially he is a 
member of De Pere Lodge No. 222, L O. 
O. P., and Maple Leaf Lodge No. 107, 
K. of P., De Pere. Mrs. Le Roy, in re- 
ligious connection, is a member of the 
Methodist Church. 



THOMAS ELDER SHARP, the 
well-known furniture dealer and 
cabinet manufacturer of De Pere, 
was born five miles northeast of 
Newville, Cumberland Co., Penn. , in 
August, 1 82 1, a son of James and Martha 
(Hanna) Sharp, of Scotch and Irish de- 



68 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



scent respectively. The father was a 
fanner, and also a captain in the Penn- 
sylvania militia, and Ixjth parents died in 
the Keystone State. 

Thomas E. Sharp li\ed on the home 
farm until si.xteen or se\enteen year.^^ of 
age, when he went to Logansport, Ind., 
where an uncle and friends of the family 
resided, and began learning carpentry and 
cabinet making at a point about five or 
six miles north of that city. His mother 
and the rest of the famih' accompanied 
him (his father having died when subject 
was but an infant), but the mother sub- 
sequently returned to Penns\lvania. 
Thomas E. prcjgresscd rapidly at his trade, 
and was but a little over seventeen when 
he built a school house near Logansport, 
and also had manufactured several ar- 
ticles of furnitiue. When twenty-one 
or twenty-two he returned east, and for 
eleven months worked in Pittsburg, four 
months in Philadelphia, three in New 
York, Philadelphia and Newcastle, Penn. ; 
thence he went to Cincinnati, and in 
I 84S-49, the cholera year, was in Louis- 
ville. Ky. He then returned, \ia Indian- 
apolis, to Logansport, and started a 
cabinet shop, remaining about six months. 
In i<S50, about the month of May, he set 
out west with a horse and bugg}-, reach- 
ing Chicago in the latter part of the same 
month, and there shot at a mark on 
stumps that would now be in the heart of 
the cit}', if they were still in existence. 
He then drove on to Milwaukee and thence 
to Fond du Lac, where he disposed of his 
rig; then went to Green Bay and thence 
came to De Pere, where he built a resi- 
dence and also did some cabinet work. 
He had first intended to enter the build- 
ing and cabinet-making business, but 
final!}' drifted into cabinet making onl\-, 
and in 1854 built a shop. He has also 
done something at boat building, pattern 
making, painting and other kinds of work, 
and has always been an industrious man 
and a skillful mechanic. 

The marriage of Mr. Sharp took place 
in De Pere, October 4, 1853, to Miss 



Harriet Stewart, a daughter of Robert D. 
and Sarah fCarpenterj Stevvatt, who were 
among the earliest settlers of the city. No 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Sharp, although a neice of Mrs. Sharp- 
Alice A. Stewart — lived with them man}' 
years, and is now married to Dr. Porter, 
of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Sharp are 
members of the Congregational Church, 
and in politics he is a Republican. He 
has served as city treasurer of De Pere, 
and is considered to be one of the most 
solid inhabitants of the place. 

ROBERT D. STEWART (de- 
ceased), born at Stewartsville, 
Warren Co., N. J., March 5, 
1779, was of Scotch descent. He 
was married to Sarah Carpenter, October 
20, 1807, and died May 10, 1848; the 
death of his wife occurred May i, 1855. 
He landed at Green Bay June 14, 1836, 
lived in a house at Shantytown, three 
miles distant, and was employed as super- 
intendent of the hydraulic works at De- 
Pere, at three dollars per day. In 1837 
he moved his family to De Pere, and 
bought a claim of 160 acres on the west 
side of the Fox river, erected the first 
house in W'est De Pere, and was the first 
white man to make his permanent home 
there. He was supervisor for many years 
and also chairman of the board. He took 
much interest in schools, was an elder in 
the Presbyterian Church, and it was his 
constant habit to take his family and 
neighbers six miles to church at Green 
Bay on the Sabbath, by means of his 
sailboat. 

Robert D. and Sarah Stewart had a 
familv of thirteen children, three of whom 
died in New Jerse}'. The ten who came 
with him to De Pere were William Max- 
well, who married Rachel Carpenter, and 
is now deceased; Elizabeth, who became 
the wife of W. W. Matthews, both now 
deceased; Caroline M., widow of Godfrey 
Miller, residing in De Pere; Mar}', de- 
ceased; Joseph (deceased), who married 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Lora Lessey; Theodore (deceased), who 
married Mary J. Hammond, who now 
lives in Chicago, 111. ; Ellen, who married 
Fred \V. Newhall, and lives in Chicago; 
Harriet, born December 28, 1830, mar- 
ried Thomas E. Sharp; Charles A., mar- 
ried to Maggie McFarland, and residing 
in Chicago; Matilda, who married Will- 
iam J. Green, of Nyack, N. Y., and is 
now deceased. 

Mrs. William Maxwell Stewart, widow 
of the eldest son of Robert D., narrates: 
"Mr. R. D. Stewart, in 1836, beside 
farming, established a ferry across the 
Fox river at his house, situate at that 
time about a half mile south of the pres- 
ent dam at De Pere, and during the ab- 
sence of the father and brothers Mrs. T. 
E. Sharp and others of the children would 
often take passengers across the stream 
in canoes, occasionally in the large scowe 
and, to tell the truth, the young ladies 
did not regret the absence of father or 
brothers on such occasions, as the passage 
money was applied by the girls to their 
own use for pin money. When the family 
arrived at De Pere Indians were quite 
numerous." 

Thomas Stewart, the father of Robert 
D., was a native of Scotland, and settled 
in Warren county, N. J., in 1739; he was 
a farmer, owned 360 acres of land, and 
built a stone dwelling, around which after- 
ward clustered the village named Stewarts- 
ville, in his honor. He served as judge 
of the court of common pleas, five years, 
and also as justice of the peace. He died 
in his stone dwelling at the age of eighty- 
three years. His wife bore the maiden 
name of Rachel Dewees. When Robert 
D., his son, started for the West, he was 
accompanied by thirty others, including 
his own family, in their own boat, on the 
Delaware and Raritan canal, and so on to 
Philadelphia, New York and Buffalo 
(where he sold his boat), and thence by 
the steamer ' ' Daniel Webster " to Green 
Bay, the trip from Easton, Penn., occupy- 
ing just three weeks. The half-mile front- 
age he purchased on the west side of Fox 



river, and on which the larger part of 
West De Pere has since been built, is 
known as Stewart's addition. 

The extraordinary career of this re- 
markable man extends beyond the limits 
of comprehensive comment. With a heart 
filled with \o\e and charity for his fellow 
creatures, his ear was ever open to the 
plaint of those in distress, and his hand 
ever extended in aid of the suffering. His 
intuitive knowledge of the laws of trade 
and the sequence of demand and supply 
led him to adapt the means at hand in the 
primitive country in which he lived to the 
precise wants of the hour, as well as to a 
permanent development of a prosperous 
future. His death was a severe blow to 
the community, and was indeed sincerely 
deplored. 



WILLIAM MAXWELL STEW- 
ART preceded his father, Rob- 
ert D. Stewart, in his de- 
parture from New Jersey for 
Wisconsin, in 1835, and on his arrival at 
Green Bay acted as foreman for his uncle, 
John P. Arndt, in getting out lumber, 
and afterward had charge of a vessel be- 
longing to the same gentleman, freighting 
lumber and stone. 

W. M. Stewart was married at what 
is known as Carpentersville, N. J., in 
June, 1834, to Rachel Carpenter, daugh- 
ter of Joseph A. and Sarah (Stewart) 
Carpenter. The Carpenters were of 
German origin, and descendants of the 
earliest settlers of New Jersey. When 
William M. came west he left his wife in 
New Jersey, and the following year, 1836, 
she followed in company with Robert D. 
Stewart's family. W. M. Stewart had 
always been a farmer. In politics he 
was a Republican, and served as super- 
visor, besides filling several minor offices; 
he was an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church for a number of years. He died 
in September, 1881. He and his wife 
were the parents of ten children, as fol- 
lows: Thomas, who married Augusta 



70 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



Sheeaii; John P., who was a Union sol- 
dier in the Civil war, and died at home of 
disease contracted in the service; L}nian, 
who married Aimie E. Malone; Winslow, 
who married Julia Bene; Luella, who 
died in infancy; Ellen, who was married 
to James C. Ritchie; Elsie, single, at 
home; Robert D., who married Helen 
Hodgeson; and Joseph Carpenter, who 
married Matilda Stickles; Edward died at 
the age of ten years. 



WJ. FISK. This gentleman is 
president of the Kellogg National 
Bank at Green Bay, which in 
1874 was organized out of the 
City National Bank, and he has been 
actively identified with the bank since 
1865; he is also one of the largest railroad 
contractors in the State of Wisconsin. 

Mr. Fisk was born in Brunswick, 
Ohio, in 1833, a son of Joel S. and Char- 
lotte (Green) Fisk, natives of New York, 
who in the year 1835 came to Wisconsin, 
landing at Sheboygan, whence he pro- 
ceeded on foot to Green Bay. From there 
he traveled, again on foot, by an Indian 
trail to Chicago, 111., returned east, and 
in 1836 came to Green Bay with his 
family. Here Joel S. Fisk found his first 
employment, in his new western home, 
in the general store of Mr. \\'hitnev, 
afterward conducting a similiar establish- 
ment for his own account, and for a long 
time was a prominent figure in the mer- 
cantile and lumbering interests of this 
section of Wisconsin. But he did not 
confine himself to these lines of business 
(which were of necessity the leading ones 
in the early days of a new country), for we 
find him in 1S48 filling the position of 
register of deeds in the Land Office, and 
he it was who in 1850 platted what is now 
the thriving city of Fort Howard. He 
also served as postmaster at Green Bay 
for some considerable time. He died in 
1876, his wife preceding him to the grave 
by just six weeks. They were the parents 



of seven children, of whom the following is 
a brief record: (i) W. J. is the subject of 
this sketch. (2) \'alentine S. enlisted in 
Kansas, at commencement of the war 
of the Rebellion, in the Eighth Kansas 
Infantr}', served thrt^ughout the entire 
struggle, and died at \\'ashington, D. C. , 
in 1872. (3) Elizabeth is the wife of 
Albert Johnson, and resides in Idaho. 
(4) Fannie C. died in 1875. (5) Kate P. 
died in 1863. ('6) M. H. graduated in 
medicine at Ann Arbor Medical College; 
enlisted at Ann Arbor in the ninety-days' 
service; is now practicing medicine at 
\\'auwatosa, Wis. (7) One son, unnamed, 
died in infancy. 

W. J. Fisk received his elementary 
education at the schools of Green Bay, 
proving an apt scholar and diligent 
student. In his boyhood he evinced 
talent as a draughtsman, and at the early 
age of fifteen (in 1 848) he made the maps 
for the Reservation of Lands for the im- 
provement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
rivers. For two years thereafter he 
served as clerk at Fort Howard, and 
then, being desirous of improving his 
education, attended college at Appleton, 
Wis. Rettnning to Fort Howard, Mr. 
Fisk here connnenced trading in shingles — 
buying and selling; and as a natural tran- 
sition he soon embarked in the manufac- 
ture of that article, in course of time, 
however, abandoning that line for the 
lumber trade, in which he has since con- 
tinued, from day to day expanding his 
already vast interests. He began to sup- 
ply railroads, and his first contract was 
with the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
way Company to supply them with ties 
and timber for the construction of some 
fifteen miles of their road. The business 
was established in 1862 by W. J. Fisk, 
and in 1877, admitting two sons, the firm 
name became W. D. Fisk & Co., the 
business consisting in the supplying of 
wood, ties, telegraph poles, etc., to rail- 
way companies. Quite an army of 
laborers and teams find employment in 
the vast operations of the firm. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



71 



In 1855 Mr. Fisk was united in mar- 
riage at Fond du Lac, Wis., with Miss 
Mary J. Driggs, daughter of John J. 
Driggs, a native of New York, who in 1836 
came to Green Bay, where he carried on 
a mercantile business. He died some 
years ago. To 'S.iv. and Mrs. Fisk four 
children have been born, viz.: Frank S., 
who died in 1881; Wilbur D. and Harry 
W. , both married and residing in Fort 
Howard, being members of the firm of 
W. D. Fisk & Co., of that place; and G. 
Wallace, also married and living in Fort 
Howard, where he is bookkeeper for the 
Kellogg National Bank. In politics W. 
J. Fisk is a Republican. From 1862 to 
1865 he served as postmaster at Fort 
Howard; during the term 1875-76-77 he 
represented Brown county in the Assem- 
bly, and was chairman of the Railroad 
Committee when the famous Granger- 
Potter railway law was repealed. 



REV. FATHER ANTHONY JOS- 
EPH VERBERK. Where emi- 
nent abilities and unblemished in- 
tegrity, combined with unimpeach- 
able virtue, derivable from the daily 
practice of religion and piety, contribute 
to adorn the character of an individual, 
then it is most proper to be prominently 
set forth as an example to those who 
would make themselves useful to the rest 
of mankind. And the writer cherishes 
the belief that he will perform this ac- 
ceptable service in giving a brief sketch of 
the reverend gentleman whose name here 
appears. 

Our subject was born in Holland Jan- 
uary 17, 1832, a son of Martin Verberk, 
a cabinet-maker and painter by trade in 
the same country, where he was born 
February 2, 1800. He (the father) was 
educated for a teacher of French, during 
the time of Napoleon's control of Hol- 
land, but after the fall of Napoleon aban- 
doned that profession for a trade. In his 
family there were originally ten children 



— five sons and five daughters — which by 
1853 was reduced to two sons — Gerhard 
and Anthony Joseph — and three daugh- 
ters — Mary (now Mrs. H. Bremer, of 
Cleveland, Ohio), Joanna (who married 
John Rolder, and died in De Pere, Wis.), 
and Dora (now Mrs. Anthony Meulen- 
dyke, of Menominee, Mich.). In the 
spring of the year just named the family, 
resolving to seek a new home in the West- 
ern World, sailed for New York via 
Rotterdam and Liverpool. From their 
port of debarkation the party came west 
to Cleveland, Ohio, whither some of their 
friends had alreadj' migrated, and from 
here, in 1856, part of the family, amongst 
them the subject of this sketch, came to 
Green Bay; but becoming dissatisfied with 
the locality they returned to Cleveland in 
July, 1857. In after years the parents, 
in care of their son Gerhard, again came 
to W^isconsin, both dying in De Pere, 
Brown county, the mother on April 10, 
1874, the father on May 6, 1878. 

Rev. A. J. Verberk received his ele- 
mentary education at the parish schools 
of his native town, proving himself an 
apt and diligent scholar, studious and re- 
flective. At the age of fourteen he entered 
college, where for six years he was a no 
less diligent student of the languages — 
both ancient and modern — and studied 
philosophy until he was about twenty-one 
years old, when owing to his father's 
physical affliction, his studies were inter- 
rupted, and he had to assist in many 
ways at home till 1861, in September of 
which year he came to Little Chute, Wis., 
to visit an old Holland acquaintance, 
Father Spierings. Having been persuaded 
by this gentleman to resume his studies, 
Mr. Verberk on January 29, 1862, entered 
St. Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee, 
where he completed his philosophical and 
theological course. On December 27, 
1863, he was ordained to the priesthood, 
by Bishop Henni, in the Cathedral at 
^Iilwaukee, and appointed to his first pas- 
toral duties at Theresa, Dodge Co., Wis., 
as assistant to the priest stationed there. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPIITCAL RECORD. 



who was sick at the time. In September, 
1864, he was given charge of his first con- 
gregation, which was in Freedom, Outa- 
gamie count)', and here he remained until 
March, 1865, at which time he was trans- 
ferred to Little Chute, where his old friend 
Father Spierings had been stationed. 
Here our subject labored among his flock 
till October, 1869, during which time he 
built a new house for the priest, and the 
new church building, of which for several 
years nothing had been standing except 
the foundation, was through his efforts 
and labor completed, with the exception 
of the work on the interior. From Little 
Chute he was sent to St. Mary's Church 
at Appleton, at which time the parishion- 
ers, who were of several nationalities, all 
attended the same church, and it was dur- 
ing his incumbency here than the separa- 
tion took place. While in Appleton 
Father Verberk decided to pay a \isit to 
his native land, and set out on his journey 
in June, 1872, proceeding to New York, 
visiting en route friends in Cleveland, 
Ohio, and Fort Lee, N. J. The voj'age 
from New York to Liverpool occupied 
twelve days, and in August he arrived in 
Holland, where he met with an affection- 
ate reception, and lingered long and 
fondly about the hallowed spot of his 
happy childhood and boyhood days. His 
first intention was to travel through- 
out the continent and visit the Holy Land, 
but, a sickness that might be called " in- 
digenous" to Holland having seized him, 
he had to forego the anticipated pleasure, 
and return to the United States after a 
brief sojourn in his native country of 
about tfiree months. 

On November 25, he started on his 
westward journe\' to resume his clerical 
duties in the Far West, and after a 
twenty-five days' passage from Liverpool 
landed in New York, the voyage having 
been protracted by an accident which oc- 
curred when they were four days out, 
necessitating return to port. Tarrying for 
some weeks in New York and New Jersey, 
he then visited relatives in Cleveland, 



Ohio, and in the spring of 1873 arrived 
once more at Green Bay, Wis. , whence 
he proceeded to the diocese at Lacrosse, 
and for two years and a half had charge 
of the congregations at Baraboo, Sauk 
county, and Eagle Point, Chippewa 
county. Being claimed by the bishop of 
Green Bay * as belonging to his diocese, 
he in November, 1875, was called to the 
temporary care of Wrightstown and other 
charges, and later, in February, 1876, 
was transferred to Chilton, Calumet 
county, where was built under his pastor- 
ate a new church costing some twelve 
thousand dollars, and another for the 
Germans, costing from six to seven thous- 
and. In May, 1881, from the fact of his 
speaking the language of Holland, best 
understood by the Catholic congregation 
at Little Chute, he was recalled thither, 
remaining from 1881 to 1889. From that 
parish, where during his stay he com- 
pleted the yet unfinished church building 
and erected a new parish school, he re- 
moved in October, 1889, to his old charge 
at Chilton, remaining until 1892, when 
on account of failing health he resigned, 
in September taking up his residence in 
De Pere. where he made his home about 
nine months, during which period of re- 
pose he employed a portion of his time 
writing for a Dutch paper called Dc Pere 
Standard, and the English Echo of the 
Valley. By the advice, however, of his 
physician, who recommended him to live 
more into the country, he came in May, 
1893, to the town of Holland, in Holland 
township. Brown county, where he has 
since led a retired life, at the same time 
filling the charge of St. Mary's Church, 
Hilbert Junction, by regular weekly visits 
and religious services whenever required. 



* The first resident misionary priest at Green Bay was 
Father \"an den Broek, and Father Verberk is the only Hoi- 
land priest in Wisconsin to see that venerable divine in life. 
This happened during the winter of 1847-48. when leather Van- 
den Broek. after years of missionary work among the Indians 
in the Fox River Valley, was on a visit to his native country. 
Father Verberk. at that time making his college course, went 
to see the aged missionary for advise about joining the colony 
of Hollanders just then preparing to emigrate with Father 
\'an den Broek. Strange, that the college boy in after years 
should buiid a new church on the very spot, where the Pio- 
neer was laid to rest! 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 



73 



HON. PATRICK FINNERTY, a 
leading representative citizen and 
prosperous farmer of Holland 
township, Brown county, by vir- 
tue of his popularity and usefulness in his 
county, deserves prominent place in 
this Biographical Record. 

He is a native of Brown county, Wis., 
born October 22, [856, on the farm 
whereon he now lives in Section 14, Hol- 
land township, the eldest son of Thomas 
and Catherine (Keaton) Finnerty, natives 
of Ireland. Thomas Finnerty was born 
in County Sligo in 1820, the eldest in the 
family of Patrick Finnerty, a tenant 
farmer, who had by his wife, Catherine 
(Caggin), a family of ten children — seven 
sons and three daughters. In the spring 
of 1 848 the family emigrated to the United 
States, crossing the ocean from Liver- 
pool in the sailing ship "Lord Elgin," 
the voyage occupying seven weeks. Land- 
ing in Boston, they proceeded from there 
to Vermont, locating for a time in Rut- 
land county. In November, 1849, the 
entire family came to Wisconsin via Buf- 
falo to Sheboygan, and in Holland (at 
that time Kaukauna) township. Brown 
county, settled in the dense wildwoods on 
160 acres government land in Section 14, 
for which he paid ten shillings per acre, 
and entered in the name of Thomas, the 
eldest son. To reach this property the 
party traveled from Fond du Lac along 
the military road to a point south of 
Wrightstown, and from there had to lit- 
erally hew their way through the unbroken 
forest, there being neither road nor even 
path, the one they had to cut being the 
first. Here they built them a rude cabin 
and commenced to make a clearing for a 
farm. Patrick Finnerty, the head of this 
immigrant family, died in 1871, his wife 
passing away later at the home of their 
son Thomas. 

Thomas Finnerty, just mentioned, 
soon after their arrival here, in fact in the 
fall of the same year (1848), had to return 
to Ireland for some purpose, but in the 
following spring rejoined his parents and 



was one of the hardest workers in the 
clearing of the land. For two summers, 
however, after coming here, Thomas Fin- 
nerty worked at Kaukauna, for the Fox 
River Improvement Company, as a com- 
mon laborer, in order to earn means for the 
support of his parents and younger broth- 
ers and sisters, after which he commenced 
regular farming on the home place, and 
in the course of time what was a dense 
inhospitable forest he converted into a fer- 
tile farm and comfortable home, the met- 
amorphosis representing years of toil and 
unceasing industry. In 1855 he married 
Catherine Keaton, a native of Tipperary, 
Ireland, and by her had children as fol- 
lows: Patrick, the subject proper of this 
sketch; Ellen, now Mrs. Hugh Finnegan, 
of Holland; Catherine, who died unmar- 
ried at the age of thirty-one years; Mary, 
living in Green Bay; and Bridget, at 
home. The family are all members of St. 
Francis Church, at Holland. In his po- 
litical associations Thomas Finnert}' is an 
ardent Democrat, and in National and 
State elections invariably votes that 
ticket, but in county and township affairs 
he supports the candidate he considers 
best qualified for the office, regardless 
of party ties. In his township he has 
held the positions of treasurer and chair- 
man, as well as treasurer of the school 
board. 

Patrick Finnerty, the subject of this 
memoir, received a liberal education at 
the winter schools of the vicinit}' of his 
home, and being a diligent and apt 
scholar, made remarkable progress with 
his books. Schools in his boyhood were 
very different to what they are at the 
present time, and the lad, young as he 
was, saw by his own experience that vast 
improvements in the nurseries of the 
young mind were necessary if education 
was to keep pace with the phenomenal 
progress of the latter half of the nine- 
teenth century. Indeed, so aggressive 
was the stand he took, and so convincing 
were the arguments he advanced, that 
before he was twenty-one years old he 



74 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



received the appointment of clerk of the 
school board of his district, an office he 
has ever since held, always laboring for 
the best interests of the educational in- 
stitutions, particularly those included 
within his own district. He was reared a 
farmer boy on the same farm he now 
conducts, all his instruction in this line 
of work being received under the pre- 
ceptorship of his father. Prior to his 
marriage, in 1889, he took a trip to the 
Pacific coast — his destination California; 
and traveling by the Union Pacific rail- 
road he stopped at many of the principal 
c\i\es ill roil fi\ In the "Eureka State" 
he sojourned some ten months, visiting 
various interesting points, and in passing 
through Oregon spent some time in Port- 
land, returning to his \\'isconsin home at 
the end of about a }'ear. 

Politically Mr. Finnerty has been a 
Democrat from the time he cast his first 
vote, and has always been a wheel-horse 
of the party, being from early manhood 
recognized as a leader in the Democratic 
ranks in his township. He has been re- 
peatedly called to positions of honor and 
trust, all of which he has tilled with honor 
to himself and satisfaction to his con- 
stituents. For two years he served as 
treasurer, and in 1894 he was elected 
township clerk. In the fall of 1886, by 
a majority of v(jtes, he was sent to the 
Assembly as member of the thirty- 
eighth session of the Wisconsin Legis- 
lature, the occasion being the second bi- 
ennial session, and he was the youngest 
man ever elected to the Legislature in 
Brown county. 

In February, 1889, Mr. Finnerty was 
married at Milwaukee, Wis., to Miss 
Ellen Desmond, a nati\e of Brooklyn, N. 
Y. , and daughter of Matthew Desmond, 
who settled in Milwaukee when Mrs. 
Finnerty was a child of about three sum- 
mers. Three children have been born to 
this union: Addie, Matthew and Thomas. 
The home farm, still comprising 160 acres 
of prime land, is conducted under the 
immediate supervision of our subject him- 



self, and reflects as much credit on him 
as an agriculturist as have his public ser- 
vices as a statesman. 



M 



ATTHIAS REYNEX. Like 
thousands of other worthy men 
w hose lot in their native coun- 
try was simply to drudge and 
be always poor, John Reynen, father of 
Matthias, saw in the Western World a 
rainbow of promise. In the spring of 
1 85 I, with his wife and six children, he 
left hard times and Holland behind, and 
sailed from Amsterdam in an English 
ship bound for New York city, arriving 
after a fifty-eight-days' voyage. Green 
Bay, Wis. , was their final destination, and 
they proceeded up the Hudson river by 
steamboat to Albany, where the)- were 
delayed a month by the severe illness of 
the head of the family, ^^'hen he had re- 
covered they continued their journe\' via 
the Erie canal, and Matthias and his 
brother werepriviledged characters on the 
trip, being allowed to ride the horses which 
drew the canal boat. Upon arrival at Buf- 
falo it was learned that but one vessel, the 
old " Michigan," was plying between that 
point and Green Baj', and as it took her 
two weeks to make the round trip, it was 
necessary to wait most of that time for 
her return; but they at length embarked, 
and in the fall of 1851 reached their des- 
tination. 

The family passed the first winter in 
Green Bay, but the following spring found 
them in De Pere, as tenants of Samuel 
Blake. After passing the summer here 
they removed to Little Chute, where the 
elder Re3'nen found employment on the 
canal, as he had previously done, carry- 
ing back to his family fifty pounds of 
flour upon his return. He continued to 
reside at Little Chute during his active 
life, finally locating at De Pere, where he 
died in 1883, and his remains were in- 
terred in the Catholic cemetery at that 
place. His widow yet lives with a mar- 
ried daughter, on the same farm first 



COMMEMOllA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



75 



occupied bj" the family upon their arrival 
in this region. Their children, \\'ho are 
all living, are as follows: William, re- 
siding in South Dakota; Matthias, whose 
name introduces this article; Gertrude, 
now Mrs. John Coonen, of De Pere; Han- 
nah, now Mrs. William Vandervelden, of 
Cornelius, Oregon; Mary, wife of John 
Vandyke, of Freedom, Outagamie Co. , 
Wis.; Martin, of South Dakota; and the 
only death in this famil}' has been that of 
the father. The children ha\e all reared 
large families. 

Matthias Reynen was born in Holland 
March 14, 1838, and was consequently 
but thirteen years of age when he arrived 
in the land of his adoption. His father 
was able to afford him but a meager edu- 
cution in the old country, and after arriv- 
ing in the United States his only school- 
ing was included in a four-weeks' attend- 
ance at Albany, during the sickness of his 
father, as above mentioned. He showed 
remarkable aptness, and during that short 
period succeeded in mastering the three 
primary "readers" which a kind old 
gentleman had furnished him. By the 
time he reached Green Baj" he was able 
to speak the English language fairly well, 
and the first money he earned was fifty 
cents received for acting as interpreter. 
The same spirit of determination has been 
of great value to him in the subsequent 
years of his life, for by his own sole efforts 
he has reached the position he now holds, 
as a substantial, respected and estimable 
citizen. His first employment in Wis- 
consin was peeling potatoes for Gapt. Ed- 
wards, proprietor of the old ' ' Washing- 
ton House " (which stood on the site now 
occupied by the "Beaumont House"), 
and having performed the same kind of 
labor in his passage across the Atlantic, 
he was undoubtedly proficient. Contin- 
uing to reside with his parents until he 
became of age, young Matthias turned 
his earnings over to them, assisting them 
to the best of his ability to keep "the 
wolf from the door" and become the pos- 
sessors of a home, engaging in various 



kinds of labor — fishing, gardening, etc. 
Until 1852 he carried the mail for Mr. 
Tyler between Green Bay and Manito- 
woc, one summer, when his horse had 
only an Indian trail to follow, and the boy 
had no definite idea as to the location of 
Manitowoc, frequently turning out to 
avoid wolves, bears, and other wild ani- 
mals. His instructions were, if the horse 
got disabled and swamped, to shoulder 
the mail bag and continue on foot; thij 
happening on one occasion he left the 
horse in the swampy ground, and started 
to walk, but the animal succeeded in ex- 
tricating itself from the mudhole, and fol- 
lowing Mr. Reynen caught up with him 
and whinnied for his master before he 
had reached his destination. He at 
length secured a position with Mr. Wager 
and afterward with Wilcox & Wager, 
millers of De Pere, with whom he learned 
the milling trade, when the stone mill 
was built in De Pere, and continued to 
work at that place, at intervals, for twelve 
years, as well as in a similar capacity at 
other points; he is the oldest Hollander 
miller in the Fox River Valley. He was al- 
so employed more or less in the woods, and 
hand in hand along with hard work plod- 
ded along through the years, making a 
record as a toiler scarcely surpassed by 
a man of his age. He has been engaged 
at nearly all kinds of labor except military 
duty, and barely missed that, for he was 
drafted, but escaped through a mistake on 
the part of the enrolling officer, who 
spelled his name "Ryan." Mr. Reynen 
is unquestionably a leader of the self- 
made men of his section, and, in addition 
to his ability, being possessed of a won- 
derful retentive memory, there is no 
doubt but that, with proper education, he 
might have made an honorable and dis- 
tinguished record in the professional 
world. 

On November 16, 1863, Mr. Reynen 
was wedded, in the old German Catholic 
Church at Green Bay, to Adelia Martins, 
who was born in Holland in 1843 and 
came to the United States with h er 



76 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



father's family in 1850, the latter locat- 
ing near the home of our subject, in Al- 
louez township, at the foot of Robinson 
Hill, the propert}' now owned by Mr. 
Reynen. The children born to this union 
were: Minnie, now deceased; Fannie, 
now Mrs. Frank Van Noss, of Green Bay; 
Mary, now Mrs. Charles Van Noss, of 
the same city, G. William, of Allouez, em- 
ployed in the railroad ser\ice; Martin, 
Xony, Ella and Minnie, at home; Frank, 
deceased; Peter and Lilly May, at home; 
and Dora, deceased. For a short time 
after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Reynen 
resided at Green Bay, but soon removed 
to De Pere, where Mr. Reynen formed a 
partnership with Fred Lucke, and en- 
gaged for a few years in the milling busi- 
ness. He also purchased the ' ' De Pere 
House," becoming its landlord. He had 
previously started up a new mill for other 
parties in Chippewa Falls, and, besides, 
built and conducted another at De Pere, 
which latter was burned in 18S3, the loss 
being heavy and the insurance small. 
After this disaster he located upon the 
farm of ninety-seven acres upon which he 
has since resided, the homestead being 
generally known as "Robinson Hill." 
From his pleasant home, erected in 1891, 
a delightful view of the Fox river is 
obtained. 

Politically Mr. Rejnen is an unswerv- 
ing Democrat, and he has been elected by 
his party to various official positions at 
the different places where he has lived. 
While in De Pere he was a member of the 
city council several years, as well as of 
the county board of supervisors twelve or 
fifteen years, resigning upon his removal 
to Allouez. In the latter township he has 
been chairman of the town board for sev- 
eral years, and is the present member for 
Allouez on the county board, a position 
in which he has always rendered credit- 
able service. During the panic of 1873 
he lost nine thousand dollars inside of six 
months, and his fire losses in 1883 were 
ten thousand; but, notwithstanding these 
severe blows, he is yet comfortably situ- 



ated, owning one hundred acres of the 
most desirable land in the vicinity of 
Green Bay, a property which is destined 
to be worth many thousand dollars in the 
not distant future. From his boyhood he 
has found it necessary to make an uphill 
fight. Instead of being assisted bj- his 
parents his efforts were lent to their sup- 
port, and it was a struggle for years be- 
fore there was perceptible gain. In deal- 
ing with his fellowmen his methods have 
been straightforward and honorable, and 
"Matt" Reynen, as he is best known, 
is respected and esteemed by a wide circle 
of acquaintances. He and his family are 
members of the Holland Catholic Church, 
in which he has been an officer for years, 
and to which his contributions have been 
most liberal. From out the Netherlands, 
which have sent sturdy men and women 
into the four quarters of the globe, there 
have come few, if any, who can lay 
stronger claim to the proud title, "a 
self-made man," and he bears his laurels 
with becoming composure. 



CHARLES JOANNES, member of 
the firm of Joannes Bros., whole- 
sale grocers, Green Baj'. Wis., 
is a native of Belgium, born in 
the town of Tervueren, about six miles 
east of Brussels, April 24, 1844, the 
eldest son of Eugene C. and Marie Eliza- 
beth (Vandersmissen) Joannes. 

In 1856 the family, consisting of 
father, mother and eight children, left 
their native land for the New World, 
taking passage on a sailing vessel at .Ant- 
werp, and after a voyage of thirty-nine 
days landed in New York. From there 
they proceeded westward to Wisconsin, 
via rail to Buffalo, thence steamer to 
Green Bay, which they found to be a 
thriving village and important trading 
point. The family settled in Lawrence 
township. Brown county, on a small 
farm, which they commenced to clear, by 
hard work and untiring perseverance to 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



77 



make a new home in the then compara- 
tive wilderness; but the father was 
doomed never to reahze his hopes and 
plans for the future, for early in the fol- 
lowing spring (1857), in attempting to 
cross Fox river on the ice he broke 
through and was drowned, leaving a 
widow and seven children to survive him, 
the youngest child (an infant) having died 
a few months before this. He had lived 
in Brown county only about six months, 
yet during that short time had estab- 
lished himself in the estimation of all 
whom he came in contact with as an 
earnest, industrious man, above the 
average in intelligence and progressive- 
ness. All of the children that were old 
enough were sent to school soon after 
they were settled. The death of the 
father left the widowed mother alone 
among strangers with her children, the 
eldest being only about fourteen years 
old; but being heroic in nature, and 
possessed of an indomitable will power 
and a strong constitution to back it, she 
set herself to the task of rearing her 
children as well as circumstances would 
permit. The neighbors, being kind- 
hearted people, took great interest in the 
family, and helped them in many ways, 
five of the children finding homes among 
them, where they were required to do 
chores, assisting in farm work during the 
summer season and attending school 
during the winter months. In 1 861 the 
family moved into Green Bay, the farm 
having been sold, and the money realized 
from it was invested in a small home on 
Pine street, where the Green Bay, 
Winona & St. Paul railroad office build- 
ing now stands. Here the family resided 
some years, the children, when old 
enough to leave school, succeeding in 
securing employment of one kind or an- 
other in Green Bay. 

Charles Joannes, who, as will be 
seen, was about twelve years old when 
the family came to Wisconsin, after 
spending five years on the farm, went to 
Green Bay, where he immediately secured 



a position with the late Dr. Henry 
Pearce, remaining there a little more 
than two years, doing chores and attend- 
ing school. From there he entered the 
office of register of deeds as copying 
clerk under Xavier Martin, and there he 
remained two years, at the end of which 
time he entered the store of Bennett & 
Williamson, proprietors of the then lead- 
ing dry-goods store in Green Bay, con- 
tinuing in their employ until the winter of 
1867. At that time, being desirous of 
improving himself in commercial theory, 
he went to Chicago, where he entered 
Bryant & Stratton's Business College, 
and after graduating from this school he 
received the appointment of assistant 
bookkeeper with Belding Bros. & Co., 
manufacturers and jobbers of sewing 
silks, Chicago. At the end of three 
months he had earned the confidence of 
the firm, and was sent by them to their 
Cincinnati house to take full charge of 
their books there, while at the close of 
two years he became traveling salesman 
for the same firm, his territory covering 
almost the entire South; but in July, 
1872, he severed his connection with 
Belding Brothers in order to embark in 
the grocery business with his brothers in 
Green Bay. 

The firm of Joannes Brothers, consist- 
ing of Charles, William, Mitchell and 
Thomas, commenced business in a retail 
way in August, 1872. William (at that 
time the only one of the four brothers to 
have any experience in that line) was sent 
to New York to buy their first stock of 
goods, which was bought for cash. The 
boys, being well known and respected, did 
a flourishing business from the start, and 
soon became the leading retail grocers in 
the city. There was then quite a large 
jobbing business done in Green Bay, but 
the panic of 1873 soon followed, and 
proved very disastrous to all the business 
interests in Green Bay, particularly to the 
wholesale grocery trade, it taking but a 
short time to close up all of the whole- 
sale grocery firms in the city. Joannes 



COMMKMORATIVK BIOOHAPIIICAL RECORD. 



Brothers, being then the leading retail 
grocers, were quick to realize the import- 
ance of trying to take care of as much of 
the trade, that had formeriy been buying 
their goods at wholesale on this market, 
as possible; but with their limited capital, 
together with the panicky condition then 
existing, theycouUl readii_\' see that noth- 
ing but a strictly cash basis would now be 
safe to follow. This they adopted, and 
adhered to until conditions were more 
favorable to again return to a credit sys- 
tem, from which time on their business 
increased very rapidly, so that in 1884 
they discontinued their retail department, 
and have ever since conducted an exclu- 
sively jobbing business. In 1891 their 
business had grown to such an extent that 
they found it absolutely necessary to in- 
crease their facilities, and they then 
erected their pre.sent four-story (and base- 
ment) building, 88 x 90 feet in dimensions 
(with granite front), with warehouses in 
rear extending to the channel of the Fox 
river, where all the largest lake steamers, 
having goods for the firm, land and unload 
their cargoes direct into these warehouses, 
thus saving the firm a large amount every 
year in cartage. They also have the track 
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
railroad running between their store and 
warehouse, thus enabling them to being all 
car-load lots directly opposite their prem- 
ises for unloading. In connection with their 
grocery business they also own and oper- 
ate a very complete coffee and spice mill, 
and there are no better goods on the 
market than their Champion brand spices. 
Taking all things into consideration, the 
Joannes Brothers have, without a doubt, 
the most complete and best equipped 
plant for conducting a wholesale grocery 
business that can be found in the North- 
west, with a trade that is second to none 
in the State of Wisconsin. They now 
have seven traveling men on the road 
selling goods, which fact, however, hardly 
gives a correct idea of their business, 
fully half of which comes to them un- 
solicited, and they employ in their differ- 



ent departments no less than forty-four 
hands. In the accomplishment of this 
the brothers have had ver\- little leisure 
time, and to-da\', even, the\' are harder 
workers than any of their numerous em- 
ployees, and their success in life is largely 
attributed to the close personal attention 
they have always given every detail in 
their business, they never allowing goods 
to be misrepresented, so far as they are 
able to judge. 

On July 2, 1872, Charles Joannes, the 
senior member of the firm, was married 
in Cincinnati to Miss Hattie P. Lambdin, 
a native of that city, and daughter of 
William Thomas and Martha (Athern) 
Lambdin, who were born in Martha's 
Vine}ard, Mass., where W^illiam Athern, 
the grandfather of Mrs. Charles Joannes, 
helped to build the United States frigate 
"Constitution." Mrs. Joannes received 
her education in the schools of Rising 
Sun, Ind., and is a lad)- of culture and 
refinement. She is a prominent member 
of the Congregational Church, and takes 
c:n acti\e interest in the" social life of 
Green Bay. As a business man, Mr. 
Joannes is recognized as possessing the 
utmost ability, push and energy, and as 
a citizen none stand any better. 



M 



ITCHELL JOANNES, member 
of the wholesale grocery firm of 
Joannes Bros. , Green Ba}', is a 
native of Belgium, born in 
1848, and is the third son of Eugene C. 
and Marie Elizabeth (V'andersmissen) 
Joannes. 

Mitchell Joannes was but eight years 
of age when he left home to li\e with 
others. At the age of eight and one-half 
years he began working on a farm; four 
years afterward went to Ripon, Wis. , 
where for two years he was employed at 
the same kind of labor. In 1 862 he 
came to Green Bay, entered a physician's 
office as clerk, and was thus engaged for 
two years, at the end of which time he 
commenced clerking in the crockery 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



house of W^heelock & Chapman, at 
which he continued until his enhst- 
ment, in 1865, in Company G, Forty- 
first Wis. \. I., under the ninety- 
days' call; was stationed at Mem- 
phis, Tenn., and was honorably dis- 
charged at the expiration of his term of 
enlistment; he sustained only one injury, 
and that was at Chatham, 111., through 
an accident while cit route for home. On 
his recovery, he was employed as clerk 
for eighteen months in Green Bay, and 
was then appointed to a position in the 
postoffice, in the service of which, as 
clerk and assistant postmaster, he re- 
mained nine years, doing duty during the 
terms of Capt. D. M. Whitney, Capt. C. 
R. Tyler and W. C. E. Thomas. He 
resigned this position to take an active 
part with his brothers, Charles and Will- 
iam, in the grocery business. [Business 
record of Joannes Bros, will be found in 
the sketch of Charles Joannes.] 

Besides his interest in this extensive 
concern, Mitchell Joannes has manifold 
collateral connections. He has been a 
director in the Citizens National Bank 
since the organization of that institution; 
is a stockholder in the Columbian Bakery 
Companw of which he is a director and 
vice-president; also stockholder in and 
treasurer and director of the Green Bay 
and Fort Howard Water Works Com- 
pany. He is likewise a stockholder in 
the Green Bay Planing Mill, as well as 
in the Green Bay Pickle Factory, and 
both building and loan societies; he is a 
stockholder in the Brown County Fair 
and Park Association, and director in the 
J. R. Thomas Machine Company, and a 
member of the Business Men's Associa- 
tion of the city. In politics he is inde- 
pendent, locally, voting for such men and 
measures as will redound, in his opinion, 
to the best interests of the general public, 
and has served, with the same end in 
view, as alderman from the Second 
ward. In religion he is a devout Roman 
Catholic, and worships at the French 

Catholic Church. 
5 



The marriage of Mr. Joannes was 
celebrated at Green Bay July i, 1875, 
with Miss Fannie D. Goodhue, daughter 
of Charles F. H. and Delia (Alger) Good- 
hue, early settlers at Beloit, Wis. The 
father of this amiable lady died in Wood 
county. Wis., May 16, 1874, a much- 
honored citizen; the mother makes her 
home in Green Bay with Mr. Joannes' 
famil)-. This union was crowned by the 
birth of five children, of whom three are 
still living, viz. : Gertrude A., Arline and 
Harold V. ; the deceased are Guy Good- 
hue, born May 17, 1876, died August 25, 
1876; and Nellie Genevieve, born August 
31, 1880, died June 23, 1882. Mr. Joannes 
has indeed been the "architect of his 
own fortune," having by his upright busi- 
ness methods won for himself a host of 
friends in the community of trade, and 
by his genial manners and pleasant ad- 
dress added daily to his list of patrons. 
He has always been among the foremost 
to aid by his means and enterprising 
spirit the building up of Green Bay city 
and the county of Brown, of which he is 
recognized as one of the most substantial 
citizens. 



THOMAS JOANNES, member of 
the wholesale grocery firm of 
Joannes Brothers, Green Bay, is 
a native of Belgium, born March 
17, 1849, in Tervueren, a town situated 
some six miles east of Brussels, a son of 
Eugene C. and Marie Elizabeth (Vanders- 
missen) Joannes. 

Thomas Joannes was seven years old 
when the family came to the United 
States and to Wisconsin, and at the 
schools of Green Bay he received a fairly 
liberal education up to the age of fourteen 
j-ears. On leaving school he commenced 
learning the trade of jeweler, and by the 
end of three years was so proficient at the 
business that he was given charge of most 
of the repairing in the store where he 
served his apprenticeship. About the year 
1866, abandoning the jewelry business, 



82 



OOMMEMORATirE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



he was given a clerkship in the postoffice 
at Green Bay, and after four years in that 
capacity was appointed, by United States 
Senator T. O. Howe, to the position of 
postal clerk in the United States mail ser- 
vice. He had charge of the first mail car 
that ever ran north of Green Bay, and his 
was the first appointment for that division; 
but after a faithful service of one and one- 
lialf years he resigned in order to take 
active interest in the grocery business of 
Joannes Brothers, with which he had been 
affiliated since 1872. [Business record of 
Joannes Brothers will be found in the 
sketch of Charles Joannes.] 

From the time of the opening out of the 
wholesale branch, Thomas Joannes has, 
more particularly, had charge of the spice 
mills, besides attending to outside mat- 
ters, such as collections, etc. On Octo- 
ber 23, 1878, he was united in marriage, 
in Oshkosh, Wis., with Miss Emma M. 
Heath, a well-educated and highly-cul- 
tured lady, whose native place is Racine, 
Wis. She is a daughter of Joseph and 
Catherine (Norton) Heath, old residents 
of Oshkosh. To Mr. and Mrs. Joannes 
have been born three children, named 
respectively: Genevieve Regina, Mary 
Hortense and Leland Heath. The par- 
ents are members of St. John's Church, 
Green Bay, and in his political sympathies 
Mr. Joannes is pronouncedly independent. 
During the winter of 1893-94 he built one 
of the finest residences to be seen in Green 
Bay or vicinity, in which he takes a pro- 
per pride, for it is an ornament to the 
city. His success in life is due to hard 
work and good business management, 
which, coupled with common sense and 
sound judgment, have brought him the 
reward he so well merits. 



WILLIAM EDWARD KEL- 
LOGG, cashier of the Kellogg 
Banking Company at De Pere, 
Brown county, was born June 
I, 1855, in Amherst, Mass. He is a son 
of Sanford W. and Emily L. (Spears) 



Kellogg, the former of whom was at one 
time a resident of Amherst, Mass., and 
later a capitalist at Waukegan, 111., re- 
moving still later to Sauk Center, Minn., 
where he engaged cxtensivelj' in general 
merchandising and flour-milling. He sub- 
sequently returned to Waukegan, 111., 
where he died in October. 1882. 

William E. Kellogg was educated 
partly at the high school of Waukegan, 
having previously passed the junior year 
at Notre Dame College, South Bend, Ind. 
After leaving high school he was em- 
ployed for a couple of years by a mer- 
cantile firm at Sauk Center, Minn., of 
which his father was the head, doing 
business under the title of Kellogg, Chase 
& Ma3o; later was with Thomas, La;;ear 
& Hayden, wholesale dealers in furnish- 
ing goods at Chicago, and then with John 
V. Farwell & Co., wholesale dry -goods 
men of the same city. In June, 1S78, 
he entered the Kellogg National Bank at 
Green Bay, Wis. , at the bottom of the 
ladder, and remained until October, 1881, 
when he was made cashier of the Rufus 
B. Kellogg & Co. bank at De Pere, of 
which institution he is now the heaviest 
stockholder. The average annual de- 
posits in this bank up to the panic o{ 
1893 were about one hundred and twenty- 
five thousand dollars, and although a 
slight diminution then took place, the 
deposits soon recovered their wonted 
volume. Throughout the most stringent 
season of the year nained the bank never 
for a moment closed its doors, and never 
asked a dollar aid from any source — an 
illustration of the safe and conservative 
system of the bank, which has never yet 
lost a dollar by bad loans or investments. 
Since 1881 the affairs of the bank have 
virtually been under the control of Mr. 
Kellogg, and although this gentleman 
was but a novice when he took charge, 
the owners made but one visit of inspec- 
tion per year after the first two or three 
months, being thoroughly satisfied with 
the safe .system upon which the cashier 
was conducting its affairs. The manage- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



83 



ment hold the entire confidence of the 
pubhc, and depositors feel that their 
funds are as safe in its custody as if 
locked up in a safety-deposit vault. The 
bank is a State bank, and was incorpor- 
ated in 1889 with R. B. Kellogg, presi- 
dent; L. D. Hurd, vice-president, and W. 
E. Kellogg, cashier, with a capital stock 
of twenty-five thousand dollars, being the 
outcome of a private bank established by 
Rufus B. Kellogg in 1878. The death of 
R. B. Kellogg, however, took place in 
September, 1891, and H. H. Camp suc- 
ceeded to the presidency of the Kellogg 
Banking Company. This gentleman was 
formerly president of the First National 
Bank of Milwaukee, and is now also presi- 
dent of the Milwaukee Trust Company. 

At the death of Rufus B. Kellogg our 
subject was appointed one of the execu- 
tors of his estate of half a million, with- 
out bonds, and was also made guardian 
of his children. Rufus B. Kellogg was a 
practical business man, and when our 
subject started in with him, at the mea- 
ger salary of twenty dollars per month, he 
was warned that promotion depended on 
his ability and attention to his duties. 
The result speaks for itself. 

The marriage of W. E. Kellogg with 
Gertrude M. Hutchinson was solemnized 
June 7, 1882, at Waukegan, 111., the 
fruit of the union being Rufus H., born 
December 13, 1889, and Anna, born 
January 22, 1893. 



DANIEL WHITNEY (deceased). 
Something more than a simple 
announcement and a passing re- 
mark is due to the memory of one 
who was not only the founder of Green 
Bay, but for more than thirty years had 
his residence there, and was as familiar 
to the people as their own household 
gods. More than any other man, he was, 
in the earlier part of his career, ardently 
and actively engaged in developing the 
resources of the then wilderness of the 
Northwest, and in building up the city of 



Green Bay. As one of the first settlers 
and pioneers of Wisconsin, there is due 
to his memory a place on the record of 
his adopted home. In the prosecution of 
his early explorations, as pioneer, no one 
traveled as much, or labored as hard as 
he; and, in doing so, no man suffered 
more hardships, or exposure, or ran more 
desperate risks. He knew no fear. 
Wherever his duty or his business called 
him, he went. Cold, storm, or night- 
time had no terrors sufftcient to deter him 
from pursuing his object. 

Mr. Whitney was born September 3, 
1795, in Gilsum, N. H., a son of Samuel 
and Mary Whitney, the former of whom 
was a native of Massachusetts, borrt 
August 5, 1758, in Newton, whence in an 
early day he removed to New Hampshire, 
becoming a very prominent man in the town 
of Gilsum, that State. He there married 
Miss Mary Whitney, daughter of Capt. 
Joshua Whitney, a prominent citizen of 
Worcester, Mass. , and captain of a vol- 
unteer company raised there, serving 
throughout the Revolutionary war. Sam- 
uel Whitney, father of our subject, was 
also a soldier in that struggle, a member 
of Capt. Flagg's company of "Minute 
Men." His son Daniel, of whom this 
sketch pertains, was reared in New Hamp- 
shire, and received his education in part 
at the schools of the neighborhood of his 
home, in part in Boston, Mass. In 18 16 
he paid his first visit to Green Bay, tO' 
"spy the land," and returning east again 
in 1819, came here to make his perma- 
nent home in the new country, being 
twenty-four years old at the time. Here 
he established himself in mercantile busi- 
ness near Camp Smith, two and one-half 
miles above the present site of Green 
Bay, where the village then was; and this 
was the starting point of all his subsequent 
numerous enterprises. 

Wisconsin, and all the west and north, 
was then a complete wilderness, inhabited 
only by wild Indians comprising within 
the limits of the present State at least six 
different nations, and other nations still 



84 



COMMEMORAriVK BIOURAPIIICAL liECORD. 



more fierce and warlike held all Ihc coun- 
try west of the Mississippi. This did not 
prevent Mr. W'hitnej- from making many 
long journeys to the interior, and push- 
ing his in\estigations wherever he thought 
good locations for trade could be found. 
He explored the Fo.\ river to its source, 
and the Wisconsin from the rapids to the 
^lississippi. In 1821-22 he was sut- 
ler for U. S. troops at Fort Snelling, on 
the St. Peter's river, Minnesota; estab- 
lished several trading posts on the Missis- 
sippi, where he supplied traders with 
goods, and had also a trading post at 
Sault Ste. Marie. During the winter of 
1822 he traveled on foot from Fort Snell- 
ing to Detroit, with onlj- an Indian for a 
companion, to assist him with his pro- 
visions and bedding, which they drew on 
a hand sled. During this whole journey 
(about one thousand miles) he met but 
one white man, and saw but two cabins. 
An incident occurred on this trip which 
showed the perseverance and daring of 
the man. In crossing one of the numer- 
ous rivers en route, he found the ice bad. 
The Indian guide became afraid, but Mr. 
Whitney crossed over, drawing the sled 
and load with him. The Indian would 
not follow, whereupon Mr. Whitnej' re- 
crossed, and in so doing broke through 
the ice (which was thin, the water deep 
and the current strong) with one foot. 
He provided himself with a rope from the 
sled and a cudgel, and compelling the In- 
dian to lie down upon the ice, with the 
rope drew him over in safety. In the fall 
of 1824 he had a vessel, loaded with 
goods and provisions for Green Bay, frozen 
in near Mackinac. Such an accident in 
those times threatened serious conse- 
quences to the settlements, and, although 
starvation was impossible when fish and 
venison were plent}', yet many would suf- 
fer inconvenience, and Mr. W'hitney a 
great loss, unless the supplies could be 
reached. As soon, therefore, as cold 
weather had insured a bridge of ice, along 
the shore, and across the rivers and baj's, he 
fitted out an expedition consisting of him- 



self and several French-Canadians, with 
horse-trains, made the trip to Mackinac 
on the ice, where the vessel was, and re- 
turned with all he could of the most 
necessary goods. In order to carry on 
his extensive operations, he went several 
times to Canada, and procured large num- 
bers of " voyageurs," men used to voy- 
aging and the trader's life. With those as 
companions and assistants, he traversed 
the country on foot, in the bark canoe 
and in the Mackinac boat, exploring new 
sections of country, and transporting goods 
to his trading houses. Many of these 
men are still in the county, and are num- 
bered among the most substantial farmers. 
From these early times, until the light of 
civilization shone across the country, un- 
til settlements were formed, and roads 
opened from the lake shore to the in- 
terior, and until the improvement of the 
Fox river had so far progressed as to ad- 
mit of partial steamboat navigation, Mr. 
Whitney was largely engaged in the trans- 
portation business. For manj- years all 
the supplies for Forts Winnebago and 
Crawford and the upper Mississippi, for 
troops, Indian treaties, etc., were con- 
veyed in boats from Green Bay by the 
Fox and Wisconsin rivers; and few per- 
sons, not familiar with those times, can 
form any idea of the immense labor and 
cost involved. 

Between 1825 and 1830 Mr. Whitney 
explored the upper W^isconsin, built mills 
at Plover Portage, and for more than 
fifteen }ears was engaged in the business 
of manufacturing lumber, and running it 
down the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers 
to the St. Louis market. This was the 
first lumbering establishment erected on 
the Wisconsin ri\er. and probably the 
first on any tributary of the Mississippi. 
During the same period he also built a 
shot-tower at Helena, on the \\'^isconsin 
river, and inaugurated an extensive busi- 
ness at that point. From the time the 
Stockbridge Indians came into the State 
to commence their new homes, in 1827 
or 1828, until their removal to their 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



85- 



present location in Shawano county, he 
kept a supply store among them, trans- 
acting also their business for them; and 
during the whole time, about thirteen 
years, as a strictly honest man and a fair 
and liberal dealer, he possessed their 
entire confidence; and down to the time 
of his death these Indians looked up to 
him as their father and friend. He also 
supplied goods to Indian agencies, as will 
be seen by the following letter, written 
over sixty j'ears ago: 

Indian Agency. 
Green Bay, July 21, '32. 
To Daniel Whitney: 

Dear Sir. — With the anus purchased from 
Messrs. Kircheval & Hamilton, together with 
your own, you will please to include some to be 
had from Messrs. Law, Porlier iSr Grig^non, in 
order that the whole number may be included 
in the one draft to be drawn on ac. of 
army. These arms I should be glad to have 
.sent to the Agency in the course of the day, or 
early on Monday morning. 

(Signed) G. Boyd, II. S. Indian Agt. 

In 1831 he abandoned his residence 
near Camp Smith, and moved his family 
and store to Navarino (now Green Bay), 
near the mouth of the river, where he 
passed the rest of his days. From his 
earliest acquaintance with the locality 
and surroundings of Green Ba\', he enter- 
tained the most unbounded confidence in 
its capabilities and fitness to become the 
most important commercial town in the 
State, and, acting upon this faith, he as 
early as possible secured the land where 
the city now stands, and in 1828 or 1829 
laid out the town of Navarino, since 
incorporated as Green Bay, and com- 
menced building a city. In 1S30 he had 
completed a wharf and spacious ware- 
house, a portion of the "Washington 
House," a school house, and some dwell- 
ing houses for his mechanics and labor- 
ers. From 1830 to 1840 he continued to 
build, and as fast as materials could be 
obtained erected eight or ten stores and 
a large number of dwelling houses to rent; 
in the meantime giving away a consider- 
able number of lots to mechanics and 
others who were desirous of building 



homes for themselves. He also con- 
tributed very largely toward the comple- 
tion of the Episcopal church edifice — the 
first Protestant house of worship built in 
either the city or the State. This church 
edifice was always a special object of 
interest to him, and from its completion 
in I 838 until cares ended with him on earth 
he never ceased to watch about it, and 
many a dollar has he expended in repairs, 
from time to time, which no one but him- 
self ever noted or recorded, and for which 
the congregation can never cease to owe 
him a grateful remembrance. The fol- 
lowing is copied from a sketch of ' ' Pioneer 
Life in Wisconsin," written by Henry 
Merrill for the benefit of the State His- 
torical Society: 

At Shanteetown I met Rev. Mr. Cadle, who 
had charge of the Episcopal Mission, delight- 
fully situated on a hill back from the river in a 
beautiful grove; and Alexander Irwin and his 
lady, and Samuel, his brother, who were en- 
gaged in merchandise here ; Wm. Dickinson 
and others. Having letters of introduction to 
Mr. Daniel Whitnej', I became well acquainted 
with him, and have considered him one of the 
most enterprising men of the West. At this 
time he was doing an extensive business in 
iTierchandise, reaching on to the Wisconsin 
river, where he had built the first sawmill upon 
the river at Point Pass, sotne seventy miles 
above the Portage, one on the Wisconsin and 
one on the Fox. a shot-tower at Helena, and 
extending his business on to the Mississippi to 
Galena and St. Louis. Three years before he 
persisted in building and laj'ing off a town, 
what is now the town of Green Bay, although 
he was laughed at and called crazy. But the 
trouble was, in many of his operations he was 
ahead of the times, and some of them did not 
prove good investments, although Navarino 
did not prove one of them, for the town of 
Green Bay is now a large and flourishing city. 
I afterward met him often, and roamed over 
the country with him on horseback, as all our 
traveling was accomplished in that way in 
those days, sometimes without road and some- 
times on Indian trails, fording streams, marsh- 
es, etc., etc., sometimes in the rain and some- 
times throug-h the snow, taking the ground for 
our body with our saddles for pillows, carrying 
provisions and blankets with us. I always 
found him a cheerful companion and an estima- 
ble man. He gave me at one time an account, 
the minutes of which I took down, of a journey 
of his from Fort Snelling, on the St. Peter's, 
to Detroit, Mich., in 1821, on foot in the midst 
of winter, as follows: December 6, 1821, he 
.started in a canoe with two men, the ice run- 
ning thick in the river. His acquaintances 



86 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tried hard to persuade him to defer starting- 
until the river closed; but no, business called 
him. and he must go. They soon found them- 
selves in a bad fix, for the ice blocked up under 
the canoe so as to raise it six feet above the 
water. After jfreat exertion thej' got to shore, 
as he said, more pleased than he ever was in 
his life at getting on land again. They then 
started on foot, and got only nine miles the 
first da3' and encamped. The next day started 
down the river bank, packing their food and 
blankets on their backs, each carrj-ing a gun, 
the weather extremely cold and the snow six 
inches deep. They were five days in getting 
to Lake Pepin. In crossing the lake Mr. Whit- 
ney broke through; the lock of his gun catch- 
ing on the ice was the only thing that saved 
him. Tlie weather was so cold some of the 
time that they had to stop and build fires to 
warm them.selves to keep from freezing. 
Thirty miles above Prairie du Chien they got 
out of provisions, but seeing a smoke they made 
for it and found Augustin Grignon encamped, 
an acquaintance from Green Bay. He was on 
a trading voyage among the Indians ; he sup- 
plied them with provisions. In this way they 
passed through Prairie du Chien to Fort Win- 
nebago, and from thence to Green Bay, where 
they arrived in twenty-one days from Fort 
Snelling. After remaining a few daj-s he took 
a guide and started on foot for Chicago, where 
he arrived in ten days, and from there to De- 
troit in ten days more, making his tramp in 
forty-one days from Fort Snelling, and said he 
could then make his forty miles a day, and 
easier than to ride on horseback. 

During the last iifteen years of Mr. 
Whitney's life he pursued no regular busi- 
ness, but devoted his whole time to the 
care of an immense landed estate. His 
early life in the wilderness, upon the 
rivers, and upon the bay, is full of in- 
cidents, interesting, as showing the intre- 
pidity of his character, and his indomitable 
perseverance, luider the most discourag- 
ing difificulties. On one occasion while 
returning home from Grand Kaukauna 
with hor.se and train, on the ice, in the 
night, his horse broke through. Being 
alone, and finding himself unable to extri- 
cate the horse without aid, in order to 
keep the horse's head above water he tied 
it to the train, and then went three miles 
for assistance, rather than let his horse be 
drowned, as most men would have done. 
He returned with help, and saved the 
animal. Whenever there was danger in 
the path, he was always at the head of 
his party, and never required a man in 



his employ to go where he was afraid to 
lead. He was never a candidate for 
office and never served in one. Honest 
and upright in all his dealings, he always 
possessed the confidence of his employes 
and dependents, and all who had any 
business transactions with him. His heart 
was ever kind, and the poor, the unfortun- 
ate, and the afflicted, in his death lost a 
friend who never forgot them. Many was 
the time that such, in their greatest want, 
found the needed supply in the doorway, 
or at the kitchen corner at nightfall, or 
at daydawn, without ever knowing the 
hand that relieved them; and oft had the 
Christmas-tide brought with it happiness, 
when else no merry Christmas jubilee 
would have found its way around the fires 
where no Yule log was wont to burn, but 
for his ever benevolent and open hand. 
Such will remember him with affection, 
and it is feared look in vain for one to 
take his place. He died November 4, 
1862, in the house where he had resided 
almost thirty years, at the age of sixty- 
eight years, and by his will left his large 
and valuable estate entirely under the 
control of his widow, as sole executor. 
Calmly he awaited the approach of death, 
which he saw slowly but surely approach- 
ing for many weeks; and spoke of it as 
unconcernedly as if he was expecting a 
friend to accompany him on a pleasant 
journey. And thus quietly passed away 
Daniel Whitney. If he had faults, let us 
forget them, and remember only his many 
virtues, and the sweet savor of his good 
deeds. In his political associations he 
was a lifelong Whig. 

Our subject was married at Middle- 
bury, Vt., September i, 1826, to Miss 
Emmeline Henshaw, a native of that 
place, born July 21, 1803, daughter of 
Daniel and Sarah (Prentis) Henshaw, na- 
tives of Connecticut, he born in Middle- 
town, she in New London, both dying in 
Vermont. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Whitney made their permanent home in 
Green Bay, where, October 25, 1890, she 
passed away. To them were born seven 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



87 



children, of whom the following is a brief 
record: (Ij Daniel Henshaw, born in 
Shantytown, June 7, 1827, was married 
March 10, 1863, to Miss Rosena Bader, 
and settled in Stockbridge, Wis., but died 
in Menasha November 17, 1866; they had 
two children: Emmeline Stillman, born 
October 28, 1865, now residing in Green 
Bay, and Daniel, born January 27, 1867, 
now living in Philadelphia. (II) Joshua 
resides in Green Bay, and sketch of him 
immediatel}' follows this. (Ill) William 
Beaumont, born in Navarino (now Green 
Bay) April 4, 1832, the first male white 
child to see the light in that then village, 
resides in Philadelphia; was married first 
in Piqua, Ohio, November 21, 1854, to 
Miss Laura Margaret Clewell, who died 
May 4, 1884; to them were born children 
as follows: Mary C, November 4, 1855, 
died in Newport, Ky., August 28, 1857; 
Helen C., November 15, 1863, married 
to Francis Sedgwick Bangs, November 
9, 1888, and resides in New York; Mary 
Douglas, born October 29, 1865, married 
November 19, 1891, George M. Hender- 
son, and lives in Germantown, Penn. ; 
William Beaumont was married the sec- 
ond time at Chicago, November 23, 1888, 
to Miss Emma Graham Varian, by whom 
he has one child, Margaretta, born March 
13, 1892. (IV) Charles Richards, born 
September 27, 1837, died November 27, 

1 84 1. (V) John Prentis Kane, born No- 
vember 10, 1840, died October 30, 1841. 
(VI) Harriet Hayward, born October 18, 

1842, is still living on the old homestead, 
in the house she was born in. (VII) 
Henry Clay, born April 12, 1847, died 
September 28, 1847. 



JOSHUA WHITNEY. Were this 
gentleman asked to define the secret 
of success in life, from his own 
standpoint and experience, his reply 
would be, no doubt, that it is hard work, 
availing itself of fair opportunities. Always 
and everywhere he remembers that his 



business career has been a successful one, 
and that to himself, and all Wisconsin 
men of his caliber, is peculiarly applicable 
the well-worn ma.xim, that " nothing is so 
successful as success." 

Mr. Whitney was born in the city of 
Green Bay, Wis., in 1829, a son of Daniel 
and Emmeline S. (Henshaw) Whitney, 
a sketch of whom immediately precedes 
this. He received his education in Gam- 
bier, Ohio, whither he was taken when a 
four-year-old boy. On leaving school he 
went to the Middlebury (Vt.j College, 
where he studied five years, and then re- 
turned to Green Bay. He was engaged 
in the carrying trade on Fox river, and 
transported the first iron for the N. 
W. R. R. in this section, from Fond 
du Lac to Watertown. For some 
time in the iron industry, his interests 
therein took him much abroad, and for a 
time he was a resident of Hartford, Conn., 
where he had charge of the Connecticut 
Valley railroad. On his return to Green 
Bay he did not here remain long, as we 
next find him in Duluth, Minn., of which 
city he was a resident eight years, finally 
returning to Green Bay, where he has 
since continuously resided. 

On November 9, 1852, Mr. Whitney 
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth 
Frances Irwin, a native of Brown county. 
Wis., daughter of Alexander A. and 
Frances P. (Smith) Irwin, and they have 
one child, Emmeline Henshaw, married 
to Walter A. Calhoun, of St. Louis, Mo., 
by whom she has a son named George 
Whitney. In his political preferences 
Mr. Whitney was originally an Old-line 
Whig, and since the organization of the 
party he has been a stanch Republican, 
at one time a member of the Know- 
Nothing party. In municipal matters he 
has been president of the council, and 
served as chief of the Fire Department. 
Socially he is a member of Washington 
Lodge, F. & A. M. A generous, liberal 
gentleman, the private life of Joshua 
Whitney is adorned with man)- beneficent 
acts. 



88 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQllAPUICAL RECORD. 



G 



REGORIE DENIS. Anions the 
representative self-made men, and 
well-known capitalists of Brown 
county, few if any have been the 
architects of their own fortune to a degree 
such as has been attained by the gentle- 
man whose name is here recorded. 

Mr. Denis is a native of Belgium, born 
February 8, 1841, the eldest in the family 
of Justice and Josephine Denis, also Bel- 
gians by birth. The father in his native 
land was a well-to-do farmer, in comfort- 
able circumstances, but lieing desirous of 
seeing something of the New World, and 
perhaps bettering himself and family, re- 
solved to emigrate hither to prospect for 
a new home in the Far West, if he could 
find a suitable one. Accordingly, in 
1855, finding himself possessed of suf- 
ficient means for the purpose without hav- 
ing to convert any of his real estate into 
cash, accompanied b\' his wife and son 
Emil, he set sail from the port of Ant- 
werp, and on arrival at New York the lit- 
tle family at once proceeded westward to 
Wisconsin, where in Green Bay town- 
ship. Brown county, near the village of 
Robinsonville, Mr. Denis purchased a 
farm. Here they lived for some time, and 
liking the locality and finding the property 
a desirable one, Mr. Denis concluded to 
remain, sending instructions to Belgium 
to have his property there disposed of and 
the proceeds sent to him. Shortly after 
their settlement here another child was 
born in the family, a daughter, named 
Fanny, who is now living in Wausau, 
Wisconsin. 

But we must now return to our sub- 
ject, Gregorie, who had been left behind 
in Belgium in the care of friends. He 
received a fairly liberal education at the 
parish schools of his native place, and 
being of studious habits and an apt 
scholar made good progress with his 
books. The party he had been left in care 
of by his parents was by trade a 
baker, who, shortly after young Denis 
commenced to make his home with him, 
became financially involved, having all 



his possessions seized by the authorities 
for debt, thereby making the lad prac- 
tically homeless. For some time Gregorie 
debated within himself what to do, and 
even at his then early stage of life his in- 
domitable will power and other charac- 
teristics began to assert themselves. As 
the fiint show its fire only when it is 
struck, so this sudden stroke of misfor- 
tune at once awakened into action the 
dormant spirit in the lad. His mind after 
some deliberation being made up, he con- 
cluded to return to the old home of his 
childhood, where he first saw the light, 
and which yet remained in the family, 
there to await the summons from his 
father to set out for the new home in 
America. The thought of having to leave 
the hallowed spot where in sunny daj's 
he sported in childish glee, and trod in 
boyish pride, was a bitter one indeed; 
and as he surveyed the well-known sur- 
roundings of the old home, one of the 
most beautiful in that part of the country, 
shaded as it was by luxuriant shrubbery 
and fragrant with the perfume wafted 
from a million beautiful fiowers, he could 
scarce restrain the tears from coming to 
his ej'es. For some time he remained 
around the sacred spot, but was far from 
contented, although, being naturally in- 
dustrious, he employed his time well at 
whatever of use he could find for his hand 
to do. After a time an uncle kindly 
offered him a home, which he accepted, 
and there he remained until sent for by 
his parents, during the winter of 1855-56 
attending school again, the last of his edu- 
cational training. In April following the 
summons came for his departure to 
America, and accordingly bidding a fond 
farewell to friends and old scenes so dear 
to him, he took passage at Antwerp on a 
sailing vessel for Quebec, Canada, which 
he reached after a voyage of thirty-five 
days. From there he at once came west- 
ward to Wisconsin, and had a happy 
meeting with his parents, his brother 
Emil and his little sister, Fanny, whom 
he had never yet seen. Here the lad 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



89 



worked industriously, assisting his father 
in clearing up the farm, and familiarizing 
himself with all the trials and vicissitudes 
incident to pioneer life. The country in 
Brown county was but sparsely settled at 
this time, and wild animals still roamed 
the forests, Indians being also numerous, 
though friendly. Our subject worked 
many a time for neighbors at one shilling 
per day, his father being able to earn no 
more than two shillings. The latter, who 
was an industrious, persevering man, 
without reproach and highly respected, 
died in 1867, his demise being, no doubt, 
hastened by hard work and exposure; his 
widow, who passed her declining years 
at the home of her son Gregorie, was 
called from earth in 1891, and the}' both 
sleep their last sleep in Bay Settlement 
cemetery. They were consistent mem- 
bers of the Catholic church. Emil, the 
other son, is now a farmer in Green Bay 
township. 

In 1 86 1 the subject of this sketch was 
united in marriage at Bay Settlement 
with Mrs. Mary Depereaux {nrr Gosya), 
widow of Joseph Depereaux, and he at 
once located at that place. She was pro- 
prietor of a small restaurant there, doing 
a thriving business with the traveling 
public; but the business did not af- 
ford support to both, and our subject 
had to take employment in Appleton as a 
common laborer on the Chicago & North 
Western railway then building. Here 
for three months he worked at meager 
wages under contractors who paid but 
little for their help, and many a sleepless 
night he had from the violent aching of 
his bones and muscles, the result of -the 
previous day's hard labor. During these 
three months of toil he succeeded, by 
dint of the strictest economy, in saving 
$35.00, with which sum he returned to 
his wife in the Bay Settlement. She in 
the meantime had saved some $30.00, 
and their combined capital they invested 
in a stock of groceries. Business was 
opened up in the log house then standing, 
but finding their capital still insufficient, 



Mr. Denis proceeded to Green Bay where 
he purchased one hundred dollars' worth 
of groceries from Louis Day, who, how- 
ever being unacquainted with Mr. Denis, 
was indisposed to credit him. However, 
a Mr. DePew, who had confidence in 
the young man, and was disposed to be- 
friend him, offered himself as a surety to 
Mr. Da}-, and the goods were shipped on 
to the unpretentious store in Bay Settle- 
ment. Business continuing to increase, 
purchasers from a distance patronizing 
the store, which was beginning to enjoy 
a wide piopularity, it became evident that 
both stock and premises would have to 
be enlarged. But, again, the lack of 
capital was the seemingly insurmountable 
obstacle, and the worthy business couple 
were not a little concerned about their 
future prospects. One day, however, 
two customers, who were at their counter 
refreshing themselves (for in addition to 
the store Mr. and Mrs. Denis also kept 
a sort of saloon) — Mr. Louis Van Dycke 
and a Mr. Croker, then cashier of the city 
bank, of Green Bay — got into conversa- 
tion with our subject, and on learning 
from him the circumstances just related, 
and having confidence in the young mer- 
chant, and in his ability to conduct a 
much more extensive business, voluntar- 
ily offered to give him letters of credit to 
certain wholesale merchants in Milwau- 
kee. Thus equipped Mr. Denis pro- 
ceeded to the "Cream City," and made 
purchases of dry goods, boots and 
shoes, hardware, tinware, etc., until he 
thought he had a sufficient stock, all 
selected with the same shrewdness and 
caution which have characterized all his 
dealings both before and since, and never 
thinking of taking any advantage of the 
unlimited confidence placed in him by his 
two friends. Great was his surprise and 
dismay when, on returning to his hotel, 
he found that his purchases summed up 
to about seven thousand five hundred 
dollars! The very thought of assum- 
ing so great an indebtedness with a 
capital of but a few dollars much per- 



9° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPHICAL ME CORD. 



turbed him, but after due reflection and 
revolving all the /ros and co/is in his 
mind, he concluded to allow the goods to 
be shipped, and trust to fortune and his 
own good business capacity for the re- 
sults. The freight on the goods itself 
was eighty-five dollars, a large sum for 
him to pay out at one time, and then there 
was the expense of enlarging the store- 
room. But undismayed now, he put his 
shoulder to the wheel, and adopting a 
strictly cash trade, he soon did a paying 
business, the magnitude of his stock alone 
bringing him hundreds of customers who 
came out of curiosity, but very few of 
whom left without purchasing something. 
His bills were met as they became due, 
business continued to expand, the stock 
was added to with fresh lines as enquiries 
for various articles demanded, and in 
course of time Mr. Denis found himself 
the leading merchant in Brown count}'. 
His home for a considerable time was in 
the rear of the store, but the rooms being 
required for business purposes, he in 1889 
erected what is probably the finest coun- 
try residence in the county, elegantly 
furnished throughout with all modern im- 
provements. 

His mercantile business not affording 
sufficient opportunities for judicious in- 
vestments of his rapidly accumulating 
capital, Mr. Denis commenced a private 
banking and real-estate business. Here 
and there purchasing land, he at the 
present time owns, in Scott and Preble 
townships, between 400 and 500 acres, 
which, however, does not nearly repre- 
sent his possessions. In Green Bay he 
owns a residence on Pine street, a busi- 
ness block on Washington street, sixty- 
six feet frontage of desirable business 
property between Pine and Main streets, 
where it is his intention to erect a suit- 
able block. In all his investments and 
transactions his business acumen and 
sagacity have been particularly notice- 
able, and to these for the most part is his 
phenomenal success to be attributed. 

By his first marriage Mr. Denis had 



three children, viz. : Edward, who acts 
as private secretary, and has control of 
his father's immense business, taking 
charge of nearly all his transactions, a 
position for which he is well adapted, 
having received a good business educa- 
tion; Louis, who owns a prosperous 
butcher business in Milwaukee; and 
Joseph, in the employ of A. G. Spuhler 
& Co., of Green Bay. In 1869 the 
mother of these was called from earth, 
and was interred in the Bay Settlement 
cemetery. To her thorough business 
capacity, judgment and tact, much of her 
husband's earlier success was due, and in 
his after prosperity he never forgot the 
onward struggle she so faithfully shared 
with him. For his second and present 
wife he wedded Miss Annie Schurger, who 
was born August 6, 1845, *^" Lake Michi- 
gan, to Mr. and Mrs. Casper Schurger, 
while they were i-ii route from Germany 
to Wisconsin. To this marriage there 
arc five children, all living, as follows: 
Mary, Barbara, Annie, George (studying 
pharmacy at the North Western Ohio 
Normal School at Ada, Ohio), and Will- 
iam. 

Politically our subject has been a life- 
long Republican, and was appointed by 
the Grant administration postmaster at 
Bay Settlement, an incumbency he filled 
with acknowledged ability, twenty-three 
years, his removal after that long period 
being due to political reasons only. He 
and his wife and family are all prominent 
members of the Catholic Church. The 
parents, deprived themselves of early 
educational advantages, believe in the 
thorough training of their children, who 
have all had excellent academical and 
other advantages. Mr. Denis has been 
remarkably and happily fortunate in his 
marriages. His worthy helpmeet possesses 
all the characteristics of a thorough busi- 
ness woman, and has been of invaluable 
assistance to him in his many and diverse 
interests. His success in life has well 
proven the truth of the adage: "Where 
there's a will there's a way," and his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



91 



stron;L,' determination, indomitable will 
and never-failing courage, have placed 
him in a position to be recognized as, 
without a peer, the heaviest taxpayer in 
Scott township. 



REV. FATHER C. DE LOUW,the 
learned and pious pastor of St. 
Francis Roman Catholic Church, 
in the town of Holland, Brown 
county, is a native of Holland, born Au- 
gust 27, 1839. 

He is the youngest in the family of 
fourteen children born to the late Martin 
De Louw, who was by occupation a manu- 
facturer of cloth in Holland. One son, 
Andrew, is now a priest at Moergestel, 
Holland; another son, John, is conducting 
his father's old business, and one daugh- 
ter is a Sister of Mercy. One of the sons 
and one of the daughters married, but, as 
the son had no children, with this genera- 
tion the famil}' name becomes e.xtinct. 
The father reached the advanced age of 
eighty-three, the mother dying when six- 
ty-three, and her mother lived to the 
patriarchal age of ninety-three. 

When six years old our subject com- 
menced attending the public school in the 
vicinity of his home, at the end of three 
years entering the French college there, 
from which he graduated with high honors 
after a four-years' curriculum, at which 
time he was not yet thirteen years old. 
He then for four or five years worked in 
his father's factory and was engaged in 
other business, but his inclinations lead- 
ing him more in the direction of the " Pie- 
rian spring," he resumed his studies, at- 
tending a gymnasium in Jumet, a French 
village in Belgium, and here took a classi- 
cal course preparatory to entering college 
at Enghien, where he studied philosophy 
and theology, dogmatic and moral. Here 
he remained from 1859 till 1866, on June 
6, of the latter year, being consecrated to 
the priesthood at Bruges, and until 1871 he 
served as a missionary priest in various 
cities in Belgium and Holland. 



In the }"ear last named, deciding to 
come to America, he proceeded to Liver- 
pool, England, and there took passage 
on the steamship, "City of Lisbon," 
which, after a somewhat tempestuous 
passage, the vessel on one occasion en- 
countering a great storm, landed at New 
York. Our subject's destination being 
Green Bay, Wis., whither he had been 
called by Bishop Melcher, he continued 
his westward journey via Chicago, arriv- 
ing in Green Bay November 16, 1871. 
His first charge in his new field of pas- 
toral duty was the mission at Wrights- 
town, in Brown county, which in course 
of a short time he organized as a parish, 
becoming its first pastor, an incumbency 
he held two years from January 12, 1872, 
at the same time establishing the mission 
at East Wrightstown and also attending 
the mission at Sniderville. In 1874 he 
was transferred to Robinsonville, same 
county, and after one year's labor in the 
vineyard there he attended occasionally 
five missions which were without priests, 
viz. : Dyckesville, Thierrij-Daams, Mar- 
chant, Little Sturgeon Ba}' and Delwich. 
Returning to Wrightstown in 1873 he re- 
sumed his charge there, remaining till 
1875, when he removed to Green Bay, 
having been given the pastorate of the 
Holland Church in that city. For three 
years he labored here with unremitting 
zeal, and then, in 1878, was transferred 
to Little Chute, Outagamie county, hav- 
ing been given charge of St. John's Nipo- 
moc Church. Here, by his piety and 
assiduous attentions to the spiritual wel- 
fare of his flock, he became much liked 
and beloved, but having been recalled by 
Bishop Krautbauer to his old Green Bay 
congregation he acceded to their request, 
and for three more years ministered there. 
On September i, 1884, he came from 
Green Bay to his present charge, the 
Church of St. Francis, at Holland. In 
1886 he was made dean of the Diocese 
by Bishop Katser, but this office after 
three years he resigned. In 1876 he was 
appointed a member of the Bishop's 



92 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



council, one of four, since 1892 one of 
six, he being consulter for the Dutch ele- 
ment, for in the congregation three 
nationalities — Dutch, German and Irish 
— worship in perfect harmony. 

Since coming here Father De Louw 
has been the means of many improve- 
ments and additions being made in the 
church and parish, among which may be 
mentioned a winter chapel, besides re- 
pairing the main building, which was 
struck by lightning; a pipe organ costing 
thirteen hundred dollars, fully equipped 
with all modern improvements; and a 
new convent for the Sisters. St. Francis 
congregation, in early days known as ' ' St. 
Francis Bush," was organized by five 
Holland families, early settlers in Holland 
township, who gave forty acres of land, 
from the proceeds of the sale of which the 
original church building was erected, and 
on nine acres of this same land now stand 
the church, the rectory, schoolhouse and 
other buildings. Father De Louw's cler- 
ical jurisdiction is of no small e.xtent, and 
he finds ample scope for his characteris- 
tic zeal and energy, while here, as in all 
his previous incumbencies, he has gained 
for himself an enviable popularity and 
the well-merited love and esteem of his 
parishioners. 



M 



.AIXOLM SELLERS, Fort 
Howard. It is always gratify- 
ing to true citizens of this Re- 
public to note the readiness of 
many men, born under foreign flags, to 
become loyal and patriotic supporters of 
the United States Government, when they 
adopt the country as their home. This 
can never be misconstrued as an act dis- 
playing lack of fidelity to their native 
land, for which they must e\er hold the 
warmest affection, but it is evidence that 
they are men who recognize their duty 
as citizens in common with the nati\'e- 
born of the Republic, and do not hesitate 
to perform it. 



Malcolm Sellers was born October 
26, 1 8 1 9, in Guysboro, in the county of 
the same name in Nova Scotia, removing 
to Prince Edward Island when twelve 
years old. That he was diligent in ac- 
quiring an education is plain from the 
fact that he began teaching at the age of 
fourteen, continuing two years. At six- 
teen he became a clerk in the mercantile 
establishment of McKeever & Walsh, 
shipbuilders, and six months later was 
placed at the head of the management of 
that branch of the firm's business, con- 
tinuing in that capacity for three years. 
His relations there were interrupted by a 
summons to the sick bed of his mother, so 
he settled his affairs and went home. She 
recovered, and the trustees of school affairs 
in his native place offered him a situation 
which he accepted and filled three years. 
At the end of that time he received a 
letter from the Lord Bishop, inquiring if 
he would go to Country Harbor and as- 
sume charge of a school and church at 
that point. He accepted the proposition, 
proceeded at once to the place, and re- 
ceived his credentials as catechist and lay 
reader from the Lord Bishop, and a general 
license as teacher and missionar\', under 
the Colonial Church Society of London. 
He discharged the duties of this position 
for more than five years, and in the mean- 
time was married in Nova Scotia, in 1844, 
to Miss Isabella Archibald, daughter of 
Hon. Charles and Margaret .Archibald, 
natives of Nova Scotia, and who resided 
there until their death. 

Desiring to find a wider field in which 
to exercise his abilities Mr. Sellers came 
to the United States in the spring of 1847, 
and after visiting a number of eastern 
cities concluded to push farther westward. 
He finally located at Beaver Dam, Dodge 
Co., Wis., where he engaged in the 
manufacture of mill products and con- 
ducted a mercantile establishment in con- 
nection. It was natural that he should 
take an interest in public affairs, and in 
the fall of 1849 he was persuaded by the 
Whigs in his locality to become a candi- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



93 



date for the State Assembly. He was 
elected over four competitors, and entered 
the Legislature in the session of 1850. 
In 1852 he accepted a position with Bean, 
Clinton & Powers, at Waukesha, and six 
months later took charge of a primary 
class in Carroll College. Among his 
pupils was Sidney A. Bean, who after- 
ward became colonel of the Fourth Wis- 
consin Cavalry, and was killed in action. 
His brothers, Walter and Irving Bean, 
who were also gallant soldiers, were pupils 
of Mr. Sellers, as were James Proctor, of 
MiKvauker.; George Burchard, of Fort 
Atkinson, distinguished in the annals of 
Wisconsin, and Hon. Cushman C. Davis, 
afterward senator from Minnesota. Upon 
the close of his service at the College, 
Mr. Sellers became agent for the Mil- 
waukee & Prairie du Chien railroad on the 
route from Milwaukee to Waukesha, and 
was one of the first in the State to fill 
such a position. In his anxiety to please 
he over-exerted himself, and was attacked 
with hemorrhage of the lungs. When 
once more able to transact business he 
established a general store at Waukesha, 
and bought wool in the interest of manu- 
facturers, becoming the heaviest dealer in 
that commodity in Wisconsin. Coming 
to the State before its admission to the 
Union, he has been identified with and a 
prominent factor in its growth and devel- 
opment, while his acquaintance with men 
in business and political circles has been 
extensive. "He has, " says a writer, ' ' ever 
maintained an active interest in the re- 
ligious and moral advancement of society 
where he has resided, and has been espe- 
cially prominent in Church and temperance 
work. He holds commissions from the 
American Bible Society, the American 
Sunday-school Union and other evangeli- 
cal organizations in the United States. 
For more than a half century he has been 
a declared advocate of temperance, and 
was one of the founders of the Republi- 
can party in Wisconsin. He has been 
one of its most ardent and enthusiastic 
supporters from its inception, aiding by 



voice, money and ballot in its march of 
progress." 

When the gauntlet of battle was 
thrown down in Charleston Harbor, in 
April, 1 86 1, Mr. Sellers, who was then in 
Madison serving as clerk of the Judiciary 
Committee, was one of the first to offer his 
services to Governor Randall. The lat- 
ter, knowing his weak physical condition, 
said to him, " Malcolm, you would not 
live a month in the service; you are not 
fit for war, but stay at home and do what 
you can and I will give you any position 
you ask in the State." Under this 
arrangement he was assigned to the 
quartermaster's department, with head- 
quarters at Madison, and later was trans- 
ferred to the commissary department. 
Upon the call for additional troops he 
went to Waukesha and neighboring coun- 
ties to recruit soldiers, spending a year in 
such service at his personal expense. If 
unable to demonstrate his unswerving 
patriotism on the field of carnage, he per- 
formed such services at home as stamped 
him with the undoubted seal of loyalty, 
and won the gratitude of those who were 
cognizant of his labors. In 1869 he re- 
moved from Waukesha to Fort Howard, at 
the instance of Hon. E. D. Clinton, to as- 
sist in the construction of the railroad from 
the latter place, by way of Shawano, to 
the Mississippi river. Through a re-ar- 
rangement of plans both his connection 
and that of Mr. Clinton with the enter- 
prise ceased, and in the years following, 
until 1874, he was engaged in lumbering 
and mercantile interests. His active busi- 
ness life practically ceased in the latter 
year, and he subsequently took up the 
work of assisting old soldiers to obtain 
pensions. In this line he became partic- 
ularly successful, and many a veteran has 
had reason to rejoice in the fruit of his 
labors. He has added insurance to his 
pension work with marked success. He 
has been a notary public as long as Wis- 
consin has been a State, and is at present 
serving a third term as justice of the 
peace at Fort Howard. He also cond ucts 



94 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGMAPHICAL RECORD. 



a livery business, in which he is assisted 
by his son, Malcolm, who was previously 
for some time in the railway mail service. 
It was larj^ely through Mr. Sellers' exer- 
tions and influence that Hon. T. O. Howe 
was the first time sent to the United 
States Senate. The following, taken from 
the Milwaukee Scutiiicl of November 4, 
1 888, speaks for itself: 

Fort How.\kd, Nov. 2. 
To tlic Editor of Tin Sentinel: 

On Wednesday of this week I received a cir- 
cular from James Morgan, the nominee of the 
Democratic party for governor of thi.s State, to 
which I sent the following reply: 

FOKT Howard. Oct., 31. 188S. 
Dear Sir: — Your circular reached ine this morning, and in 
reply would say. if 1 had ten thousand votes I would not give 
you one under your present nomination. A Scotchman receiv- 
ing a nomination from the modern Democratic party, which 
has souglit by all lueans on earth and in hell to destroy our 
Nation, is too much for me. As a true Scot. I cannot compre- 
hend what you are after. 

Yours truly, M. Sellers. 

The children of Mr. and Jvfrs. Sellers 
have been si.x in number, but of these 
only two are living: Maggie I. and Mal- 
colm A. Charles A. enlisted early in the 
war in Company F, First Wisconsin Cav- 
alry, was wounded at Pulaski, Tenn., and 
sent to the hospital, and finally came 
home wrecked physically and with his 
constitution undermined by disease and 
wounds, causing him to fall a victim to 
chronic diarrhea and inflammatory rheu- 
matism. His death occurred February 
20, 1876. Florence Victoria died when 
but four years of age. Martha lived to 
the age of twenty and died in the dawn 
of beautiful womanhood, and Ida P. 
passed away at the age of nineteen years. 
On November lo, 1894, on the occasion 
of the " Golden Wedding " of Mr. and 
Mrs. Malcolm Sellers, friends to the num- 
ber of 1 50 persons assembled at the Sell- 
ers residence in Fort Howard in the eve- 
ning, and presented Mr. Sellers with a 
handsome gold-headed cane, and Mrs. 
Sellers with a number of elegant and 
valuable presents. The guests were highly 
pleased, and declared that it was the 
pleasantest entertainment they ever at- 
tended. 

Mr. Sellers, while not a native of the 



United States, is in every possible respect 
an American. His parents, Donald and 
Margaret (McKenzie) Sellers, were re- 
spectively of Highland and Lowland 
Scotch ancestry, his father coming to the 
.'\merican colonies previous to the war of 
the Revolution. In that struggle for lib- 
erty and independence he espoused the 
cause of his adopted country, enlisted in 
her army and served until the battle of 
Charleston, S. C, where he received a 
British bullet in his thigh and was sent to 
the hospital. He finally reached home, 
and after the war removed to Nova 
Scotia, where he married and located on 
a farm. " He reared ten children and died 
on his estate in 1848, in his ninety-ninth 
year. He was a man of vigorous temper- 
ament, and two years before his death 
walked from his farm to Guysboro, and 
return, a distance of twenty miles. He 
had no son who could perforin such 
a feat. The ball he received in the 
battle of Charleston moved down to 
a position below his knee, and was 
in his body when he was buried." 
The son of such a sire could not help 
being imbued with an intense love for that 
country for which his father fought and 
bled, and the record of the famil)' in the 
service of the Nation is a proud one. In 
such men lies the hope of the Republic. 
May they multiply within her borders. 



HON. ROBERT J. McGEEHAN, 
State Senator from the Second 
Senatorial District of Wisconsin, 
comprising the counties of Brown 
and Outagamie, was born August 26, i 854, 
at Peel, Wellington county, Canada. His 
grandfather, Robert McGeehan, a native 
of Scotland, was married in County Down, 
Ireland, to Margaret Morgan, and in 1818 
migrated with his wife and family to 
Guelph, Canada. 

John J. McGeehan, son of Robert, was 
but five years of age when the family 
reached Canada, where he was reared a 
farmer, and where he married Mary Ann 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGllAPUICAL RECORD. 



95 



Driscoll, who was born in Canada. In 1 870 
John J. and his family came to Wiscon- 
sin, and on March i of that year located at 
Wrightstown, where he purchased a farm. 
His son, Robert J., the subject proper 
of this sketch, was also reared to farming, 
which he followed, in conjunction with 
sawmilling, until 1878, when he estab- 
lished the agricultural implement business 
at De Pere, which he is still most success- 
fully conducting, handling large numbers 
of wagons, buggies, carriages, etc. In 
early life he became an adherent of the 
Democratic party, and at once became 
most enthusiastic in its support. Although 
still a comparatively young man, he was 
recognized as being possessed of ability, 
and as a hard worker, and was soon 
elected by his neighbors to serve in many 
local offices of honor and trust. During 
the years 1884-85, he served as alderman 
of De Pere, and from 1887 to 1890 as 
member of the Brown county board of 
supervisors; he has also served for five 
years as a member of the board of trus- 
tees of the County Asylum for the Chronic 
Insane, and is now president of the Brown 
County Agricultural and Mechanical As- 
sociation, an office to which he has been 
elected for a term of three years. In 1889, 
while serving as supervisor, he was elected 
a member of the Wisconsin State Assem- 
bly for the Second District, and re-elected 
in 1890; in 1892 he was elected to the 
State Senate, which office he continues 
to fill to the entire satisfaction of his con- 
stituents. He never tires in his devotion 
to the interests of his fellow citizens or of 
his party; has acted as chairman of the 
Brown county Democratic committee; is 
also a member of the Democratic State 
Central committee, elected September 6, 
1 894, and on several occasions has served 
as delegate to Democratic State and 
Congressional conventions. He is prob- 
ably as well and as favorably known as 
any public man in his portion of the State, 
and socially and fraternally stands very 
high, being now president of the Society 
of Catholic Knights, Branch No. 46, of 



De Pere, member of the Order of the 
Catholic Knights of America, and also of 
the Business Men's Association of De- 
Pere. 

Mr. McGeehan was most happily 
married, October 3, 1882, to Miss Bridget 
E. Hines, who was born September 10, 
i860, at Kaukauna, Wis., and six chil- 
dren were the result of this union, viz. : 
Myra C, who died in infancy; Grover 
Thomas, born December 8, 1884; Elmer 
James, born May 12, i886; Mary Eliza- 
beth, born May 11, 1888; Margaret 
Catharine, born April 17, 1890, and Ellen 
Earen, born October 10, 1894. Mr. Mc- 
Geehan owes his success entirely to his 
own unaided efforts, having, since he was 
eleven years of age, fought the battle of 
life with Nature's weapons only — intel- 
ligence and determination. 



JOHN C. NEVILLE, senior member 
of the well-known law firm of John 
C. and A. C. Neville, Green Bay, is, 
probably, the oldest legal practi- 
tioner in this part of Wisconsin, having 
come to Green Bay nearl}' forty years 
ago, when the now bustling city was in 
its infancy. 

He is a native of Dublin, Ireland, born 
July 27, 181 5, and was there reared and 
educated, remaining at the parental home 
until he was twenty-one years old, at 
which time, in 1836 or 1837, he emi- 
grated to this country, landing in New 
York. From there he moved to Potts- 
ville, Penn., and in 1840 commenced the 
study of law in the office of Francis W. 
Hughes (who, later, became attorney- 
general of Pennsylvania), and was ad- 
mitted to the bar of that State in July, 
1842. Immediately thereafter he com- 
menced the practice of his chosen profes- 
sion at Pottsville, practicing in all the 
Pennsylvania courts, and remained in 
that city until coming to Green Bay, De- 
cember 27, 1856, where he has since had 
his home, and built up one of the most 
lucrative clientages in northern Wiscon- 



96 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPSICAL RECORD. 



sin, in 1869 forming a partnership with 
J. J. Tracy, later, in 1874, receiving his 
son Arthur C. into the firm. In 1875, 
Mr. Tracy withdrew, and the firm has 
since been known by the above title. 

On April 11, 1843, Mr. Neville was 
married at Pottsville, Penn., to Miss 
Catherine D. Lawton, a daughter of 
Charles Lawton, all natives of New York 
city, whence they moved to Pottsville, 
where Mr. Lawton was engaged in the 
coal business, and where he and his wife 
passed the rest of their days. To this 
union were born in Pottsvile, six children, 
only two of whom are now living: Arthur 
C, who was six years old when the 
family came to Green Bay, read law with 
Neville & Tracy, and is now a member of 
the firm, as alread\- related (he was mar- 
ried in i88ij; and Sophia R., at home. 
The mother, Mrs. Neville, died in 1876. 
In his political predilections Mr. Neville 
has been a Democrat since qualifying to 
vote, and has been honored by his party 
with election to various positions of trust. 
For several years he was district attorney; 
was city attorney in 1S62, and in 1880 
served as mayor of the city, at which 
time Gen. U. S. Grant visited Green Bay, 
and was escorted through the city by our 
subject. In 1859 he was elected repre- 
sentati\e t(j the State Legislature, taking 
his seat in i860, but at the expiration of 
his term of service he declined renomina- 
tion. Socially, Mr. Neville is a member 
of the I. O. O. F. , in 1844 was admitted 
to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and 
since 1856 has been deputy grand master; 
he is also a member of the Daughters of 
Rebekah. In religious faith he is promi- 
nently indentified with the Episcopal 
Church, and he enjoys the respect and 
esteem of a wide circle of warm friends. 



GEORGE B. HESS, senior mem- 
ber of the Geo. B. Hess Milling 
Company, of Green Bay, Wis., is 
a native of Ohio, born in Carroll 

cotint\- in I 85 I. 



John D. Hess, father of our subject, 
was a native of Maryland, a miller by 
trade, carrying on a milling business in 
Uhrichsville, Ohio. He married Cath- 
erine A. Simmons, a lady of Connecticut 
birth, who died in 1886, he himself pass- 
ing away in 1889. They were the parents 
of eight children. 

The subject of these lines received his 
education in the schools of his native 
place, and learned his trade in his father's 
mill and under his tuition. In 1874 he 
came to Wisconsin, and was engaged in 
the milling business for a number of years 
in company with Thos. Smith, of Green 
Bay, Wis. In 1893 he, in company with 
Dr. H. A. Wolter and C. Massey, erected 
the "Star Flouring Mills," corner of 
Quincy and Cedar streets in the city of 
Green Bay, which has a daily capacity of 
two hundred barrels of flour and ten tons 
of feed. The institution has been incor- 
porated, and is doing a fine business. 
Politically Mr. Hess is a Republican; 
socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F. , 
Green Ba}' Lodge No. 19. 



w 



ILLIAM FINNEGAN. Biog- 
raphy is history of the purest 
type, and to possess a history 
is that which distinguishes man 
from the lower creatures around him. 
They present the same appearance from 
age to age, unchanging in their instincts 
and habits, except in so far as they have 
been modified through contact with man; 
and, therefore, the history of one gener- 
ation of irrational animals is the history 
of every other. But in the human race 
there is progressive change, which it is 
the part of history to both record and 
accelerate, and the duty of the living to 
perpetuate in biographical form for the 
benefit of coming generations. In this 
connection it is a pleasure to here pre- 
sent a brief review of the life of the gen- 
tleman whose name is here recorded. 

Mr. Finnegan was born November 22, 
1836, in the city of Philadelphia, Penn., 



f 5«»«^^, 







^^T'l^r^ 



T 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOEAPHICAL RECORD. 



99 



in what was then called Moyamensiiig, 
on Bedford street (now known as Kates 
street), three doors east of Broad street, 
a son of Henry and Nancy (Smith) Finne- 
gan. The parents were of Scotch-Irish 
origin, the father born in County Tyrone, 
a son of Henry Finnegan, and the mother 
in Culdaff, near the most northern point 
of Ireland, both coining to this country 
when quite young, marrying, in 1827, in 
Philadelphia, where they had located. 

The father of our subject was reared 
to farming pursuits in the old country, 
and after coming to Philadelphia he kept 
teams working in brickyards, besides do- 
ing teaming for the corporation and for 
Stephen Girard, who gave him an old gig 
he used to ride in himself, which the 
recipient kept for a long time. In those 
days cows, hogs and goats were "free 
commoners" in the southern part of 
Philadelphia; that is, they were allowed 
to run at large; and in this connection it 
is known that Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan 
kept cows, whose milk they sold, and also 
hogs which they fed on swill gathered 
from place to place in the city and con- 
veyed in carts made with water-tight 
boxes; the cows were allowed to run on 
the commons lying west of Broad street 
and south of South street. Mr. and Mrs. 
Henry Finnegan accumnudated consider- 
able property in small three-story houses — 
some ten or twelve in number — which 
they rented, and in 1843 he bought forty 
acres of land twelve miles west of the 
city, in Marple township, Delaware county, 
whither he moved April 4, 1844, and here, 
August I, 1846, his faithful wife, at the 
early age of thirty-four years, died of 
dropsy brought on by hard work. She 
was the mother of three sons and two 
daughters, the latter of whom both died 
in infancy, and were buried in the Randle- 
son burying ground, Philadelphia, which 
at the present time is in the heart of the 
city. Of the three sons, John and Henry 
are living in Jones county, Iowa, and 
William is the subject of this sketch. 
Some time after the death of the 



mother of these Mr. Finnegan mar- 
ried a much younger woman than 
himself, in the person of Charlotte Pat- 
ton, which event broke up the family, 
the two elder sons not living at home 
much afterward. After residing on the 
farm in Marple township the family re- 
turned to the city. In i860 the father 
moved to Iowa, where, in Jones county, 
he had previously bought a partly im- 
proved farm of 320 acres, from which he 
eventually retired to Fairview, where he 
passed the rest of his days in retirement, 
dying at the age of eighty-five years. 

Until the fall of 1857 our sub- 
ject worked in the brickyards at Phila- 
delphia, and in the following spring, ac- 
companied by his brother Henry, he set 
out for the then " Far West," arriving at 
Muscatine, Iowa, April i, 1858. Times 
being then particularly "hard," no work 
being obtainable at any price, they stayed 
around Muscatine until their money was 
all gone and William's trunk held at 
Stein's Hotel for $6.00, the balance he 
owed for board. Finding no work on 
land, they shipped on board a steamboat 
bound for St. Louis, Mo. , in the capacity 
of roustabouts, and now in earnest com- 
menced their hardships. Arrived at St. 
Louis, they looked in vain for work until 
their hard-earned money was all gone 
again, so once more they shipped as deck 
hands, this time on a Missouri river 
packet bound for Leavenworth city, they 
intending to hire themselves out there to 
the government as ox-drivers across the 
Plains, as United States troops were on 
the eve of setting out for Utah Territory 
for the purpose of operating against the 
Mormons. When our young adventurers 
reached the fort (Leavenworth) they found 
to their disgust and disappointment that 
for every vacancy there were not less 
than fifty applicants already on the 
ground, so there was nothing for it but to 
return to St. Louis by the same boat that 
brought them up, working on her as deck 
hands. While on the down trip the 
cylinder head of one side of the engine 



lOO 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



blew out, so that the vessel had to make 
the rest of the trip to St. Louis with one 
wheel; and when she did arrive it was 
found there w.ere no funds to pay the 
crew with, and as the brothers had not a 
cent wherewith to pay for board while 
waiting for a settlement with the steam- 
boat people, they concluded to sell their 
claims, which they did to a lawyer, each 
getting about eight dollars, by which time, 
as Mr. Finnegan himself sagely remarks, 
he was "beginning to find out the value 
of money," and in all probability these 
hard knocks were the ■ ' open sesame " to 
his future wonderful career of success. 
At this point things were getting des- 
perate, and something had to be done, at 
once. Henry still had his trunk, Will- 
iam's was where he left it at the hotel in 
Muscatine; so the two agreed that Henry 
should pay his passage to Muscatine, and 
that William should try to make his way 
thither without paying. On arrival at 
Keokuk, however, he was put ashore, but 
just then another boat was leaving "for 
somewhere," which our subject immedi- 
ately boarded, not knowing at the time 
whether she was going up or down the 
river. On the boat were several rafts- 
men on their way to Prairie du Chien, 
Wis. , and he cleverly succeeded in get- 
ting "mixed up" with them, the result 
being that he finally, without let or hin- 
drance, reached Muscatine (for fortu- 
nately the vessel was going in that direc- 
tion) before his brother did. Here they 
found it necessary to live as economically 
as possible, and finding a family in the 
outskirts of the town who allowed them 
the use of their cooking-stove, they fur- 
nished their own victuals and slept wher- 
ever they could. Learning that there 
was some wood-chopping to be done at 
Fredonia, on the Iowa river, west of Mus- 
catine, they proceeded thither, and found 
that employers were paying thirty cents a 
cord for cutting big knotty black jack oak, 
while board, consisting of salt pork, corn 
bread, black molasses and rye coffee, was 
$2.00 per week. Here our subject worked 



for two weeks, in that time not earning 
enough to pay his board, for being brought 
up in a large city he knew very little 
about chopping, and his hands would 
continually blister. In the meantime his 
brother had returned to Muscatine, in- 
tending to be gone about one week, but 
William did not see him again for three 
months. Giving the " board boss " what 
wood he had cut, his a.\e and iron wedge, 
in payment for his board, our subject set 
out for Iowa City on foot, and now, alas! 
to use his own words, "became a genuine 
tramp, out of money, begging my food as 
I journeyed onward by day, and sleeping 
under the canopy of some straw or hay 
stack at night." All his clothes, except 
what he was wearing, were in his trunk 
at Muscatine, so he had no change of 
clothing whatever. After wandering 
through Iowa for more than a month Mr. 
Finnegan returned to Muscatine, and 
securing employment on a farm at five 
dollars per month, worked one month, 
after which he set out for Illinois for the 
purpose of hunting up his brother Henr}', 
and falling in with James Vanatta, the 
latter took him to his home. Mr. Van- 
atta is now living at Buffalo Prairie, Rock 
Island Co., 111., at the age of seventy- 
one years, and Mr. Finnegan has kept up 
a correspondence with him ever since 
they parted, some thirty or forty years ago. 
At Buffalo Prairie our subject found 
three months' work on a farm, for which 
he was to receive six dollars per month; 
but being unable to get cash he had to 
be content to accept three steers in lieu 
thereof. These he drove to Muscatine to 
sell, but all he could get for them was 
nine dollars cash for the three, six dollars 
of which he applied toward getting his 
trunk released from "Stein's Hotel." 
That winter he worked for James V-anatta 
for his board, and during the summer of 
1859 he worked land on shares, getting 
one-third of the crop for his labor. The 
wheat yield, however, was a failure, and 
corn was only half a crop. Mr. Finnegan 
traded his share of the corn crop for a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



young mare which he took with him to 
Iowa, to the farm his father had bought; 
but two days after reaching this farm, the 
mare strayed away, and he never saw her 
again. On his father's farm he worked 
from December 25, 1859, till August 7, 
1862, when he enlisted in Company F, 
Twenty-fourth Iowa V. I., under 
Capt. Dimmit. He served through- 
out the entire struggle, being mustered 
out July 17, 1865. He took an active 
part in all the marches, skirmishes and 
engagements of his regiment, but was 
once taken prisoner in Louisiana, and 
held from November 15, 1863, until 
December 25, following, when he was 
exchanged. At Milliken's Bend, in the 
same State, he was once confined to 
hospital through sickness for several 
weeks, but with these exceptions he was 
on constant duty. 

After his return from the war Mr. 
Finnegan again worked on his father's 
farm for a time, but his stepmother's 
manner toward him becoming so unbear- 
able, he concluded to try his luck farther 
west. Consequently, on March 10, 1867, 
he left home with a light wagon and span 
of horses, with which he traveled across 
Iowa, arriving April 10 following at Lin- 
coln, Neb., which now prosperous city 
was said at the time to contain but 300 
inhabitants. Times were good there, 
work plentiful and wages high, and until 
the fall of that year Mr. Finnegan 
freighted lumber from the Missouri river 
to Lincoln; also hauled from Beatrice 
some of the stone that was used in the 
building of the capitol. In that fall 
(1867) he took up a pre-emption claim 
twelve miles north of the city (Lincoln), 
built a "dug-out," and lived therein 
throughout the winter, during the follow- 
ing spring breaking prairie and hauling 
stone for the State University then build- 
ing at Lincoln. In the fall of 1868 he 
proved up his claim and homesteaded 
eighty acres adjoining, making in all 240 
acres, and during the following two years 
he was occupied in farming and teaming. 



In the spring of 1870, in company with 
L. K. Holmes, an uncle of his wife, he 
started a brickyard, made brick two 
years, at the end of which time he sold 
out his interest in the business to his 
partner, his farm to other parties, and 
with his wife started for Wisconsin, arriv- 
ing in the town of Howard December 17, 
1872. In the spring of -1873 he com- 
menced operating a small brickyard on 
land owned by A. G. E. Holmes, molding 
the brick himself by hand and making an 
average of 8,000 for a day's work, con- 
ducting the yard entirely by hand for 
some seven years, or until August, 18S0, 
when he put in small steam-power, which, 
in 1882, he supplanted with large power 
machinery. At the same time he built a 
modern brickyard, known as "Yard No. 
I," which is located on the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul and Green Bay, 
Winona & St. Paul railroads, also on 
Duck creek, a navigable stream for light- 
draft boats. In 1890 he built "Yard 
No. 2," on the same stream, one mile 
below "Yard No. i," with a track from 
the Chicago & Northwestern railroad to 
the yard, a distance of three-quarters of 
a mile. In 1891 he purchased 124 acres 
of land in the city of Fort Howard, and 
following year built on this land ' ' Yard 
No. 3," which has a capacity of 60,000 
bricks per day. The total capacity of 
the three yards, when running full time, 
is from twelve million to fifteen million 
bricks per annum. 

On June 16, 1872, at Trinity Episco- 
pal Church, Lincoln, Neb., Mr. Finnegan 
was most happily married to Miss Ella S. 
Oatley, who was born in Oneida county, 
N. Y., March 12, 1851, daughter of 
Albert B. and Lavantia (Holmes) Oatley, 
also natives of Oneida county, who came 
to Wisconsin in 1857, settling in Suamico 
township. Brown county, where they 
lived for twelve years, and now reside in 
the town of Howard. To this union were 
born five children, as follows: Holmes 
Adelbert, William, Jr., Ella Ruth, Edith 
May, and Anna Leona, the eldest of 



I02 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



whom died at the age of nine years, the 
youngest when one )ear and nine months 
old. Mrs. Finnegan is a prominent 
member of the Episcopal Church, with 
which she united herself at the age of 
fourteen years, and is known far and 
wide as a good Christian lady, given to 
works of benevolence wherever her femi- 
nine sympathycan reach. Mr. Finnegan 
in politics is a sound Republican, and his 
first vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln. 
He is remarkable for his quiet, unobtru- 
sive manner, in all his acts proving 
himself the very beau ideal of a good, 
loyal and useful citizen. In local affairs 
he takes a deep interest, and although he 
has filled several minor offices in his town- 
ship he has never been an office-seeker. 
Besides being an expert in the manufac- 
ture of brick, he is equally skillful as an 
agriculturist, and his tract of 250 acres is 
a model of neatness and comfort, giving 
every evidence of intelligent and system- 
atic management. His talents as a business 
man have made him a prominent figure 
in the business world, and have given 
him a solid standing as a substantial citi- 
zen, which his continuous transactions 
since 1S73, without the slightest in- 
fringement of his word or infringement of 
his integrity, fully entitle him to. 



PHILIPP KLAUS (deceased). Men 
there have been, unversed in 
classics or science, without art, 
without eloquence, who jet had 
the wisdom to devise and the courage to 
perform that which they lacked language 
to explain. Such men have worked the 
deliverance of nations and their own 
greatness. Their hearts are their books; 
events are their tutors ; great actions are 
their eloquence, and in this category 
stand surely men of such a stamp as is 
the subject of this sketch. 

In the pretty little village of Bruttig, 
^'on the Banks of the Blue Moselle," in 
Rhein Prussia, Germany, was born, July 



20, 1832, Philipp Klaus, of whom this 
sketch relates, and he there received his 
education, less a knowledge of the En- 
glish language. At the age of seventeen 
he left the Fatherland, in company with 
his father and four brothers, to seek a 
new home in the Western World, and on 
November ii, 1849, landed in the then 
young town of Green Bay, Wis. , thus be- 
coming, in fact, one of its German pio- 
neers. He quickly Americanized him- 
self, made rapid progress in the English 
language, and in course of time became 
one of the most active and energetic, as 
well as influential, business men of the 
town. 

His ancestors, as the name indicates, 
were Germans, and the village of Bruttig 
has known the family for manj' years. 
Here Grandfather Stephen Klaus was 
born, married, and at an advanced age 
died, leaving a good name as an heritage 
to his posterity — a name that has been 
honored and kept unsullied ever since. 
His son, Jacob, father of Philipp, also 
born there, was taught the trade of shoe- 
maker, and became a good workman. 
He was married in Bruttig to a young 
German woman, who bore him li\e chil- 
dren, all sons, and died at the birth of 
our subject. The names of the children 
are John, Joseph, Charles, Anton and 
Philipp, of whom only Anton survives. 

Philipp Klaus was reared by his broth- 
ers, whose devotion for him, and their 
almost motherly care, often excited the 
admiration of the neighbors and others 
who knew the family. The boys also 
kept house, and did their domestic work 
well, while all of them learned to cook. 
When the eldest entered the German 
army, the next eldest took his place, and 
so on in rotation till it came to Philipp's 
turn, when, in 1848, the father concluded 
to leave the Fatherland, and bring his 
five stalwart sons to America. On land- 
ing in New York they at once proceeded 
by boat on the Hudson river to Albany, 
thence traveled by cars to Buffalo, from 
which city they came by the steamer 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



103, 



"Empire State" (at that time the finest 
boat on the lakes) to Milwaukee, Wis. 
Here they took passage on the old 
steamer " Lexington," which on a beauti- 
ful November morn, as the rising orb of 
day was tinting the heavens with ethereal 
hues, majestically entered the Fox river, 
and in due time safely landed the immi- 
grant family in Green Bay — the " ultima 
thule" of their long journey. 

During the first few years after his 
arrival in Green Bay our subject worked 
with his father at the shoemaking trade, 
and then betook himself to the pineries 
at Peshtigo, same State, where he re- 
mained until 1 85 5, returning to Green 
Bay. At this time he and his brother 
Charles leased the ' ' Green Bay House, " 
a well-known hostelry in Green Bay, 
which they conducted till 1856. The 
same year Mr. Klaus built the old " Ivlaus 
Hall, " which was afterward sold to the 
proprietors of the Green Bay Advocate, 
and he then erected the present "Klaus 
Hall." Here he opened a general store, 
in which he met with the most encour- 
aging success. From about 1874 till 
within a year or two ago he was chiefly 
engaged in the real-estate and insurance 
business, and for the most part in the 
real-estate line managed the affairs of 
large outside corporations or interests, 
among which ma}' be mentioned the great 
W. L. Newberry (Chicago) estate, while 
in insurance matters he represented the 
Phcenix, Mutual Life, the Charter Oak 
and other companies. These insurance 
agencies came to Mr. Klaus totally un- 
solicited by him, at the time he was suf- 
fering from the financial depression 
following the panic of 1873, and he was 
thus enabled to resume his real-estate 
operations, which had been temporarily 
discontinued from the same cause. Hav- 
ing by patient, quiet industry and 
laborious diligence accumulated a hand- 
some competence, Mr. Klaus for the last 
few years of his life resided in Green 
Bay, in the enjoj'ment of quiet retire- 
ment, with his faithful wife, still, how- 



ever, doing a little real-estate business, 
principally among friends and old ac- 
quaintances. For the last year or so of 
his life he was in poor health, and his 
death, on July 23, 1894, caused little sur- 
prise among his friends and acquaintances 
in Green Bay, where he will long be re- 
membered as a most worthy citizen. 

On Easter Monday, March 24, 1856, 
Mr. Klaus was united in marriage with 
Miss Elizabeth Basten, daughter of Franz 
Jacob and Maggie Concen Basten, and to 
this union were born five children, as fol- 
lows: Christine, wife of A. M. Grau, of 
Milwaukee; Anna, who died at the age of 
fifteen years; Barbara, wife of A. G. 
Netter; Elizabeth, and Henry P., now of 
Milwaukee, of whom special mention will 
presently be made. In politics Mr. Klaus 
was a Democrat, and the citizens of 
Green Bay honored him by electing him 
to the office of city treasurer, which he 
filled with much acceptability for nine 
years, leaving an honorable record as a 
city official; later he was elected city as- 
sessor, an office he held two terms, de- 
clining re-election. He was a prominent 
member of the Cathedral Church at Green 
Bay, with which Mrs. Klaus is also con- 
nected. 

Henry P. Klaus, only son of Philipp 
and Elizabeth Klaus, received his ele- 
mentary education at the Cathedral school, 
Green Bay, and at the age of thirteen 
years entered Marquette College, Mil- 
waukee, where he took a three-years' 
business course, graduating in August, 
1 89 1, with the class honors, and receiv- 
ing a gold medal from the college. Im- 
mediately on leaving college he looked for 
employment, and found it in a wholesale 
establishment in Milwaukee, in the capac- 
ity of receiving clerk. After a few months 
he was offered, and accepted, a position 
as bookkeeper for the Cream City Brewery, 
Milwaukee, where he was held in high 
esteem by his employers, and he is win- 
ning well-merited recognition among busi- 
ness men. At present he is at home, man- 
aging the affairs of his deceased parent. 



104 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



ELISHA MORROW. When an 
e\ei-bu.sy man, from the fe\erish 
turmoil of politics, and the harass- 
ing cares of business, is retired to 
a peaceful, quiet and happy life, such an 
individual naturally excites the friendly 
envy of his less-favored fellowmen. With- 
out ostentation or apparent conscious 
superiority, he mingles in the society of 
his neighbors, and enjoys with them the 
affairs of the present, and a pleasant 
retrospect of a life well spent. 

Elisha Morrow, of whom we write, 
comes, on the paternal and maternal 
sides respectively, of Irish and English 
ancestry who settled in New Jersey prior 
to the Revolutionary war. He was born 
in Sussex county, N. J., in 1819, a son 
of George and Maria (Davis) Morrow, 
who for some years resided in that county, 
where the father was engaged in the man- 
ufacture of iron, and died in 1826. His 
widow spent the rest of her days at the 
home of her son Elisha, in Green Bay, 
Wis., passing from earth in 1869. Our 
subject received his education at the 
schools of Sparta, N. J., and at about 
the age of fifteen commenced clerking in 
a store in that town, remaining there 
some three or four years. In 1837 he 
came west, locating at Peoria, 111., where 
he had, living, three sisters married to mer- 
chants of the place. Near here he took 
up 160 acres of wild land at $1.25 per 
acre, eighty acres of which he cleared and 
farmed. At the end of three years he 
sold this property and bought several 
head of cattle, which he drove to Galena, 
same State, where he sold them. His 
next speculation was the purchase of 100 
'head of cattle, driving them to Green 
Bay, Wis., where he arrived with them 
November 26, 1840. At that time there 
was a fort at the place, several compa- 
nies of United States soldiers being sta- 
tioned thereat, and some of the cattle he 
sold to the Government, others being 
slaughtered and sold by the carcass, the 
venture proving fairly successful. Hav- 
ing bought an interest in a tannery at 



Green Bay, and liking the place, Mr. 
Morrow concluded to remain, and his 
home has since been here. In addition 
to the tannery he was for a long time 
more or less interested in the buying and 
selling of real estate, lumbering, farming, 
merchandising, etc. From 1843 to 1851 
he ran stage lines from Green Bay to 
Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Madison. 

As a politician Mr. Morrow was origi- 
nally one of the most active supporters of 
the Democratic party, and in 1845 ^^ 
was elected to the Territorial Legislature, 
serving two successive terms of one year 
each. In 1847-48-49, under the admin- 
istration of President Polk, he served as 
receiver for the United States land office 
at Green Bay, which at that time was sit- 
uated on the corner of Adams and Chi- 
cago streets. At this time there was a 
great boom, and during Mr. Morrow's in- 
cumbency about two million dollars worth 
of property was turned over. On leaving 
the land office he became largely inter- 
ested in the lumbering business and mer- 
cantile pursuits until 1873. In 1856 the 
course of events caused Mr. Morrow to 
change his allegiance from the Demo- 
cratic part}' to the new Republican one, 
he becoming one of the early adherents and 
organizers of that party in Wisconsin. He 
was prominent and active in the nomina- 
tion for President of J. C. Fremont, and in 
the subsequent campaign, attending as a 
delegate the first Republican State con- 
vention (of which he was elected presi- 
dent) held in Wisconsin; this was in June, 
1856, and the convention was held in 
Fond du Lac. In June, i860, he was a 
delegate to the Chicago convention that 
nominated Lincoln for President. Since 
the organization of the State government 
he has taken no part in public affairs, and 
since 1874 has been engaged in no busi- 
ness except agriculture, having one or 
two farms in the neighborhood of the 
city. 

In 1849 Mr. Morrow was married to 
Miss Maria Bemis, of Buffalo, N. Y. , who 
died in 1852, leaving two children, viz.: 



COMMEMORATIVE BWGEAPUIVAL RECORD. 



lo; 



Claude Bemis, born in 1850, now in 
charge of a lumbering establishment at 
Barronett, Wis., recently all burned out 
by the forest fires, and Maria, who died 
at the age of five years. In 1859 Mr. 
Morrow married, at Green Bay, Miss 
Josephine Amelia Sayre, of that town, 
by which union there are six daughters: 
Maria (Mrs. Lally, of Kansas City), Helen 
E. , Carrie (wife of R. H. Pierce, who 
was chief electrician for the World's 
Fair, and now living in Chicago), May, 
Jennie R. and Louisa L. , the unmarried 
young ladies living at the pleasant family 
home in Green Bay. Mrs. Morrow is a 
member of Christ Church, Episcopal. 



ALBERT G. E. HOLMES, retired 
merchant, of Green Bay, was 
born in Oneida county, N. Y. , in 
1825, a son of Alvah and Sophro- 
nia (Ellis) Holmes. 

Alvah Holmes was a native of Con- 
necticut, and at eight years of age was 
taken to Oneida county, N. Y. , by his 
father, Elijah, who was also a native of 
Connecticut, but removed to Herkimer 
county, N. Y. , and later to Oneida coun- 
ty. Alvah Holmes was reared in New 
York, was a drummer boy in the war of 
1812, and in 1821, at his majority, was 
married; in 1840 he came with his family 
to Green Bay, Wis. , where he was en- 
gaged in milling and farming. Here his 
wife died in 1845, ^"d he returned to 
Oneida county, where his death took place 
Februarys, 1871. He reared a family of 
seven children, viz. : Olive Ingalls, widow 
of Edson Sherwood, of the firm of Sher- 
wood & Holmes, Mr. Sherwood dying in 
Greing Bay in 1880, and Mrs. Sherwood 
taking up her residence in Howard town- 
ship. Brown Co., Wis. (she died Septem- 
ber 10, 1894); Albert G. E., our subject, 
the second in the family; Clinton resides 
on the old homestead in Oneida county, 
N. Y. ; Lavantia C. , wife of Albert Oat- 
ley, resides in the town of Howard ; Leo- 
nidas K., who lives in Lincoln, Neb.; 



Asahel Brainerd, of Los Angeles, Cal., 
and Stephen Augustus, a resident of 
Herkimer county, N. Y., died January 
26, 1894. 

During the Presidential campaign of 
1840, A. G. E. Holmes took part in a 
Harrison log-cabin procession, going on 
horseback from Oneida county, N. Y. , to 
Buffalo, where the family, including him- 
self, embarked on a steamboat for Green 
Baj'. Our subject was then fourteen 
years of age, and had been fairly edu- 
cated in New York, to which privilege he 
added by further study in Green Bay. In 
1853 he here engaged in the grocery and 
provision business under the firm name of 
Sherwood & Holmes; in 1877 Mr. Sher- 
wood retired, but the business was con- 
tinued, under the style of Holmes & Har- 
teau, until about 1879, when Mr. Holmes 
disposed of his interest in the concern and 
engaged, in partnership with L. M. Mar- 
shall, in the lumber, shingle and general 
merchandise trade, which was successfully 
conducted until 1888, when Mr. Marshall 
died. The trade was then carried on by 
Mr. Holmes alone until 1892, when he re- 
tired entirely from business, after an ac- 
tive e.xperience of over forty years. 

The marriage of Mr. Holmes was sol- 
emnized in the town of Brookfield, Madi- 
son Co., N. Y. , in 1849, to Miss Antoin- 
nette R. Brown, a native of Madison 
county, and daughter of Williams and Es- 
ther (Randall) Brown. Williams Brown 
was born in Connecticut, in 1783, coming 
to New York with his father, Asa Brown, 
when twelve years of age. He lost his wife 
in 1863 in Madison county, and just after 
this event came to Dane county, Wis., 
where his death occurred in 1 867. To Mr. 
and Mrs. A. G. E. Holmes have been born 
two children: Kittie, who died in 1872, 
and Albert, who is attending a business 
college in Green Bay. Mr. Holmes is a 
Republican; he was a member of the 
school board for three years, has served 
as alderman from the Second ward, and 
for nine years was county superintend- 
ent of the poor; he is a member of the 



io6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Knights of Honor and a charter member of 
Green Bay Lodge. Mrs. Holmes is a 
member of the Episcopal Church, Mr. 
Holmes himself being a constant attend- 
ant. The family are respected by all the 
community of Green Bay, and the busi- 
ness qualifications of Mr. Holmes have 
been made the subject of constant re- 
mark. He is patriotic and liberal in for- 
warding and sustaining the general in- 
terests and improvement of Green Bay, 
and is a factor in her moral and educa- 
tional progress. 



HENRY F. HAGEMEISTER.presi- 
dent of the Hagemeister Brewing 
Co., Green Bay, which was or- 
ganized in 1886 and incorporated 
in 1890, is a native of Green Bay, Wis., 
born in 1855. 

Francis Henry Hagemeister. father of 
subject, was born in Prussia, and in early 
manhood emigrated thence to the United 
States, locating first in Milwaukee, Wis., 
where he worked in a meat market for 
J. Nunnemacher. In 1866, along with 
four others, he organized a brewing com- 
pany in Green Bay, Wis., later buying 
out the interests of the others. In Green 
Bay he married Miss Barbara Martin, a 
native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and 
they reared a family of si.\ children, as 
follows: Mary, wife of G. W^alters, of 
Pittsburg, Penn. ; Henry F. ; Bessie; Min- 
nie; Albert, married, and residing in Green 
Bay; and Louis W. , engaged in a boot 
and shoe business in Green Bay. [Since 
this was written Louis W. Hagemeister 
died February 20, 1895.] The father 
died November 18, 1892, aged si.xty-five 
years, eleven months; the mother passed 
away in 1882. Francis H. Hagemeister 
was a member and an officer of the Luth- 
eran Church; politically he was a Dem- 
crat, and at one time served as alderman 
in Green Bay. 

Henry F. Hagemeister, the subject 
proper of this sketch, received a liberal 
education at the public schools of his na- 



tive town, and at the age of seventeen 
years commenced working in a brewery, 
a line of business he has been identified 
with ever since. In 1879, when twenty- 
four years old, he had the management of 
abrewrey, and in 1886, as above recorded, 
was organized the present concern, of 
which he is president, his brother Albert 
being secretar}' and treasurer. The plant 
in Green Baj' is located on the East side, 
and, including the branch brewery at 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis., represents a capital 
of two hundred and twentj'-five thousand 
dollars. 

A Democrat of the purest type, Mr. 
Hagemeister has not been inactive in the 
interests of either his party or the public 
at large. At the present time he repre- 
sents the First District of Brown county 
in the Legislature; has served his city as 
alderman four years; has been president 
of the council, and is now supervisor of 
his ward. Socially he is a thirt3'-second 
degree Mason, a member of Washington 
Lodge, No. 21, F. & A. M. ; of Warren 
Chapter, No. 8; of Palestine Command- 
ery. No. 20; and of the Wisconsin \'alle3' 
Consistory ; is also a member of the Golden 
Shrine, of the Order of Elks; and of the 
Knights of Honor. In all connections — 
business, political or social — Mr. Hage- 
meister has ever pro\ed himself worthy of 
the high esteem and respect in which he 
is held by the community. 



LOUIS W. HAGEMEISTER, 
proprietor of boot and shoe estab- 
lishment, in Green Bay, and vice- 
president of the Hagemeister Brew- 
ing Co., is a native of Green Bay, born 
March 17, 1865; a son of Francis H., and 
Barbara ( Martin) Hagemeister, natives of 
Germany. 

The subject of this biographical mem- 
oir received his education in Green Bay, 
and on leaving school commenced to work 
in a brewery. In 1 890 he became a stock- 
holder in same, and in 1893 was appoint- 
ed vice-president of the Hagemeister 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



107 



Brewing Co. , which was organized in that 
year. In addition to the extensive plant 
in Green Bay, there is a branch brewery 
at Sturgeon Bay, the entire plant costing 
in the neighborhood of two hundred thou- 
sand dollars; the industry giving employ- 
ment to from thirty to forty hands. In 
1893 he commenced in his present boot 
and shoe business, keeping a full line of 
everything in the trade. After learning 
the brewing business in Green Bay, Mr. 
Hagemeister went, at the age of twenty- 
one, to Detroit, Mich., and for twelve 
months worked in the E. W. Voight 
Brewery, receiving a diploma; after which 
he was for a time in Keeley Bros. Brew- 
ery, Chicago. Moving to Dallas, Te.\as, 
he remained with the Dallas Brewing Co., 
eighteen months, and then returned to 
Green Bay, becoming manager of the Stur- 
geon Bay Brewing Co., after which he 
was appointed manager of the bottling de- 
partment. In addition to city real estate, 
Mr. Hagemeister owns an interest in 130 
acres farm property. In his political 
preferments he is a Democrat, and he is 
a member of the K. O. T. M. , Tent 
No. 25. 

The following account of the old home 
of the Hagemeister family is from the pen 
of Miss Bessie Hagemeister: " It is one of 
the old landmarks of Green Bay. Much 
of m}' knowledge was gathered from Mrs. 
Mitchell, mother of Mrs. Theodore Har- 
ris, and from others who had occupied it 
or knew o"f its history. The home is sit- 
uated at the corner of North Adams and 
Pine streets, Green Bay. It was erected 
in 1835 by the late Hon. Fred Ellis, 
father of Judge Ellis. Mr. Ellis contin- 
ued in possession of the property until 
about 1844, when it passed into the hands 
of one Rev. Davis, an Episcopalian divine. 
The next change in ownership occurred 
in 1858, when it was bought by Frank 
Hagemeister, and it is still in the posses- 
sion of the Hagemeister family. During 
all these years the home was occupied by 
other families, as tenants. In 1839 the 
parents of Charles White moved into the 



house, and resided there until 1S44. 
Then for a short time it was vacant. 
During this period Rev. T. R. Haff, the 
present rector of Christ Church, Green 
Bay, and a few friends, while on an ex- 
pedition through the country for an out- 
ing, camped in the house for a short time, 
instead of pitching tents outside. Some- 
time between this and 1846 a family 
named Stevens lived there. In 1847 the 
late Col. Chapman and family became its 
occupants, and Mrs. Wheelock was with 
them as a member of the family during 
the time. In 1848 the owner. Rev. Davis, 
moved in, Col. Chapman having vacated. 
In 1852 Mr. Davis died, but Mrs. Davis 
still made it her home till 1854, when 
Mr. Holmes moved in, and she boarded 
with his family until 1857. The next oc- 
cupants were Mr. Frank Lenz and wife. 
The old home then became a sort of 
country tavern, or, more properly, a 
boarding house, although Mr. Lenz occa- 
sionally entertained transients, and became 
quite popular as a stopping-place for fel- 
low countrymen of Mr. Lenz on their ar- 
rival in the city; and it was here that Mr. 
and Mrs. Schellenbeck first stopped on 
their honeymoon. About this time the 
property was purchased by Mr. Hage- 
meister, and he lived there during his life- 
time. I have preserved all this history of 
the old home, in which I am deeply inter- 
ested." [Since the above sketch was put 
in type, we have received information of 
the death of Mr. Louis W. Hagemeister, 
which occurred February 20, 1895, at the 
old homestead. — Ed. 



REV. JOHN L. HEWITT, A. M., 
D. D., pastor of the First Pres- 
byterian Church of Green Bay, is 
a native of England, born March 
4, 1843, in Oswestry, Shropshire, of an 
old family in that stalwart " little island," 
the name Hewitt frequently appearing in 
old-time annals. 

Grandfather Samuel Hewitt held a 



loS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



.{government position, and was a man of 
prominence in his day. He and his wife, 
EHzabeth, were members of the Church 
of England, and were the parents of five 
children, named respectively: Samuel, 
Joseph, Thomas, Sarah and Elizabeth. 
Of these, Thomas was born in Wolver- 
hampton, Staffordshire, England, and 
was reared to the trade of mechanic, in 
which he became highly skilled. In Os- 
westrj' he married Miss Elizabeth Jones, 
a granddaughter of Charles Devereux 
Price, who was a son of a London gentle- 
man of means, supposed to be a descend- 
ant of the Earls of Essex. Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Hewitt's father, Morris Jones, was 
a master builder by occupation, becom- 
ing successful and prosperous ; he came 
to the United States about the year 185 1, 
and died in Racine, Wis. He had a 
family of six children, of whom, Eliza- 
beth was born in Mellinochreg Hall, 
Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, North 
Wales, almost under the shadow of 
Plynlymmon, a picturesque mountain in 
Cardiganshire. She was well-educated 
in her native city, and a woman of the 
most refined taste, one who reared her 
family well and in true Christian faith. 
To her and her husband were born twelve 
children, six of whom survive. In 1856 
the family came to the United States, 
settling in Racine, Wis., where the father 
died in July, 1867. 

The subject of this sketch received his 
education in London, England, first in 
three different select schools, later in St. 
Luke's, Chelsea, and St. Mark's College, 
Brompton. He was thirteen years old 
when the family came to Wisconsin, and 
here he has since lived. In 1862 he en- 
tered Lawrence University, Appleton, and 
in 1870 was ordained a minister. Since, 
he has officiated at Waukesha, Kenosha 
and Milwaukee, at which latter place he 
was pastor of the Grand Avenue M. E. 
Church; subsequently he was presiding 
elder of the Milwaukee district, and pastor 
of Washington Avenue Church. In 1881 
he received the degree of Master of Arts 



at Lawrence University, and, in 1891, 
while officiating as pastor of the Wash- 
ington Avenue M. E. Church, Milwaukee, 
that of Doctor of Divinity, from the Uni- 
versity of the Northwest. In 1892 he 
received an unanimous call to the pastor- 
ate of the First Presbyterian Church of 
Green Bay, his present incumbency, and 
was installed October 17, 1893. Of this 
church a local paper of October, 1893, 
says the following: "The Green Bay 
Church in question is one of the oldest, 
if not the oldest. Congregational Church 
in Wisconsin, being over sixty \ears old 
as a church organization. The site upon 
which the society's buildings stood since 
organization was presented to the congre- 
gation by John Jacob Astor, in the days 
of his great fur deals. The deed to the 
land reads: ' From John Jacob Astor 
to the First Presbyterian Church of 
Green Bay,' etc., and in that way the so- 
ciety received its name as a Presbyterian 
Church, although it has always been a 
Congregational Church in doctrine and 
practice." Of the chief characteristics 
of the present pastor, the following is 
gleaned from a long-time acquaintance: 
" Dr. Hewitt was cast in a finer, gentler 
mould than many men, and yet he has 
also those manly qualities that we ought 
to find in every man, be he statesman or 
business man or clergyman. His sense 
of the fit and the beautiful is keen — he has 
much of the spirit of the poet in his 
thinking and living. His ideas of honor 
and integrity and duty are exceptionally 
strong. Mentally he has both depth and 
breadth. He is never afraid of new 
ideas, is receptive to any new truth, but 
has the faith that assures him the founda- 
tions of God stand unshaken amid man's 
changing opinions and speculations. 
* * * As a minister of the Gospel he 
has always emphasized the spiritual 
rather than the ecclesiastical or dogmatic 
side of the church and the personal life, 
and has been uniformly beloved as 
preacher, teacher, pastor and man. To 
this sacred and honored calling he has 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



109 



devoted all of himself, and is splendidly 
equipped for successful work." 

In 1866 Rev. Dr. Hewitt was married 
to Miss Kate Richardson, daughter of 
George Richardson, of Omro, Wis. , and 
three children have been born to them, 
to wit: Frederick]., in Milwaukee; May 
Belle, at home; and George P., a classi- 
cal student at Lawrence University. In 
his political preferences our subject is a 
Republican, with Prohibition tendencies; 
socially he is a Royal Arch Mason. 



HON. THOMAS RICHARD 
H U D D. Thers is something ex- 
ceedingly attractive in the volun- 
tary retirement of a man who, for 
several years, has taken an active and in- 
fluential part in the affairs of the govern- 
ment. He leaves public life in the full- 
ness of his strength, and while in the path- 
way of political advancement. He ex- 
changes the exciting scenes of political 
turmoil, which present the most power- 
ful attractions to the ambitious, for the 
peaceful labors of his profession, or other 
vocation, in the pursuit of which he, may- 
hap, finds time to ruminate on past 
events, on those that are passing, and on 
those which futurity will probably develop. 
Mr. Hudd is a native of New York 
State, born October i, 1835, in Buffalo, 
a son of Richard and Mary (Harrison) 
Hudd, English people, the father a na- 
tive of Laylock, Wiltshire, the mother of 
Northamptonshire, born in the village of 
Barby. Richard Hudd was a painter and 
decorator, and in 1 830 came to the United 
States, where he followed his trade until 
his death, which occurred in 1841, he 
having been accidentally drowned. He 
was descended from the land-holding 
class of England, and was a man of fine 
appearance, and good education, having 
been a student at the famous Eton school. 
His wife was daughter of Thomas Harri- 
son, who came to this country and for a 
time resided near Utica, N. Y. , but after- 
ward, in 1833, became a pioneer of Illi- 



nois, settling near Lisbon, Kendall county. 
He died of apoplexy while taking a load 
of wheat to Chicago by wagon. He was 
a lineal descendant of Gen. Harrison, who 
was one of Cromwell's right-hand men, 
and one of the judges who condemned 
Charles I. to death. 

Thomas R. Hudd was a lad of seven 
summers when his father died, and soon 
after that sad event the widowed mother 
moved with her little boy to Chicago, 
where he attended school until he was 
about fifteen years old, when he left his 
books to assume the role of "devil" in 
the job-room of the Evening Journal, 
Richard L. Wilson at that time being 
publisher, and Andrew Matteson foreman 
of the job-room. From there he went to 
the Western Citizen, where he learned 
typesetting and the trade in general, 
remaining in that office until 1853. In 
the meantime his mother, having married 
a Mr. A. D. Partridge and removed to 
Neenah, Wis., induced the lad to rejoin 
her, which he did, and he soon thereafter 
became a student at Lawrence (Appleton) 
University, paying his way toward receiv- 
ing a good education by working at his 
trade in the office of the Appleton Crescent. 
In 1855 he left college and commenced the 
study of law with R. P. Eaton, in Apple- 
ton, then with Smith & Ballard, the senior 
member of which firm. Perry H. Smith, 
afterward became well-known as a prom- 
inent railroad official of Chicago. In 
October, 1856, Mr. Hudd was admitted 
to the bar, and in the following Novem- 
ber was elected district attorney of Outa- 
gamie county. Forming a partnership 
with John J. Jewett, they practiced law 
together in Appleton until 1863, when 
Mr. Jewett retired, and Mr. J. H. M. 
Wigman succeeded him in the partner- 
ship. When Mr. Hudd came to Green 
Bay, in 1868, Mr. Wigman continued the 
Appleton office until 1870, when he re- 
moved to Green Ba}', after which time 
the firm engaged in general law practice, 
extending to all the State and Federal 
courts. For a short time, in the heyday 



no 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of his Congressional work, and at the ex- 
piration of the Lth Congress, Mr. Hiidd 
was a member of the law firm, in Chi- 
cago, of Case, Hudd & Hogan, which was 
intended only as a temporary arrange- 
ment, and was discontinued in October, 
1890. 

Mr. Hudd has served his adopted 
State well in public affairs. In 1861 he 
was elected to the State Senate, and in 
1867 to the Assembly; in 1876 he was 
again elected to the Assembly, and in this 
session he was prominently identified in 
the securing of the repeal of the ' ' Granger 
Law," which had become so obnoxious to 
the State. In 1877 he was again sent 
by his constituents to the Senate, and 
was successively re-elected to same until 
1885, in which year he was elected to the 
United States Congress, resigning his 
seat in the State Senate when he had 
three years yet to serve. This was the 
XLIXth Congress, and he was elected to 
the vacancy caused by the death of Jos- 
eph Rankin. In this Congress he served 
on the committee on Commerce, to take 
the place of Joseph Pultzer, who had re- 
signed in order to visit Europe. Elected 
to the Lth Congress, Mr. Hudd was ap- 
pointed chairman of the committee on 
Expenditures, in the Interior Department. 
This closed his most active life in the 
arena of politics, and he has since con- 
fined himself to the practice of his pro- 
fession, wherein he has a wide clientage 
and enjoys the distinction of being the 
leading criminal lawyer in this section of 
Wisconsin. In municipal affairs, also, he 
has been active, having served the peo- 
ple of his locality in many minor offices, 
among which may be mentioned that of 
president of the school board, several 
years. In 1889 he was appointed by 
Gov. Hoar, one of three commissioners 
to represent the State of Wisconsin at 
the Centennial celebration of the inaugur- 
ation of George Washington as first 
President of the United States, which was 
held at New York in April, 1889. Dur- 
ing the Civil war he was commissioned to 



a lieutenancy, and mainly by his individ- 
ual exertion were organized two military 
companies in Outagamie county, but he 
was unable to take active service, having 
just been elected to the State Senate. 

Mr. Hudd has been twice married, 
first time, in 1857, to Parthenia S. Peak, 
who died in 1871, the mother of four 
children, as follows: Richard P., Sophia 
M. (now wife of William Beatty, of Colo- 
rado), Mary H., and Julia P. (now living 
in Washington, D. C). In 1872 Mr. 
Hudd married, for his second wife, Miss 
Mary Kiel, and four children, all daugh- 
ters, have been born to them, named as 
follows: Gertrude D., Nellie, May and 
Maude, all at home. Mr. Hudd is a mem- 
ber of the F. & A. M., Waverly Lodge 
No. 51, Appleton, and in politics he is a 
stanch Democrat. 



WILLIAM C. HINSDALE, the 
popular and efficient agent at 
Green Bay for the American 
Express Company, is one of the 
ten oldest employees of that corporation 
in Wisconsin, and has earned for himself 
an enviable reputation as a courteous, 
painstaking official. 

He is a native of this State, born, in 
1847, '" the town of Kenosha, a son of 
W. L. and Isabella C. (Courtenay) Hins- 
dale, natives of New York City, whence 
they came in 1836 to South Port (now 
Kenosha), Wis., where, in company with 
a brother, Mr. Hinsdale was engaged for 
some }ears in the lumber business, they 
becoming extensive traders in that line, 
and ultimately selling out to F. B. Gard- 
ner, of Chicago. Mr. Hinsdale then re- 
sided in Madison, Wis., one year, moving 
from there, in 1S55, to Milwaukee, where 
he became the first treasurer of the Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, 
which in a few years he resigned to ac- 
cept the position of secretary of the North 
Western National Fire and Marine Insur- 
ance Company. His father was a well- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Ill 



known jeweler in New York Cit}', where 
he passed his entire Hfe. 

Isabella C. Courtena}, mother of the 
subject of this sketch, was born in Balti- 
more, Md., and was a member of one 
of the early leading families of that State, 
English people who settled in the town of 
Goodhope about the year 1700. One of 
her remote ancestors on her father's side 
lost his life on account of claiming a right 
to the crown of England, and some of her 
later ancestry were engaged in the war of 
the Revolution in this country, others, 
again, in the war of 181 2. Grandfather 
Courtenay died in Maryland, and his 
widow came to Kenosha, Wis. , with her 
brother, Hercules, who opened up a farm 
in Kenosha county, where he died; she 
passed from earth in the town of Kenosha 
about the year 185 1. Mrs. Isabella C. 
Hinsdale died in 1892. 

William C. Hinsdale, our subject, re- 
ceived his education in Milwaukee, and 
after leaving school entered the employ 
of Marshall Ilsley, as bank collection 
clerk, and after four j-ears, or in 1869, 
entered the service of the American Ex- 
press Company, at Black River Falls, 
Wis., thence moved to Milwaukee, from 
there to Green Bay in 1871, passing 
through the various grades of promotion 
"with flying colors." In 1873-74 he was 
Express Messenger between Green Bay 
and Marquette, Mich., and other points, 
and in 1881 received the appointment of 
agent at Green Bay, his present incum- 
bency. In October, 1881, he was mar- 
ried in Green Bay to Miss Minnie C. 
Gardner, a native of that town, a daughter 
of B. C. and M. E. Gardner, who about 
the year 1854 came to Green Ba}-, where 
the father followed his business, that of 
contractor and builder; he died about 
1880; the mother is yet living in Green 
Ba}-. To Mr. and Mrs. Hinsdale have 
been born two children, Florence and 
Isabella. In politics our subject is a Re- 
publican; socially he is a member of 
Pochequette Lodge No. 26, K. of P., and 
has passed all the Chairs. To his well- 



directed efforts — efforts that never know 
fatigue — Green Bay is indebted for as 
well-conducted an express system as ex- 
ists in the State. 



GE. T. KYBER, notary public, 
mortgage loan and real-estate 
broker, of Green Bay, Wis., was 
born in Saxony, Germany, in 
1828, a son of Theodore George and 
Caroline (Weygant) Kyber, the former of 
whom, a native of Saxony, died at the 
age of ninety-one; the latter was of Polish 
descent. They had born to them eight 
children, of whom the living are Carl, in 
Glauchau, Saxony; Frederick and Amelia, 
residing near Dresden, Saxony, and G. E. 
T. , who is the subject of this sketch. 

G. E. T. Kyber lost his mother when 
he was six years of age. He was reared 
and educated in Saxony and studied mili- 
tary science and architecture, which pro- 
fession he followed in the old country 
until he was twenty-two years old. In 
1850 he came to America, and in New 
York was employed for a short time in 
lithographic work and painting; then 
went to Central America and served as 
head steward of a large hospital, caught 
the yellow fever, and returned north. In 
1854 he came to Green Bay and opened 
a paint shop, which he conducted until 
1 86 1, when he was appointed notary pub- 
lic; in 1863 he was appointed, as a Demo- 
crat, auditor of the Volunteers Aid Fund 
in the office of the Secretary of State, and 
held the position until 1865; in 1867 was 
elected the first police justice of Green 
Bay. In 1873 he moved to Allouez town- 
ship, where he has ever since had his resi- 
dence, and is now public administrator 
for Brown county. Mr. Kyber was mar- 
ried, in New York, in 1852, to Miss 
Susanna Muth, and to this union have 
been born eight children, of whom the 
living are: Fannie, wife of F. L. Erd- 
mann, of Green Bay; Virginia, Theodore 
G. and Frederick E. The mother of this 
family was called from earth in 1887 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



since when Mr. Kyber has remained a 
widower. 

Mr. Kjber is a member of Herman 
Lodge No. Ill, I. O. O. F. , and also of 
the Turn Verein, of which he was one of 
the organizers. He is also a member of 
the Lutheran Church, lives fully up to its 
teachings, and is greatly respected for his 
moral walk through life. 



THOMAS J. McGRATH, senior 
member of McGrath & Anderson, 
leading firm of contractors and 
builders, of Green Bay, is a fair 
representative of those whose sagacity 
and capital have done so much toward 
the commercial and manufacturing pro- 
gress of the city of his adoption. 

A native of Canada, he was born 
January 15, 1859, in Emily, Victoria Co., 
Ontario, to Michael and Mary Ann (Mc- 
Carthy) McGrath, the former of whom 
was a carpenter by trade. In March, 
1863, the father died, and in 1875 the 
family, then consisting of mother and 
three children, including our subject, 
came to Wisconsin and settled in Lebanon, 
Waupaca county, where the mother 
subsequently married Michael Ahearn, of 
that place, where they are now living. 
As will be seen, our subject was a lad of 
some sixteen summers when the family 
came to Wisconsin, prior to which he had 
received at the excellent public schools 
of Canada the only literary education he 
was destined to have, which in after 
years he added to by close reading and 
general observation of men and things. 
At the age of eighteen he commenced to 
learn carpentry, at which trade he soon 
proved himself admirably adapted; and so 
quickly did he make himself proficient 
that at the early age of twenty-two he was 
placed as foreman over men whose actual 
experience represented more years than 
he had lived. But he was equal to the 
responsibility, and proved himself an- 
efficient and capable overseer. In this 
capacity his first employment was for 



contractors, but ere long he entered the 
employ of the Chicago & Northwestern 
Railway Company as foreman of bridge 
carpenters, the work at that time being 
done by this company on the St. Peter 
division in Minnesota. For six years he 
continued in this position, proving him- 
self well worthy of his trust — honest and 
capable. He then entered the employ of 
the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. 
Marie Railroad Company as superin- 
tendent of building construction, but at 
the end of one year he resigned to accept 
the position of superintendent of bridges 
and buildings for the Milwaukee & North- 
ern railroad, which about three 3ears 
thereafter merged into the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul railroad. 

In 1890 Mr. McGrath commenced the 
since prosperous business of general con- 
tracting and building, and among the 
many substantial works in Green Bay 
that stand to-day as evidence of his skill 
may be mentioned the Mason street 
bridge over the Fox river; an extension 
of one thousand feet dockage for the 
Murphy Lumber Company, and elevator 
and dock for W. W. Cargill & Bro. In 
February, 1893, Mr. McGrath recei\ed 
as partner in his extensive business Mr. 
W. B. Anderson, since when the firm 
have completed the following contracts: 
Plant for "The Columbian Bakery"; ex- 
tensive coal-sheds for Barkhousen & 
Hathaway; the power-house for the Fox 
River Street Railway Company; 800 feet 
extra dockage for the Murphy Lumber 
Company; about 14,000 yards of cedar 
block paving on Washington street; 25,- 
000 yards cedar block pavement on 
Crooks and Walnut streets; bridge over 
the East river, connecting Allouez and 
Bellevue townships, in Brown county; 
bridge over East river on Mason street; 
and three and one-half miles of railroad 
for the Chicago & North Western Com- 
pany, in Michigan. 

At Mankato, Minn., on March 21, 
1880, Mr. McGrath was married to Miss 
Eleanor Fuller, a native of Lapeer, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



"3 



Mich., and daughter of Daniel and Marj' 
J. (Arlow) Fuller. An interesting family 
of si.\ clever children have been born to 
this union, named respectively: Nellie 
M., Claude A., Violet M., Thomas R., 
Daniel F. and Alvin E. Politically Mr. 
McGrath is a stanch Republican, but has 
no time to spare for office, his business 
demanding and receiving his closest at- 
tention. He is a member of the F. & A. 
M., Washington Lodge No. 21, Warren 
Chapter No. 8, Warren Council No. 13, 
and Palestine Commandery No. 20. Mrs. 
McGrath is a member of the M. E. 
Church. 



N 



S. KIMBALL, division master- 
mechanic of the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul railroad, by 
virtue of his long residence in 
Wisconsin, covering a period of over 
thirty-six years, is not only well known 
but highly respected, especially in railroad 
circles, where he is prominent. 

He is a native of New Hampshire, 
born November 21, 1831, in the town of 
Warner, Merrimack county, a son of John 
and Hannah (Bean) Kimball, the former 
of whom was born and reared in Waltham, 
Mass. In early life, he, John, moved to 
New Hampshire, and in the town of War- 
ner established a paper-mill as well as a 
bookbindery, being proprietor of both. 
Senator Chandler, of New Hampshire, 
is now owner of the site on which these 
old-time industries stood. John Kimball 
and his wife passed the rest of their 
days in New Hampshire, dying in Man- 
chester in 1 84 1 and 1862 respectively, he 
at the age of fifty years, she at the age of 
sixty-two; his maternal grandfather, 
Thomas Wellington, was a soldier in the 
Revolution, spent the winter at Valley 
Forge and crossed the Delaware with 
Washington. John Kimball served in the 
war of 1 81 2, in which conflict John Bean, 
the maternal grandfather of our subject, 
was also a soldier. 

The subject of these lines received a 



liberal education, in part at the schools of 
Manchester, N. H., and in part in Hop- 
kinton Academy, same State, chiefly, 
however, at the schools of the latter 
place. He was in reality reared to farm- 
ing, and for a time tended sheep on the 
Kearsarge Mountains, but in 1847, 3-t the 
age of seventeen, he commenced to learn 
the trade of machinist in the Amoskeag 
locomotive shops of Manchester, N. H., 
which had just been started, remaining in 
them as long as the}' existed as locomotive 
shops, or until 1857. In January of that 
year he moved to Detroit, Mich., and 
for a short time was in the employ of the 
Michigan Central Railroad Company, 
thence removing to La Porte, Ind. , where 
he worked for the Lake Shore & Michi- 
gan Southern railroad. After this he 
was on a farm in Logan county. 111., for 
some eight months, at the end of which 
time, in 1858, he removed to Milwaukee, 
Wis. , where he was given charge as fore- 
man in the repair shops of the Milwaukee 
& Mississippi railroad, which at that time 
extended as far as Prairie du Chien, and 
is at present a division of the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul railroad, on which he 
is now employed. Here he remained 
within one year of a quarter of a century, 
and in 1882, having accepted the position 
of division master-mechanic of the Mil- 
waukee & Northern railroad, came to 
Green Bay, where he still remains in the 
same capacity. In 1882 this was the 
Milwaukee & Northern railroad, but in 
1 890 it was absorbed by the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad. He has 
therefore served continuously thirty-six 
years in positions of responsibility on the 
lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul railroad. 

In 1853 Mr. Kimball was married to 
Miss Mary A. Edmunds, daughter of 
Enoch and Mary (Campbell) Edmunds, 
all natives of New Hampshire, where her 
father died, the widowed mother after- 
ward coming to Green Bay, where, at 
the residence of our subject, she passed 
away in 1892. To Mr. and Mrs. Kim- 



114 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ball has been born one child, Walter H., 
by profession a stenographer, married, 
and residing at Green Bay. In his polit- 
ical preferences our subject is a Republi- 
can. In 1854 he joined the Masons, at 
Manchester, N. H., and he is a member 
of Washington Lodge No. 21, F. & A. 
M., Green Bay; Chapter No. 7, Milwaukee; 
Palestine Commandery No. 20, of Green 
Bay (of which he is past eminent com- 
mander), and of the Wisconsin Consis- 
tory, thirty-second degree ; he is also a 
member of the Mystic Shrine, Tripoli 
Temple, of Milwaukee. He and his wife 
are members of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, with which he has been connect- 
ed for thirty jears, and for several years 
he has been a vestryman and warden. 



FW. SCHNEIDER, photographic 
artist, at No. 310 North Wash- 
ington street. Green Bay, was 
born in Westphalia, Prussia, Janu- 
ary 8, 1854. His parents were Anton 
and Mary Elizabeth (Schneider) Schneider, 
natives of Rhine-Province, Prussia, where 
the father died in 1859; in 1868 the 
mother came to Wisconsin and located in 
Kewaunee county, where she carried on 
fanning and a cheese factory and store 
until her death in 1891. She reared a 
family of three children, viz: Charley, a 
farmer; F. W. , our subject; and Helen, 
wife of W. Gauerke, of Brown county. 
F. W. Schneider was educated in 
Prussia until fourteen years of age, and 
after coming to America attended the 
evening schools, and a business college 
in Green Bay, Wis. In 1870 he settled 
in Brown county, and was employed in 
sawmilling and team driving till 1874, 
when he moved into Green Bay, where he 
learned his art, and in May, 1877, com- 
menced business on his own account, be- 
ing now the oldest gallery proprietor in 
the city, and one of its finest artists. 

Mr. Schneider was married in De- 
Pere, in 1876, to Miss Elainna M. Nuss, 
a native of Pennsylvania, and daughter 



of Michael Nuss, who settled in De Pere 
about the year 1866. This happy union 
has been blessed with three children, 
named respectively: Alvin, Mabel and 
Fred. Mr. Schneider is a Republican in 
his political affiliations, and in his social 
and fraternal connections is affiliated with 
Green Bay Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., 
in which he has passed all the chairs, and 
is also a member of the Encampment; is 
a member of the Royal Arcanum, of the 
Modern Woodmen, and of the Knights of 
the Maccabees. He has grown up with 
the city of Green Bay, has been a witness 
to much of its progress, and is now 
ranked among its most respected citizens. 



HON. W. J. ABRAMS. The life 
of the subject of this sketch pre- 
sents a striking example of enter- 
prise, industr}' and integrity, con- 
ducting to eminent success, and of politi- 
cal consistencies based on enlightened 
and moderate views — views at all times 
compatible with a generous toleration of 
the sentiments entertained bj' others, and 
commanding general confidence and es- 
teem. 

Mr. Abrams was born March 19, 1829, 
in Cambridge, Washington Co., N. Y. , 
and is a son of Isaac T. and Ruth (Hall) 
Abrams, natives of New York. The 
father, who was a business man of West 
Troy, N. Y., died in 1868, the mother in 
1870. Of their family of children only 
one grew to maturity, the son whose 
name introduces this sketch. His great- 
grandfather on the mother's side, Capt. 
Alexander Thomas, was commissioned in 
December, 1 778, by the General As- 
sembly of Rhode Island, a captain in 
Col. Topham's regiment, and it is rec- 
orded that he "drew regular pa\-. " Our 
subject is a blood-relation, on his 
mother's side, of Lyman Hall, one of 
the signers of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, and, on his father's side, Mr. 
Abrams claims lineal descent from Lord 
Townley, of the English House of Peers. 




n/-^ a. 




CT C> 



7:^/5 QJ^a^j^ 



aOMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



117 



an 

and 
theological 



W. J. Abrams, after 
academic education at Cambridge 
Troy, N. Y. , entered the 
school at Williamstown, Mass. ; but, 
owing to impaired health he had to aban- 
don the course, and spent some years in 
travel, at the same time continuing his 
studies, for the most part in history, arts 
and general literature. In the latter con- 
nection it may be mentioned that he was 
the author, under various noinmcs dc 
phivie of various essays, but his health 
would not permit of his continuing in such 
work as a profession. 

In 1856 he came to northern Wiscon- 
sin, and was engaged for a considerable 
time in railroad surveys from Lake Michi- 
gan to Ontonagon, making his permanent 
home in Green Bay in 1861. He became 
identified with the Collingwood, Sarnia 
and Buffalo line of steamers, and, until 
1870, none was more prominent in the 
development of the water transportation 
facilities of the town. In that year he 
directed his attention more especially to 
railroad enterprise, and was one of the 
promoters of the Green Bay & Lake Pepin 
railroad (having made the survey and ob- 
tained its charter), becoming officially 
connected with same, for many years 
serving as secretary. This road was sub- 
sequently merged into the Green Bay & 
Minnesota, and still later into the Green 
Bay, Winona & St. Paul. Mr. Abrams 
was also the leading promoter of the Ke- 
waunee, Green Bay & Western railroad, 
some thirty-five miles in length, built in 
1 89 1, and has been president of the com- 
pany from its organization. 

In 1854 Mr. Abrams was married in 
Montgomery county, N. Y., to Miss Hen- 
rietta T. Alton, a native of New York 
State, daughter of James Alton. Her 
mother, at the time of her marriage with 
Mr. Alton, was the widow of Commodore 
Germain, commander of the ' ' Ironsides," 
during the Revolutionarv war. Mr. and 
Mrs. Alton are now deceased. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Abrams have been born three 
children, viz.: Two daughters — Kate, 



wife of Hamilton Townsend, in the real- 
estate business in Milwaukee, Wis. ; and 
Ruth, wife of Dr. C. McVeigh Tobey, of 
St. Paul, Minn. ; and one son — Winford, 
at home. Mrs. Townsend is a member 
of the Daughters of the Revolution in 
Milwaukee, and secretary of the State di- 
vision of that order. 

During the Rebellion Mr. Abrams was 
an uncompromising war Democrat, and is 
still as ardent as he was when he cham- 
pioned the rights of the party in the halls 
of the State Assembly and in the Senate, 
in the former of which he served four 
years (from 1864 to 1867), and in the lat- 
ter two years (1868-69). Among the nu- 
merous official positions he holds or has 
held may be mentioned — vice-president 
of the Soldiers Orphans Home, at Mad- 
ison, Wis.; vice-president of the Fair and 
Park Association, in which he is a stock- 
holder, and a member of the Horticul- 
tural Society; mayor of Green Bay in 
1882-83, and again in 1885. Socially he 
is a retired member of the I. O. O. F. , 
and a member of the Royal Arcanum, of 
which he is supreme representative at the 
present time, and has been Grand Regent 
of the State. One of the most active, 
progressive, public-spirited men, Mr. 
Abrams has done as much to develop the 
almost inexhaustible resources of the Fox 
River Valley as any other man. 

Mr. Abrams has frequently appeared 
as a public speaker, especially during po- 
litical campaigns, and his style is of a char- 
acter to command the respect and atten- 
tion of his audience. As a public officer 
he has few superiors; as a railroad official 
he has a wide reputation for executive ca- 
pacity and able management of affairs, 
and it would be hard to find a man better 
adapted to organizing capital to promote 
sucfi enterprises as he may become inter- 
ested in, his foresight and sagacity in 
financial matters fitting him especially 
therefor. His power over men — and 
hence his influence in social, political, and 
business matters — is of that quiet order 
that makes little outward show, yet is a 



iS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPHICAL RECORD. 



potent factor in shaping the success of 
the community in which he resides. The 
State of Wisconsin is justly proud of such 
sons, and the record of their lives should 
be perpetuated in iiistory, chronicled in 
steel and in words that endure forever. 



THOMAS ATKINSON, a respected 
and well-known citizen of Preble 
townsliip. Brown county, is a na- 
tive of Ireland, born March lo, 
1816, in County Sligo, son of Henry and 
Kate (Kaveny) Atkinson, the former of 
whom was a farmer and stock raiser. 

Thomas Atkinson received such an 
education as the schools of the time and 
place afforded, and from boyhood was 
reared to farm life. In January, 1842, 
he was married to Miss Mary Flatley, 
who was l)()rn in 1823, dauj^hter of Dom- 
inick and Margaret (Flynn) Flatley, and 
this union was blessed with children as 
follows: Margaret (now Mrs. John Mahon, 
of Preble), Henry (deceased in infancy), 
Kate (who died, unmarried, in Preble 
township) and Maria (who was a school 
teacher, and died in Preble, township in 
young w(jmanhood), all four born in 
Ireland; and Louis (at home), Philip (of 
Ironwood, Mich.) and Thomas H. (who 
died young), these three born in America. 
In January, 1848, Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, 
with their family, then consisting of three 
girls, left Ireland, and shortly afterward 
sailed from Liverpool, England, on the 
"West Point," landing at New York in 
March, after a voyage of forty-one days. 
They first located in Cherry Valley, 
Oneida Co. , N. Y. , where Mr. Atkinson 
worked as laborer on a plank-road at that 
time in course of construction, remaining 
there over a year; then, in the fall of 1849, 
proceeding by canal from Rome to Buf- 
falo, N. Y., they took passage on a ves- 
sel bound for Kewaunee, Wis., thence 
coming to Green Bay on the tug "Jim 
Wood." The same fall Mr. Atkinson 
located on a small farm in Holland town- 



ship. Brown county, "all in the woods;" 
but after remaining there about a month 
returned to Green Bay, where he resided 
some years. In 1853 he was appointed 
lighthouse keeper at Long Tail Point, 
Wis., and was stationed there six years 
and one month, at the end of which time 
he removed to Fort Howard, where he 
opened out a grocery and saloon business. 
A few months later, in the spring of i860, 
he located on his present farm, and has 
here since continuously resided, having 
now 133.1 acres of prime land, which he 
has accumulated by years of industry and 
toil. On May 4, 1856, Mrs. Mary Atkin- 
son passed from earth, and May 29, 1857, 
Mr. Atkinson wedded, for his second wife, 
Miss Margaret Howard, who was born, 
in iiS27, in County Limerick, Ireland, 
daughter of Michael Howard; she died 
January 22, 1877, without issue, and her 
remains now rest in Shantj'town cemetery. 
Our subject, as a member of the Dem- 
ocratic party, takes an active interest in 
politics, and has held the offices of super- 
visor aixl chairman of his township; in 
religious faith he is a member of the Cath- 
olic Church. He is well read, keeping 
himself closely informed on the issues of 
the day, and is highly respected where- 
ever he is known. 



THOMAS DOUBELL BOWRING 
is a native of Reigate, county of 
Surrey, England, and was born 
January 13, 1844, the son of 
Thomas and Susan (Doubell) Bowring. 
The father, with his wife and five chil- 
dren, came to the United States in 1851, 
locating at Lyons, N. Y. From there he 
moved to Detroit, Mich., where for the 
most part he lived until his death, which 
took place in i8<S5; his widow died in the 
same city in 1891. 

Thomas D. Bowring obtained his edu- 
cation partly in England, and partly at 
the common schools of this country. 
While attending school at Lyons, N. Y. , 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPHICAL RECORD. 



119 



he sustained an injury to his left hip 
which crippled him for life. He learned 
the art of photography in Detroit, where 
for about a year he was in business for 
himself; but in 1868 he moved to Green 
Bay to become operator for H. S. Clark. 
In 1869 he took charge of a branch gal- 
lery in De Pere, which, at the close of the 
year, he purchased, and has since been in 
business for himself. Mr. Bowring was 
married in 1874 to Miss Alice Arndt, 
daughter of J. W. Arndt, and there have 
been born to this union five children, 
named, respectively: Alice Irene, Thomas 
Reuben, Randall, William Wallace and 
Elcey Arndt. Of these, Randall died in 
1883; the others are living with their par- 
ents. In local politics Mr. Bowring is 
independent, supporting the men whom 
he thinks will best perform the duties of 
the various offices; but in National affairs 
he has usually been in accord with the 
policy of the Democratic party. He was 
treasurer of De Pere in 1877-78, and is 
the present supervisor from the First 
ward. He is a member of the De Pere 
Temple of Honor, was made a Freemason 
in Detroit in 1863, and is now a member 
of the De Pere Lodsre, F. & A. M. 



WILLIAM ARMSTRONG, of De- 
Pere, is now retired on his 
means, although when he first 
reached De Pere he was the pos- 
sessor of the sum of only twenty-five cents. 
His indomitable energy and shrewd busi- 
ness qualifications have alone been the 
secret of his success, as will be found in 
the sequel. He is of Scotch-Irish extrac- 
tion, and was born in the village of 
Bathurst, N. B. , January 14, 1821, 
son of William and Sarah (Ellis) Arm- 
strong, natives, respectively, of Aberdeen, 
Scotland, and Londonderry, Ireland, the 
former of whom, by \ocation a lumber- 
man and ship-owner, took up his resi- 
dence in New Brunswick, where he and 
his wife passed their declining days. 



William Armstrong received a fair ed- 
ucation at the common or district schools 
of Bathurst, and at the age of twenty-one 
years began work at lumbering at Paubo, 
in the district of Gaspe. Being very apt 
and well educated, at the end of a year's 
life in the woods he was made superin- 
tendent of a gang-mill employing 300 
men, natives of Canada, of whom two 
only could write their names, and over 
this large number of men he held con- 
trol three years. In 1849, smitten with 
the gold fever, he started for Califor- 
nia, going by team to St. John, N. B. , 
thence by boat to Boston, Mass. ; but the 
sea-going vessel had taken its departure 
before he reached that port. This cir- 
cumstance necessitated a change of plans 
on the part of Mr. Armstrong, and, after 
working three months in a ship-yard in 
Boston, he found his way to Albany, N. 
Y., where for three months he was em- 
ployed in canal-boat building. From Al- 
bany he went to Buffalo, N. Y., by canal, 
thence by steamer, via the lake, to She- 
boygan, Wis., and finally reached De- 
Pere, his present residence, about May 
30, 1850, as before stated, with only a 
few cents in his pocket, and one suit of 
working clothes, as his trunks were de- 
layed and did not arrive until two or three 
weeks afterward. He found employ- 
ment in a lumber-mill as head sawyer, 
and, after working three or four da\s the 
proprietor was heard to remark chat there 
must be something wrong about that man, 
for, to judge by his good writing and fig- 
ures, he was evidently well educated and 
superior to his present emplo}'ment; so 
he was set down as a rogue in hiding, an 
impression which did not last long, how- 
e\'er, although there was perhaps suffi- 
cient cause for it, as he had worked in the 
dirt and wet for two or three weeks with- 
out change of clothes, making him look 
very rough, a condition which was rem- 
edied on the arrival of his trunks. After 
working a year as head sawyer in the 
lumber-mill he subsequently rented the 
same, in partnership with James ^lorgan. 



120 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Armstrong superintending the getting 
out of the logs and the general work of 
the gang in the forest. Having now ac- 
cumulated some money, our subject ne.xt 
purchased a ta.x-title to some heavily tim- 
bered pine land east of De Pere, which 
proved as prolific as any to be found in 
the State of Wisconsin; still, with his 
keen business eye, he saw that the price of 
lumber was going down, and for several 
years filled positions as superintendent 
for various lumber companies on salary, 
until i860, from which time until 1862, 
the times being troublous, he wisely ab- 
stained from venturing his capital in busi- 
ness. In the latter year, however, he ac- 
cepted an appointment as deputy United 
States marshal for the northern district of 
Wisconsin, filled the quota of enlisted 
men, and then proceeded to make the 
draft for extra men over and above the 
volunteer contingent. In this draft, which 
first occurred at Green Bay for the town of 
Washington Island, Door county, a singu- 
lar incident occurred: A blind man was 
selected to do the drawing, and Mr. Arm- 
strong gave the wheel containing the 
names of the men to be drawn, three 
turns; a somewhat prominent fisherman, 
standing near, demanded another turn of 
the wheel, until he said enough, and, on 
this beiniJ done, the first name drawn was 
that of Robert Nolan, the fisherman who 
had demanded a. new turn of the wheel. 
For two years Mr. Armstrong filled the 
office of provost marshal, and in 1864 
started for the gold fields of Montana, 
where he secured a placer claim on Hen- 
derson Gulch, and wrought out $12,000 
in one season. He also bought an inter- 
est in a ranch on Burnt Fork, a stream 
that emptied into Bitter Root valley, from 
which he produced 250 barrels of flour, 
which was sold at forty dollars per barrel; 
1.500 bushels of potatoes, sold at seven 
dollars and fifty cents per bushel; 1,200. 
bushels of oats, sold at fivp dollars per 
bushel, all spot gold; onions sold at 
twenty-five cents per p^und, rutabaeas 
at fifteen cents per pound, and other 



products in proportion. A portion of his 
produce was sent to the mines market, 
140 miles away, and the hauling was done 
by four six-yoke oxen-teams, and two 
four-horse teams, the rate of freight being 
four cents per pound. Mr. Armstrong 
also purchased beef cattle in large quan- 
tities, which he slaughtered and sold for 
food to the miners; and thus life was 
passed at the mining districts, to the great 
profit of Mr. Armstrong, his gain for his 
residence of two years on the ranch being 
ten thousand dollars, or more. He was 
always a favorite with the miners, among 
whom he was familiarly known by the 
sobriquet of " Uncle Billy," and enjoyed 
a monopoly of the trade of the camp, 
never hesitating to run out a line of credit 
to those who had not the ready means for 
cash payment. During the winter season 
he lumbered a little, whipsawed lumber 
at two hundred dollars per thousand feet 
for spruce, and also manufactured shingles 
at an immense profit. He built the 
first shingle-roofed house in Bitter Root 
valley, and at the end of the four years 
sold out the balance of his mining claim 
for one thousand dollars, and went to 
Fort Benton,thenceb3' steamer to Omaha, 
and from that point came to De Pere. 
Here he was engaged two years at the 
furnace business; next was superintendent 
for the Fox River Iron Company for 
about ten years, continuing to put money 
in his purse and filling the position to the 
entire satisfaction of his employers. In 
1880 he patented a stump-puller, in the 
manufacture of which he was engaged 
eight years at De Pere. Of this valuable 
implement he sold upwards of three 
thousand, and, in addition, disposed of 
the right to manufacture in a large extent 
of territory. In 1889 he was appointed, 
by President Harrison, postmaster at De- 
Pere; but, at the expiration of the Presi- 
dential term, resigned, for political reasons, 
although no fault had been found by the 
general public with his performance of 
the duties of the office. It will readily be 
perceived that Mr. Armstrong is a Repub- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



121 



lican in politics, and as such has been 
elected three terms as alderman, in which 
capacity he is now serving. For one 
term, also, he served as president of East 
De Pare village, and in all public offices 
he has discharged his duties with credit to 
himself and to the public. In rehgion he 
is a birthright member of the Presbyterian 
Church, and in 1874 was also admitted, 
by profession of faith, as a member ofthe 
church at De Pere, of which body he is 
now an elder, and has always lived up to 
its teachings. 

• On March 25. 1851, Mr. Armstrong 
was happily married to Miss Rebecca 
Rogers, a native of Nova Scotia, and a 
daughter of David and Hannah (Hadley), 
Rogers, who ended their life pilgrimage in 
Mr. Armstrong's land of birth. To the 
union of Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have 
been born two children, viz.: Alexander, 
born January 4, 1852, married to Mary 
Hannah, and now residing in Chicago, 
111., and William S., born January 2, 
1863, and now a resident of Green Ba\-, 
Wis. William Armstrong is, strictly 
speaking, a self-made man, having in- 
herited nothing from his father, who was 
reduced from most excellent circumstances 
by the failure of Joseph C. Cunard, ship- 
builder and ship-owner. But Mr. Arm- 
strong has ever been a moral man, has 
been enterprising and industrious, and is 
now retired with a comfortable com- 
petence. 



CHAUNCY N. ALDRICH, one of 
the earliest and best-known resi- 
dents of Preble township. Brown 
county, is a native of Cortland 
county, N. Y., born in the town of Preble, 
May 1 1, 1825. 

His father, Jonathan Aldrich, who was 
a farmer, first saw the light in Vermont, 
where he married Amelia Gains, and to 
this union were born children as follows: 
Jonathan, who died about 1890, at Am- 
herst, Portage Co., Wis.; Penelope, who 



married Caleb Blanchard, and died in 
Lewis county, N. Y. ; Olive, who was first 
married to Horatio Howard, and later to 
William H. Bruce (she died on the farm 
of our subject); Amelia, who married 
Francis Gilbert, and died at Green Bay; 
Delight, who was married to Royal 
Jacobs, and died in Michigan; Valentine, 
who died in Cooperstown, Manitowoc 
Co., Wis. ; Amasa G., who died in Preble. 
Cortland Co., N. Y. ; Asa H., who died 
in Brown county. Wis.; Samuel M., who 
died on the farm of his brother, C. N. ; 
Gains D., who died in Green Bay; 
Chauncy N., specially mentioned further 
on; and Rexville R. , deceased in infancy. 
The father of this family was a life-long 
agriculturist, and made his home in New 
York State for many years, dying August 
13, 1838, in the town of Scott, Cortland 
county; he was buried in Preble, same 
county. His wife, who survived hirn 
many years, passed away June i, 1871, 
in Preble township, Brown Co., Wis., at 
the home of her son Chauncy N., and her 
remains now rest in a private cemetery 
on his farm, where she was laid at her 
own request. She was a member of the 
Methodist Church. Jonathan Aldrich 
was a Dem.ocrat of the "Jacksonian 
stripe, "and a very stanch adherent of the 
party. 

Chauncy N. Aldrich is the sole survi- 
vor of the family of twelve children born 
to Jonathan and Amelia (Gains) Aldrich. 
He received such an education as the 
common schools of his time afforded, and 
was reared a farmer boy, residing at home 
up to the time of his father's death. The 
latter had requested him to go west to 
Brown county, Wis., and make his home 
with his brother-in-law, \\'illiam H. 
Bruce, until he reached his majority, and 
after attending school one year longer he 
left his native place for the " Far West," 
as Wisconsin was then considered. He 
made the journey by wagon to Syracuse, 
by canal to Buffalo, and thence by lake 
on the boat "Illinois," Capt. Blake (her 
first trip), to Mackinaw, where he waited 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 



for a boat to Green Bay. He took pas- 
sage on the "Gov. Marcy, " and arrived 
at his destination October 24, 1839. His 
brother-in-law, Mr. Bruce (above men- 
tioned), was a jTjeneral merchant at Green 
Bay, and young .Aldrich resided with him 
for seven years, engaged at various kinds 
of labor, driving team, working on the 
farm, and in fact doing anything that 
presented itself. 

At the age of twenty-two Mr. Aid- 
rich was united in marriage, at Green 
Bay, with Miss Amanda Porter, who was 
born at Coeymans, X. Y. , daughter of 
John Porter. Mr. Aldrich, in the mean- 
time, had saved a few dollars, and shortly 
after his marriage located on the farm 
where he has ever since resided, and 
which then belonged to his brother-in- 
law, Mr. Bruce. At the time our sub- 
ject came here there was not a building 
between the farm and Green Bay, and 
the road-? had to be cut out as he went 
along The old house which he first oc- 
cupied is still standing. Here he has 
since made his home, with the exception 
of one year, when he lived in Stephens- 
ville, Outagamie county. Mr. Aldrich 
has been a farmer and stockman, and he 
has seen his land converted from its 
primitive condition, the forests sup- 
planted b\- fertile fields, all representing 
many years of hard, unremitting toil. 
When he first located here wild animals 
abounded, deer and wolves being especi- 
ally numerous. His farm consists of 160 
acres of good land. 

To Mr. and Mrs Aldrich have been 
born nine children, a brief record of them 
being as follows: Arthur N. is a resident 
of Larimer county. Colo. ; Amelia is the 
wife of John Coppcns, < f Humboldt town- 
ship; Olive is married to Henry Rock- 
well, of Preble township; I.^avina married 
Charles Sidel, and died in Wausau.Wis. , 
leaving four children; Madison is a resi- 
dent of Preble township; Chauncy N. 
died whr;n three months old; \\'illiam is 
li\inL,^ ;it home; Delight is tiie wife of 
Fred Rockwell, of Preble tovvnship; 



Porter lives at home. Politically a Demo- 
crat, Mr. Aldrich has been one of the 
stanch supporters of the party in his 
township, and has been called on to 
serve in many positions of trust, such as 
chairman of the board, in which capacity 
he has served for twenty years, at various 
times, at one time holding the office when 
his jurisdiction extended over what is now 
six townships. He has also served two 
years as township treasurer, and has been 
justice of the peace, filling every position 
with credit to himself and satisfaction to 
his constituency. In religious connection 
Mrs. Aldrich is a member of the Baptist 
Church. 



FRED. P. GROSS, a well-known 
citi;?en of Port Howard, Brown 
county, was born in 1863, in Mor- 
rison township, Brown Co., 
Wis., and was educated in the schools of 
the locality. His parents, John G. and 
Margaret (Moschel) Gross, were born in 
Germany, near the "wild and winding 
Rhine," the father coming to this vicinity 
when a young man, about 1852, and set- 
tling on a farm in the woods. F"or some 
years subsequent to 1871 he was pro- 
prietor of a sawmill, and he and his wife 
arc now residents of Morrison township, 
Brown county. Their children are: Car- 
oline, wife of Frank Falk, of Seymour, 
Wis. ; Louisa, wife of Joseph Leonard, of 
Medford, Wis. ; August, married and re- 
siding in Morrison tovvnship, where he 
operates a sawmill; John, married and 
residing in Fort Howard, engaged in the 
saloon business; Fred. P, , the subject of 
this article; Maggie, wife of I3aniel 
Schunk, of Morrison township; Sophia, 
wife of William Peters, of Bullion, W^is. ; 
Christina, wife of Charley Furstenburg, 
also of Bullion, and Godfrey, residing 
in Fort Howard. 

Our subject resided on the home farm 
and was engaged in milling pursuits until 
April, 1889, when he located at Fort 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Howard, embarking the following year in 
the saloon business on Broadway. He is 
a Democrat in politics, and in the spring 
of 1894 was elected supervisor of the 
Third ward, Fort Howard, his opponent 
being A. L. Gray. In 1890 he was mar- 
ried, in Morrison township, to Miss Minnie 
Lapnow, a native of that township, 
daughter of Fred Lapnow, and they have 
two children: Laura and Minnie. Mr. 
Gross, with his wife, belongs to the Lu- 
theran Church, and he is a member of the 
F. & A. M., Despres Lodge, No. 85, of the 
American Legion of Honor, and of the 
Turnverein. 



JOHN COOK, fashionable merchant 
tailor, and proprietor of the opera 
house at De Pere, Brown county, is 
a native of that city, born March 21, 
1856, a son of John and Catherine 
(Dwyer) Cook. 

The father of our subject was a na- 
tive of Germany, a tailor by trade, and 
came to the United States with his par- 
ents, who settled at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1832. 
In 1848 he came to De Pere, and in 1849 
established a merchant-tailoring establish- 
ment. In 1858 he purchased a farm of 
fifty-eight acres one-half mile south of 
East De Pere, and upon it moved his 
family, but retained his business in the 
village until his death. He was a Demo- 
crat in politics, served as chairman of 
the board of supervisors some eight or 
nine years, was a member of the Catholic 
Church, and was regarded as a man of 
the strictest integrity. His wife, Mrs. 
Catherine (Dwyer) Cook, was born near 
Dublin, Ireland, and came to the United 
States with her brothers and sisters, set- 
tling in the northern part of Illinois, in 
Lake county, in which State she became 
acquainted with Mr. Cook. Her death 
took place in i860, and her remains lie 
interred beside those of her husband in 
the Catholic cemetery, just south of 
Green Bay and east of Shantytown. Mr. 



and Mrs. Cook had born to them a family 
of three children, viz. : Mary, who mar- 
ried Albert Martens, of De Pere; Isadore 
William, who went to California twenty 
years ago, and John, the subject of this 
sketch. The last named was educated 
in the De Pere schools, and was taught 
his trade by his father. In the fall of 
1882 he began merchant tailoring on his 
own account, and has since been at the 
head of the trade in De Pere. On April 
10, 1888, he opened his opera house to 
the public, and has found it to be a profit- 
able investment; the building is a frame 
structure, with an auditorium 60 x 114 
feet, and has a seating capacity for six 
hundred persons, but, on extraordinary 
occasions, from nine hundred to one 
thousand can be crowded within its walls. 
In politics Mr. Cook is Democratic, 
in 1890 was elected alderman from the 
First ward of De Pere, and proved him- 
self so efficient that he was re-elected in 
1 891 ; in religious faith he is a member of 
the Catholic Church. In the fall of 1 888 
he was married to Catherine Rooney, who 
was born in Canada, and one child, Cyrill, 
has blessed this union. Mr. Cook has 
led a life of integrity and industry, and is 
recognized as one of the solid men of 
De Pere. 



JB. LAST, general freight and pas- 
senger agent at Green Bay for the 
Green Bay, Winona & St. Paul, the 
Kewaunee and Green Bay & Western 
Railroad Companies, is one of the most 
popular, courteous and obliging railroad 
officials to be found in the State. 

Mr. Last was born at Green Bay, in 
1848, a son of John and Sarah (Green) 
Last, the father a native of near London, 
England, the mother of New York. Some 
time in the "thirties" John Last immi- 
grated to America, and coming to Wis- 
consin settled in Green Bay. He died in 
1884; his widow is still a resident of 
Green Bay. After receiving a liberal ed- 



124 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



iication at the schools of his native town, 
our subject commenced active business 
life in the service of the American Ex- 
press Company as messenger between 
Green Bay and Oshkosh, Wis. This po- 
sition he held for about one year (1866), 
and then accepted a cnj^agement as clerk 
for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway 
Company at Fort Howard, remainingthere 
three years, at the end of which time he 
embarked in mercantile business in Green 
Bay. At the close of si.\ years, his in- 
clinations tending more toward railroad 
work, he entered, as clerk, the general 
freight offices of the Green Bay, Winona 
& St. Paul railroad. In the fall of 1882 
he went to Chicago as general agent 
for the Milwaukee & Northern railroad, 
being located there until the spring of 
1883. We next find our subject in Den- 
ver, Colo., where he was in the service 
of the Claim Department of the Union 
Pacific railroad till 1887, in which year he 
returned to Green Bay. Here he was lo- 
cal agent for the United States Express 
Company some two j-ears, when (1889) 
he was a])pointed to his present position, 
to which, by his wide experience and gen- 
eral qualifications, he is admirably 
adapted. 



Fi:KDINAND GOFFAKT, justice 
of the peace, and one of the most 
extensive farmers of De Pere 
township, Brown county, was 
born November 18, 1836, in Belgium, son 
of Peter J. Goffart. The latter was a 
gardener and store-keeper, and also fol- 
lowed the business of dyer, besides 
various other occupations. He had eight 
children — five sons and three daughters — 
of whom Ferdinand is the second child 
and eldest son. 

Our subject first attended the village 
schools, and then for two years went to a 
graded school, receiving a very fair educa- 
tion, all in French. It was the intention 
of his parents to educate him for profes- 



sional life, but, his father dying when he 
was sixteen years old, he was obliged to 
leave school and assist in the support of 
the family. Concluding he could better 
his condition by coming to the United 
States, he bade farewell to his home and 
friends, and in the spring of 1857 sailed 
from Antwerp on the "John Elliot," 
landing at New York after a voyage of 
fifty-six days. His destination was Green 
Bay, Wis., and thither he proceeded from 
New York by rail and water, arriving 
August 8. The first work he did in the 
New World was on a piece of land in the 
town of Scott, Brown Co., Wis., which 
he abandoned after some time, and hard 
work, and later he went to Bay Settle- 
ment; proceeding to Red River township, 
Kewaunee county, he prospected for land; 
but, not being satisfied, he returned to 
Green Bay. In the following spring 
(1858) he came to De Pere township, 
Brown county, and here purchased about 
one hundred acres of land, paying there- 
for eleven hundred dollars. On this 
tract he erected a round-log house, 14 x 16, 
which was the first building on the place, 
and there was only one other house be- 
tween it and De Pere. He immediately 
set to work to clear u]i the land, which 
was densely covered with timber, princi- 
pally beech and niRple. but he also found 
some pine, black birch, elm and ash 
trees; on one part of the land was a heavy 
growth of "sugar bush." After much 
hard work he succeeded in clearing space 
enough to put in a crop, the first being 
rj'e, and as the years passed the entire 
tract gradually became a well-cultivated 
farm. In June, 1858, Mr. Goffart's wid- 
owed mother had come hither, bringing 
the remainder of the familv, but the 
'greater part of the responsibility rested on 
Ferdinand. She died in Rockland town- 
ship. Brown count)', in 1 888, and was 
buried in De Pere cemetery. 

On March 9, 1861. Ferdinand Goffart 
was united in marriage in Fremont coun- 
ty, Iowa, \yith Miss Julia E. Frederick- 
son, who was born in Burlington, Racine 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



125 



Co. , Wis. , and to this union were born 
twelve children, eight of whom are now 
living, viz. : Sylvester, a resident of the 
State of Washington; Mary C, now Mrs. 
Oscar Barkrnan, of St. Paul, Minn. ; 
Adaline, a Sister in the convent at De- 
troit; Noah, residing in the State of 
Washington; Isabella, Sister in the con- 
vent at Chicago, 111.; Sedonia, at home; 
and Emily and Julia, both of Detroit, 
Mich. Those deceased are Christiana, 
Charlotte S. , Mary S. and Francis B. 
The mother of these died in 1882, and 
was buried in De Pere cemetery. On 
September 24, 1882, Mr. Goffart was 
married in De Pere, for his second wife, 
to Pelagie Bell, who was born December 
31, 1 85 1, in Belgium, daughter of Remy 
Bell, and came to the United States in 
1865. To this marriage were born chil- 
dren as follows: Victor B. (deceased), 
Rachel, Isaac, Rebecca, Moses, Zipporah 
(deceased), and Aaron. Immediately after 
his marriage to Julia Frederickson, Mr. 
Goffart went to South Dakota and took 
up a homestead at Elk Point, on the Mis- 
souri river, where he remained for nearly 
two years. He then removed to Iowa 
City, Iowa, and while there enlisted, on 
August 9, 1862, in Company G, Twenty- 
second Iowa V. I. , for three years. He 
served to the close of the war, and was 
discharged in July, 1865, in Savannah, 
Ga. , being mustered out at Davenport, 
Iowa, and during his entire service he 
was never on the sick list, and was never 
wounded. Upon his return home from 
the army he went back to Dakota, and 
thence, after a residence of two years 
more, removed to Detroit, Mich., and for 
one summer acted as superintendent of a 
farm near that city. Then, in 1868, he 
came to his present farm in De Pere 
township, Brown Co., Wis., which at 
that time was in a totally unimproved 
condition, and here he has ever since 
made his home. He now owns 225 acres 
of excellent land, and is one of the most 
extensive agriculturists of his section. He 
has labored much and endured many 



hardships in the clearing and subduing of 
his land, and during his residence here he 
has seen the entire surrounding country 
transformed from a wilderness into fertile 
farms. He and his estimable wife are 
now about to live a retired life. During 
his service in the Civil war Mr. Goffart saw 
a great deal of the South; he is a well-read 
man and an observer, and is possessed 
of no small stock of general information. 
During the war he was a Republican, but 
he has since been a member of the Demo- 
cratic party, and is a strong supporter of 
its principles, always voting that ticket 
in State and National elections, but in 
township and county affairs he exercises 
his franchise according to the dictates of 
his own conscience. He has been elected 
to various offices in his township, has 
been member of the school board, clerk 
of same, and is at present serving as jus- 
tice of the peace, an office he has held 
with eminent satisfaction to all for the 
past fifteen years. He and his wife are 
members of the Catholic Church. 



ALEX. CLEEREMANS, alderman 
from the Second ward. Fort 
Howard, is now serving his first 
term in that capacity. He is also 
engaged in gardening, and for the past 
nine years has been janitor of the Second 
ward schoolhouse. He took the State 
census for a certain district in 1885, and 
has gathered statistics for the school cen- 
sus for eight years in succession. 

Mr. Cleeremans, who is a son of 
Frank and Josie (DeLang) Cleeremans, 
was born in 1850 in the village of Weert 
St. Georges, Belgium, and came with his 
parents to the vicinity of Green Bay in 
1867, the family settling on a farrii in the 
forest of Scott township. The father 
died in 1876, the mother in 1871. Alex, 
is one of the family of five sons, the other 
four being: Charley, a gardener of Fort 
Howard; John, working at the carpenter's 
trade in the same city; Frank, a farmer 



126 



COMMEMORATIVK BIOGRAPHICAL ItECOHD. 



in Scott township; and Henry, a sawyer 
or setter in the mills at Oconto. Alex, 
received his education in Beigiuni, in 
both the Belgian and French languages. 
He aided his father in clearing and im- 
proving the Scott township farm, and 
after coming to Fort Howard, in 1871, 
worked in the McDonald mills, and for 
the government in the stone (juarr}'. In 
1877 he went to Oregon, thence two 
months later to Nevada, where he worked 
in the mountains, getting out mining 
timber for McKay & Fair. He came 
home in the latter part of the same year, 
by way of California and Oregon; from 
1880 till 1886 was tie inspector for the 
Chicago & Northwestern railroad, and 
now owns a fine garden tract of four 
acres within the city limits. He was 
married, in 1874, in Duck Creek, town 
of Howard, to Miss Sophia Simoens, who 
was born in Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of 
Frank and Theresa (Houters) Simoens, 
natives of Belgium, who settled near Fort 
Howard in 1857, on a farm in Howard 
township. Her father now resides in Fort 
Howard; her mother died January i, 
1886. Of their eight children three are 
living: Nettie, wife of Bernard Vaner- 
beck; Mrs. Cleeremans; and Henry, of 
Fort Howard. The children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Cleeremans are: Celia, Joseph, 
Rosa, Angeline, Anna, Lucy, M^illie and 
Laura. Mr. Cleeremans is a Democrat 
in politics, and was elected several times 
to Congressional and Senatorial conven- 
tions. He is a member of St. Joseph's 
Society of Green Bay, and, with his wife, 
belongs to St. Patrick's Catholic Church. 



PETER HERBEK, an energetic 
young farmer of Howard town- 
ship. Brown count}-, was born in 
New York, Mav 6, 1S55, a son of 
John and Elizabeth ,'Fuchs) Hcrber. 

John Herberwas born in Rothcrburg; 
Germany, April 14, 18 16, left his home 
at the age of thirteen years, and was em- 



ployed as a laborer through the country. 
On November 15. 1854, he married, and 
the same year started for the United 
States via Liverpool, the voyage from 
that port to New York occupying six 
weeks. After working in a stone quarry- 
in New York until 1856, he came to 
Wisconsin, and first settled in Eaton town- 
ship, Brown county, where he resided 
twelve years, cleared up a farm, for two 
j'ears rented one, and then bought his 
present place of fifty-seven acres in How- 
ard township. This tract was partly im- 
proved, and for seven j'ears he made his 
home in the log house then on the prem- 
ises, afterward moving into his present 
handsome and convenient dwelling. Mrs. 
Elizabeth Herber was born in Bavaria, 
Germany, January 23, 1824, but lost her 
parents when she was a little girl. 

Peter Herber is an only child, and has 
always lived under the parental roof. He 
was reared to the useful pursuit of farm- 
ing, and on October 25, 18S1, married 
Miss Karolinc Breuninger, a native of 
Green Bay, born October 2, 1857, and a 
daughter of Karl and Sophia (Huenger) 
Brueninger. the former of whom was born 
at Shrotsburg. Wurtemburg, Germany, No- 
vember 23, 181 8, and in 1S40 came to 
the United States, and for a year lived in 
the State of Delaware: he next went to 
Ohio, and four months later came to 
Wisconsin and settled in Green Bay, 
where his death occurred March 3, 1866. 
He was a son of John Breuninger, an old 
school-teacher, who was born in Kocher- 
stertien. and there died: his wife, Sophia 
C. Phaff. was born I'ebruary 17, 1800, 
in Hermersberg Castle, and her death 
took place October 9. 1834, at the place 
where her husband's death occurred. 
Karl Breuninger. as Tuav well be sup- 
posed, was a hi£rhly-cdncated man, and 
was emploved in clerical work. His wife, 
Sophia Huenger. was born in Saxony, 
and is now a resident of Preble township, 
Brown county. 

To the, union of Peter and Karoline 
Herber have been born three children. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



^^^ 



viz.: Henrj' J., October 4, 18.S2; Peter 
K., Februar}- 15, 1884; and Karl F. , 
October 4, 1886. After his marriage 
Mr. Herber settled down on the old 
homestead, and has increased his posses- 
sions to eighty acres, which he devotes to 
general farming. Both father and son 
have been hard-working, industrious men 
and worthy citizens, and to illustrate in a 
small way the hardships of pioneer life it 
may be mentioned that the elder Mr. 
Herber, on first settling, was obliged to 
pawn his coat in order to obtain an axe 
wherewith to chop wood, so scarce was 
money in that day. In politics, both 
father and son are Republicans, the 
father having cast his first Presidential 
vote for Abraham Lincoln, and the son 
for I-iutherford B. Haves. 



JOHN CONNELLY, proprietor of 
the " Pine Grove Hotel," and a suc- 
cessful, self-made man, of De Pere 
township. Brown county, is de- 
scended from Scotch-Irish ancestry. He 
was born March 25, 1840, in Ouebec, 
Lower Canada (now known as the Prov- 
ince of Ouebec), a son of Michael Con- 
nelly, who was a native of county Lim- 
erick, Ireland. 

When a 3'oung man Michael Connell)' 
immigrated to Canada, where he married 
Marv Hamilton, a native of County Don- 
egal, Ireland, and to their union were 
born fifteen children — four sons and 
eleven daughters — seven of whom are yet 
living. Michael, who was a farmer in 
Quebec, in the fall of 1865 came with his 
family to De Pere, Brown Co., Wis., later 
moving to Bay Settlement, same county, 
and here for some time worked in a saw- 
mill. He then removed to Bellevue town- 
ship, where he had purchased a partly- 
improved farm of T40 acres, and there 
made his home for a number of years, 
finally returning to De Pere township, 
where he and his wife are now passing 
their declining years. Two of the daugh- 



ters, Mary Jane and Jennie, also came to 
De Pere in 1865. Mr. Connolly is a 
Democrat in politics, but he takes no ac- 
tive interest in party affairs. 

John Connell}', the subject proper of 
these lines, lived with his parents until he 
reached the age of seventeen, at which 
time he commenced to work in the lum- 
ber regions. Up to that period he had 
received no schooling whatever, but he 
then attended a night school, where he 
received a fair common-school education, 
the instruction being in the French lan- 
guage, which he learned to read and write. 
He was two years in Wilkinsonville, 
Mass., near Worcester, working in cotton 
factories and mills; from there went to 
Lower Canada and bought a farm of ninety 
acres, which he sold, and then located in 
Belleville, Upper Canada (Ontario), where 
he again attended night school. On July 
17, 1865, Mr. Connelly was married in 
Belleville to Miss Mary McDermott, a 
native of Canada, daughter of Michael 
McDermott. At this time our subject had 
about one thousand dollars, every cent of 
which he had saved from his own earn- 
ings. In October. 1865, he returned to 
De Pere. Wis., and worked for one year 
for Reed in a sawmill, thence going to 
Bay Settlement, in Scott township. Brown 
county, where he was employed for seven 
years as foreman and superintendent of a 
sawmill, and as foreman in the woods. 
About 1867 he purchased 160 acres of 
land in Bellevue township. Brown county, 
and the family resided there off and on, 
never making a permanent home there, 
however, until 1888, as Mr. Connelly's 
work took him to various places. For 
many years he was in the employ of Anton 
Claus and other lumbermen, and for four 
years resided at Angelica, Wis. , where he 
was superintendent of a sawmill. In 1871 
Mr. and Mrs. Connelly, while residing in 
the town of Scott, lost everything in the 
great fire that broke out there on the 
night of October 7, and which destroyed 
the sawmill, as well as £.11 the surround- 
ing buildings, including the boarding 



I2S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUIVAL RECORD. 



house, besides the cattle, horses, etc. 
Mrs. Connelly and her children escaped 
from the boarding house with nothing but 
their night clothes, and, taking to the 
woods for their lives, succeeded, after a 
desperate fight with fire and smoke, in 
reaching a clearing, where they were in 
comparative safety; but the itifantjohnnie, 
whom the mother carried in her arms, was 
so injured by the heat that it died a few 
months afterward. Mrs. Connelly, as 
soon as possible, went to the home of her 
parents in Belleville, Canada, there to re- 
main till her husband should have a new 
home prepared, and in the meantime he 
and his crew were fighting the flames, 
which continued in great fury for three 
weeks. Prior to the fire Mr. Connelly 
had been working as engineer for a saw- 
mill in l^russels township, Door county; 
but as there was considerable danger of 
fire, of which there was a good deal 
throughout the woods at that time, he 
left there for Scott township, and the 
very night of the breaking out of the fire 
in the latter locality a conflagration burst 
out in Brussels township, which destroyed 
everything for miles around, no less than 
sixtj' people being burned to death, in- 
cluding the man Mr. Connelly had en- 
gaged to take his place; and our subject, 
on visiting the spot shortly afterward, saw 
si.xtecn charred bodies of his old comrades 
lying close together. 

After the fire in Scott township, Mr. 
Connelly put up a mill for Anton Claus 
on the spot where the burned mill stood, 
and this he superintended some ten 
months. His wife and children having 
returned from Canada by this time, he, in 
1888. moved with them to his farm; but 
after two years he removed to Little River 
in order to superintend the erection of a 
mill for Marshall & Holmes. After this 
he again returned to the farm, and re- 
mained there until 1891, in which year he 
came tu Pine Grove, where he now con- 
ducts the "Pine Grove Hotel," of which 
he is proprietor. He is the owner of 227 
acres of land, all representing years of 



hard work and thrift. His success has 
been the direct result of his own individual 
energy and good business management, 
coupled with industry and a strong deter- 
mination to win. ^ His long and varied 
experience in the lumber business made 
him one of the most competent managers 
in that line, and at different times he had 
as many as one hundred men under his 
direction. 

Mr. Connelh- has taken an active and 
leading interest in the welfare of his town- 
ship and county, and is recognized as a 
progressive, loyal citizen. He has served 
his community in various capacities, hav- 
ing been chairman and supervisor of Belle- 
vue township for eight years, and for 
twelve years he was a member of the 
school board, acting as director and treas- 
urer. In his political affiliations Mr. 
Connelly was a Republican until 1884, 
since when he has been non-partisan, 
voting for the best man, regardless of 
party lines. He is not an advocate of 
free trade, but believes in tariff reduction. 
In religious connection he and his wife are 
members of St. Francis Catholic Church. 
De Pere. They had children, as follows: 
Lizzie, wife of Henry Nachtwey, a mer- 
chant of Pine Grove; Rosa, Mrs. Frank 
Novakafsky. of Green Bay; John, de- 
ceased in infancy; and John, Edward and 
Arthur, at home. 



FRANK HEYRMAN. Among the 
earl\- pioneer families of Preble 
township. Brown county, none 
are better known than the Heyr- 
man family, the first of whom to come to 
Wisconsin was John Heyrman fgrand- 
father of Frank Heyrman), who, about 
the year 1856, came to the United States 
from Belgium, where he was a well-to-do 
farmer. 

John Heyrman married in his native 
country, and there three sons were born 
to him: Charles L. , who is mentioned 
farther on; John B., editor of a news- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



paper at De Pere; and Joseph, now de- 
ceased, who was a civil engineer at Green 
Baj'. The mother of these died on the 
ocean, while the family were en route for 
America, and was buried at sea. From 
the port of landing the father and sons 
came by rail to Chicago, III., thence by 
water to Green Bay, Wis., where they 
arrived May 4, 1856. Here they made 
but a short stay while deciding on a place 
to locate, and then made a settlement in 
Preble township, where Mr. Heyrman, 
who was a man of considerable means, 
purchased a farm of 160 acres, the same 
his grandson Frank Heyrman now re- 
sides on. At that time not a tree had 
been felled, nor a habitation of any kind 
erected by white men; but they soon 
had built a log cabin, in which they re- 
sided until 1868, when it was supplanted 
by a more substantial residence, which 
still stands. The land was densely 
covered with oak, pine, hemlock and 
maple trees, and, in the low places, ash 
trees, and wild animals were still numer- 
ous and troublesome. But the forests 
soon gave way before the axe of the pio- 
neer, and the cleared land not only af- 
forded support for the family, but yielded 
a comfortable income as well. On this 
farm John Heyrman passed the remainder 
of his life, dying August 25, 1874, a 
member of the Catholic Church, and he 
was buried in the Finger Church ceme- 
tery. Prior to his decease his two younger 
sons had left home and engaged in busi- 
ness, Charles L. alone remaining on the 
farm. 

Charles L. Heyrman was born Septem- 
ber 8, 1827, in Belgium, and, as will be 
seen, was nearly thirty years of age when 
he came with his father to the United 
States. In Brown county, Wis., on Jan- 
uary 6, 1857, he was united in marriage 
with Miss Monica Van Lent, also a native 
of Belgium, and they immediately settled 
on the home farm with his father, and 
there made a permanent home. To their 
union were born six children, of whom 
Frank is the subject of this sketch; Mary 



is the wife of Martin Lindsley, of Belle- 
vue township; Celia is married to Julius 
Lamal, of Humboldt township; Edward 
died in 1893 at the age of twenty-four 
years; two sons died in infancy. Mr. 
Heyrman was very successful, and became 
one of the leading farmers in his town- 
ship, continuing to live on the home farm 
until his death, which occurred Septem- 
ber 8, 18S9, when he was just sixiy-two 
years old, and his remains now rest m the 
Finger Church cemetery. He was a 
Catholic in religious faith, and one ot the 
founders of the Church of the Holy Mar- 
tyrs of Gorcum, in Preble town.-hip, of 
which for many years he was a leading 
member. Mr. Heyrman served as super- 
visor of his township; in his political 
preferences he was a Democrat, mvari- 
ably supporting that party in State and 
National elections, but in township and 
county affairs he was non-partisan, the 
fitness of a candidate being more im- 
portant to him than party connection. 
Since his death his widow has resided on 
the home farm with our subject; she is a 
devout member of the Catholic Church. 
Frank Heyrman was born November 
25, 1858, in Preble township, Brown 
county, on the farm he now owns and 
resides on. He attended the first school 
ever held in his district, the "hall of 
learning " being a log cabin, and was 
among the first pupils the day it was 
opened, the teacher being Miss Aldrirh, a 
daughter of C. N. Aldrich, of Preble 
township. At the same t'lne he n ceived 
thorough training to agriculture, under the 
direction of his father, on the home place, 
where his whole life has been passed. On 
February 19, 1889, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Clara De- 
Greef, who was born in Humboldt town- 
ship, Brown county. November 27, 1865, 
daughter of Anton De Greef, w ho came 
from Belgium. Three children have been 
born to them, viz : Louis, John and 
Kate, who represent the fourth generation 
of the Hej'rman family who have lived 
on the farm. Politically Mr. Heyrman is 



I30 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



a Democrat, and one of the leadin)^ mem- 
bers of the party in liis township, where 
he has held various offices of honor and 
trust. For two years he served in the 
important position of chairman of the 
township, and has also been assessor, 
proving himself an efficient and trust- 
worthy official. He keeps himself in- 
formed on the movements of his party, 
and is well read on all current topics, 
finding a great help in his excellent mem- 
ory. Though still jounghe is a res]iccted, 
worthy representative of the farming 
community in Preble township, and is 
foremost in every movement of interest 
or benefit to his section. 



NIEI.S HANSEN, contractor and 
builder. Fort Howard. This 
gentleman, who was born in 1840 
in Denmark, is a son of John and 
X'alburg (Holm) Hansen, and one of a 
familv of nine children — five sons and 
four daughters — of whom seven are now 
living, all married: Peter, who lives in 
Prussia, and Johan. in Denmark, both 
blacksmiths; Niels, of Fort Howard; Iver, 
a shoemaker in Denmark; Mary, wife of 
Henry Terp, of Prussia; Anna, wife of 
Peter Lund, a Danish farmer; and Sarah, 
wife of John Zimmerman, of Prussia. 
Their father, who followed blacksmithing 
in early life, afterward became a farmer. 
His death occurred about 1878, and that 
of his widow in 1879, in Denmark. 

Niels Hansen grew to manhood and 
was educated in the vicinity of Kolding, 
Denmark, and during the war between 
Denmark and Prussia served two years 
( 1 863-64) in the Danish army. He learned 
his trade in that country, following it until 
coming to Fort Howard in 1872, in which 
place he is now the oldest contractor. 
Among the many buildings he has erected 
are those of R. M. Wilson, J. L. Jorgen- 
sen, Mrs. Blesch, James Treman, the 
Presbyterian church, Kellogg National 
Bank, Jorgensen & Blesch Company's 



store at Green Ba\', L. Gotfredson's resi- 
dence in the same city, and others. Dur- 
ing the busy season he furnishes employ- 
ment to from fifteen to twenty-five hands. 
His own residence, one of the finest in 
Fort Howard, was built in 1891. Aside 
from this he owns four other dwellings in 
the city, from which he derives rental. 
His propert) has been accumulated 
through untiring industry and close econ- 
omy, and in his declining years will serve 
to furnish him the means for living with- 
out the necessity of hard labor such as his 
former years have experienced. As a 
good citizen he takes avowed interest 
in all that may contribute to the growth 
and prosperity of his city. Mr. Hansen 
was united in marriage, in 1875, to Mary 
M. Peterson, daughter of Anders and 
Mary Peterson, all natives of Denmark, 
where her parents remained. The chil- 
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Hansen are Bertha, 
John, Lizzie and Alvin, and of these, 
John, who is now eighteen years of age, 
holds a position as clerk in the McCart- 
ney National Bank. In political matters 
Mr. Hansen is actively interested, voting 
with the Republican party. Socially he 
is a member of (jreen Bay I^odge, No. 19, 
I. O. O. F. , also of Mistical Seven Coun- 
cil, No. 519, Royal Arcanum, in which 
latter organization he has served one 
term as treasurer and two terms as trus- 
tee. He and his wife are members of the 
Presbyterian Church. 



P1:TKK HOSKENS, a well-to-do 
agriculturist of De Pere township. 
Brown count}-, was born Feb- 
ruary 4. 1S38. in East Flanders, 
Belgium, son of Peter J. and Catherine 
Hoskens, farming people of that countr\\ 
They had a family of thirteen children — 
si.x sons and seven daughters — of whom 
our subject is the eleventh. 

Peter attended the schools of his birth- 
place until he was eleven years of age, 
when he commenced farming, working 



a COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



131 



for his father and others, perforininj4' such 
labor as his age would permit. He re- 
mained in his native country until he 
reached the ajje of twenty-six, when he 
went t(j France, and there worked on 
railroads for a time; he was also employed 
(1867) at work on the then forthcommg 
Paris Exposition. Concluding he could 
improve his condition by coming to the 
United States, Mr. Hoskens returned to 
his native country, and bidding his home 
and friends farewell, set sail August 20, 
1868, from Antwerp for Liverpool, Eng- 
land. At that port he took passage on 
the "Colorado," and after a voyage of 
thirteen days landed in New York, from 
which city he came, with several others of 
his countrymen, to Green Bay, Wis., ar- 
riving September 8. He remained over 
night with John Martin, at the ' ' United 
States Hotel, "and the next day, Sunday, 
came to De Pere. Mr. Hoskens had 
saved a small sum from his earnings, but 
his passage to the United States cost 
three hundred francs, and by the time he 
reached De Pere he had only twenty 
francs with which to begin life in his new 
home. He secured work in a brickyard 
opposite De Pere, remaining there until 
the season closed, in November, and then 
went to Suamico, Brown county, where 
for a short time he was employed 
in the mills. He next went to Stiles, 
Wis., and remained all winter, \\ork- 
ing in the lumber mills and in the 
woods, where he became thoroughly famil- 
iar with the hardships and dangers in- 
cident to lumbering, and the privations 
which must be endured in camp life. But 
this occupation, though dangerous, was 
very popular, as in those earl}' days it 
was a very lucrative business, and was 
an important industry in pioneer times. 
After finishing his work in Stiles our sub- 
ject returned to De Pere, and there re- 
mained until the spring of 1870, when he 
went to Delta county, Mich. , at which 
place he took out his naturalization papers. 
Here he worked at railroading and char- 
coal-burning until 1873, when, having 



saved some money (eight hundred and 
forty dollars), he concluded to pay a visit 
to his native country. He sailed from 
New York to Liverpool, thence to Ant- 
werp, where he arrived in June, 1873. 
On May 16, 1874, he was united in mar- 
riage, at his old home, with Miss Louise 
Van Remoortel, who was born June 25, 
1836, a daughter of Joseph and Celia 
Van Remoortel, and shortly after their 
marriage the young couple sailed from 
Antwerp on the "Switzerland," bound 
for New York, from which city they came 
by rail to De Pere, Wis. In the mean- 
time Thomas Hoskens, brother of our 
subject, had come to the United States 
and purchased the farm now owned by 
Peter, in De Pere township, and for a 
short time they made their home with 
him. But Peter, not wishing to take up 
farming at that time, again went to Delta, 
Mich., resuming his old occupation, 
though he had to work for less than half 
of what he had before received. He lived 
there, however, for three and a half years, 
and then, in August, 1878, returned once 
more to De Pere township, and purchased 
his present farm from his brother Thomas, 
paying eight hundred dollars for forty 
acres. Here he has since been engaged 
in general farming and stock-raising, and 
he has improved his farm and added 
thereto until it now comprises si.xty acres. 
In 1 891 the residence on the place was 
burned, and the following year he built 
the present comfortable home of the 
family, which is the most substantial farm 
residence in the township. The place is 
also equipped with commodious out- 
buildings. Our subject is a self-made 
man in the fullest sense of the word, and 
his success shows what man may do with 
plenty of energy and a determination to 
win. Coming to America a poor man, 
he has, by industry and pluck and strict 
attention to his business, made for him- 
self a comfortable property and gained 
the respect of his fellow citizens for hon- 
esty and integrity. Mr. Hoskens votes 
independently, and does not take any 



132 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGHAPHICAL RECORD. 



active part in political matters. In re- 
ligious connections he and wife are mem- 
bers of St. Mary's Catholic Church, De- 
Pere. They have had one child, Joseph, 
who was born on the farm in Dc Pere 
township, January 29, 1879, and is at 
present attending the De Pere High 
School. He is the only heir of Peter and 
Louise Hoskens, the only living child of 
the three they had by their marriage, and 
the only one for whom they live and work. 
On him they ba.se all their hopes, and, 
therefore, wish to give him a good edu- 
cation. The lad's father says he would 
like him to be something better than a 
farmer, not that he (the father) has any 
distaste for the vocation, but probably 
thinks Joseph should take up one of the 
professions. Grandfather Henry Hoskens 
had six children, five of whom were mar- 
ried, but left only two children, Peter and 
Thomas. The latter has si.\ daughters, 
three of whom are Sisters in the Order of 
Notre Dame, the inclination of the other 
three being in the same direction. The 
family, as far back as known, have be- 
longed to the Roman Catholic faith, and 
Peter Hoskens says that if his son Joseph 
follows their rule, " the laws will be of no 
use to him, for not one of the family has 
ever come before the law." 



DA\ID WELLS BRITTON, the 
most extensive manufacturer of 
cooperage of every kind in the 
Northwest, with his plant at Green 
Bay, was born December 8, 1832, -in 
Sidney Plains, Delaware Co., N. Y. , a 
son of Solomon and Amy (Whitney) Brit- 
ton, who were natives of New England, 
the father having been born in Massa- 
chusetts and the mother in Connecticut. 
In 1806 Solomon Britton removed 
from his native State to Albany county, 
N; Y. , and later to Delaware county, 
where he was married. He followed his 
vocations of farmer and cooper in both 
counties until 1850, in that year coming 



to Green Bay, Wis., where he died in 
1854, his wife in 1856. Walter Whitney, 
the maternal grandfather of our subject, 
was a resident of Albany, N. Y. ; at the 
age of fifteen years he enlisted in the 
patriot army, and served throughout the 
Revolutionary war. The Brittons, who 
are of French extraction, settled in Amer- 
ica during Colonial days, and members of 
that family also served in the war for 
American independence. To the union 
of Solomon and Amy Britton came nine 
children, all born in the State of New 
York, and all deceased with the exception 
of D. W. Britton, the subject of this 
sketch; of the remainder — Dorcas died at 
Long Lake, Minn., in 1884; Walter in 
Knox county. 111., in 1888; Nicholas, at 
Buffalo, N. Y. , in 1869; Emaline, at 
Freeport, 111., in 1850; Julia, in Indiana, 
in 1874; the other three died in New York 
State — Hannah, in 1838, at the age of 
seventeen, and two in infancy. 

D. W. Britton was educated in the 
schools of Delaware county and Buffalo, 
N. Y. At the age of eighteen he moved 
with his parents to Green Bay (previous 
to which he had resided four years in 
Ashville, N. Y.), and the same year 
opened out the cooperage business on 
premises beginning at the confluence of 
the East and Fox rivers, retaining that 
yard one year, after which he moved to 
the present site of the Green Bay Car- 
riage Co., holding possession here until 
1867, when he removed to his present 
extensive yards and shops, which are now 
the largest establishment — or promise to 
be, to say the least — of any of the kind 
in the great Northwest. In little over 
three decades a business has been estab- 
lished that would, in the conservative 
countries of the Old World, have taken 
several generations to build up. With 
shops supplied with every description of 
the most desirable machinery required in 
the business; with his immense yards, 
filled with every form of lumber demanded 
by his trade, Mr. Britton's operations are 
seen to require a more than ordinary ex- 



%•. 



'm 



m 



4 



m 





^ar^tZ&-iAj 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



135 



ecutive ability and a knowledge of detail 
that would dismay the ordinary mind. 
The manufactory and contingents oc- 
cupy nearly fifteen acres, and Mr. Brit- 
ton's operations extend into twelve dif- 
ferent States, in itself significant of what 
great advantage to the citj' such an insti- 
tution must be. One hundred and thirty 
men, on an average, are employed, and 
allotting a family of three to each man 
(the lowest estimate allowed by statis- 
ticians), it would indicate a population of 
nearly four hundred, all of whom depend 
for their subsistence upon the enterprise 
and ability of Mr. Britton. Illustrative 
of hi3 methods it ma\' be mentioned that 
all workmen are regularly paid each Mon- 
day — a consideration of great moment to 
the poor man, and one which frees him 
from the clutches of debt, that monster 
that follows close in the train of the 
monthly payment system. It is not only 
better for the workman, but a great 
desideratum with the merchants who sup- 
ply his daily needs. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Britton 
is a Republican, and under the auspices 
of that party has most satisfactorily served 
as alderman of Green Bay three terms; he 
has also done good service on the board 
of health, on the school board, and one 
term as fire warden. He was one of the 
promoters and organizers of the Fair and 
Park Association, was its first president, 
serving two years, and is at present one 
of its directors. He is a stockholder in 
the Kellogg National Bank, and is always 
one of the first to assist in any enterprise 
tending to promote the public good. So- 
cially he is a member of Washington 
Lodge, No. 21, F. & .A. M., and of the 
I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 19. 

Mr. Britton was first married, in 1853, 
to Miss Frances Daggett, a native of New 
York, whose father, E. Daggett, came to 
Wisconsin years ago, locating first at Ke- 
nosha, and afterward, in 1852, engaging 
in the manufacture of shingles at Green 
Bay; he died in Suamico township. Brown 

county. Mrs. Frances Britton died the 
8 



year of her marriage, and in 1855 Mr. 
Britton wedded Jerusha Kelsey, who was 
reared in Green Bay; she died in 1856, 
the mother of one child, who died when 
one year old. Mr. Britton's third mar- 
riage was solemnized in 1859, the lady of 
his choice being Laura Strickland, whose 
death occurred September i, 1890. This 
union was blessed with two children, 
Elmer E., married, and Sarah Josephine, 
who died at the age of two years and eight 
months. For his fourth wife Mr. Britton. 
married, October 18, 1892, Amy Thrall, 
a native of New York. Mr. Britton is- 
one of the oldest and most prominent fig- 
ures in the commercial circles of Green 
Bay, as well as one of the most extensive 
business men of the Northwest, and his 
experience has extended over the most 
progressive periods in the history of Green 
Bay and Brown county. 



JOHN Mcknight, an esteemed and 
prosperous farmer of New Denmark 
township, is a native of the land 
of Erin, born in 1833, son of John 
and Bridget (Frawley) McKnight, the 
former of whom was a farmer. Our sub- 
ject was the eldest in their family of five 
children, namely: John, Margaret, Mar- 
tin, Michael and Catherine. 

About 1847 the family sailed for 
America, and during the six-weeks' voy- 
age the father died and was buried at 
sea. The mother and children landed at 
Quebec, thence traveling to Burlington, 
Vt., where they lived one year, and then 
returned to Quebec, where Mrs. McKnight 
purchased some property, and there 
passed the remainder of her life. John 
McKnight remained with his mother sev- 
eral years after coming to America and 
then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where 
he lived about three years, principally 
engaged in farming. From there he went 
to La Fayette, Ind , where he worked as 
day laborer for about a year, after which 
he migrated to Brown county. Wis., and 



136 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



entered the employ of the Two Rivers 
Company, continuing to work for them 
several winters, in the summer time doing 
farm labor. 

In 1859 he was married to Miss Mar- 
garet Smith, also born in Ireland, daugh- 
ter of James and Mary Smith, who died 
when she was a child; she came to the 
United States when about twenty-five 
years old. After his marriage Mr. Mc- 
Knight bought forty acres of wild land in 
New Denmark township, and a few years 
later added an adjoining forty-acre tract, 
subsequently making other additions to 
the place, which now comprises 1 18 acres, 
all of which he has cleared and improved 
himself. To Mr. and Mrs. McKnight 
have been born ten children, viz. ; Michael, 
Catherine, Mary, Margaret(Mrs.T. Arens), 
John, Martin, Julia, Bridget, Honora and 
George. The family give twelve mem- 
bers to the Catholic Church. Politically 
Mr. McKnight is a Democrat, but not a 
strong partisan, and does not aspire to 
office, though he has served as school 
director. He is much respected in his 
community, where he is regarded as a 
faithful, loyal citizen. 



WILLIAM HANDEYSIDE, the 
very popular liveryman of De- 
Pere, Brown county, was born 
September 15, 1843, in York- 
shire, England, and is a son of Roger and 
Ann (Stevenson) Handeyside, who were 
the parents of nine children, William 
being the eldest. In April, 1849, Roger 
Handeyside, who was a shepherd in the 
old country, sailed from Hull, England, 
for Quebec, Canada, the voyage lasting 
forty-three days. After experiencing 
many " ups and downs " in Canada, the 
family came to the United States in 1858, 
settling in Wayne county, Mich., where 
several members still reside. The father 
is now eighty-two years of age, the mother 
died November 10, 1877. 

William Handeyside has earned his 



living since he was fifteen years old, and 
until he reached the age of twenty-one 
gave all his earnings, like the dutiful son 
that he was, to his parents. As a dutiful 
citizen, also, he enlisted, November 18, 
1864, in Company C, Thirtieth Mich. V. 
I., and served until June 17, 1865, prin- 
cipally on detached duty. He then re- 
turned to Michigan, and worked at farm- 
ing and broom-making ; next went to 
Kentucky; thence back to Michigan; then 
to Green Bay, Wis. ; thence to Marquette, 
Mich., where he was employed a year 
and a half as teamster at the Morgan 
Iron Furnace, No. i, and worked himself 
up to engineer of Furnace No. 2. In 
August, 1868, he came to De Pere, and 
for nine years was employed as en- 
gineer for the Fox River Company; then 
was employed at E. E. Bolle's Wooden- 
ware Co. 's Works, as engineer and fore- 
man in the lumber yard; thence went to 
Glenmore township, where he conducted 
a mill and store for his employers; then 
returned to De Pere and organized the 
VanGalder & Handeyside Co., for making 
imitation cedar cigar-box lumber, and at 
the end of a year became sole proprietor 
of the plant, but was soon afterward burned 
out. In June, 1889, he became a member 
of the firm of Thiele & Handeyside, now 
the most popular and successful livery 
men in the city of De Pere. 

On January 19, 1873, Mr. Handey- 
side was united in marriage with Miss 
Blanche Packard, daughter of John and 
Diantha (Hannon) Packard, the former a 
native of Canada, the latter of New York 
State. Mrs. Handeyside is the seventh 
child in a family of nine, the other eight 
being Winslow H., who served three 
years in the Union army and died Sep- 
tember 13, 1874, leaving a wife and two 
children, Mary and Cynthia; Florence A., 
now the wife of John Handeyside, her 
former husband, John Leach, having been 
killed in the Civil war; William P., of 
Canton, Wayne Co., Mich. ; Silas J., who 
died at the age of twenty-seven; Cynthia, 
now Mrs. William McKinstrey, of Jack- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BE CORD. 



137 



son, Mich.; George W., who died at the 
age of ten; Martha, who died at the 
age of nineteen, and Eibertie, now on 
the homestead at Canton, Wayne Co., 
Mich. The father of this familj', who 
was a pioneer of Wayne county, Mich., 
died May 20, 1886, his wife following 
him to the land of eternal rest December 
2, 1888, both dying at the age of sixty- 
eight years. Mr. Handeyside and his 
wife are both Baptists in their religious 
belief, but there is no church of that de- 
nomination at De Pere with which to af- 
filiate. In politics he is a Republican; 
socially he is a member of the Soldiers' 
Relief Committee, appointed by the county 
judge, and is also a member of the F. & 
A. M., I. O. O. F.; K. of P., G. A. R., 
and Temple of Honor. He has won a 
high place in the confidence of the busi- 
ness men of the community, and is highly 
esteemed in a wide circle of social ac- 
quaintances. Mrs. Handeyside is a 
member of the Women's Relief Corps of 
the G. A. R. , and of the Social Temple — 
the latter an auxiliary degree of the Tem- 
ple of Honor — and enjoys, with her hus- 
band, the respect of all acquaintances. 



CARL G. MUELLER (deceased), 
well-known and highly respected 
in his day in both county and 
State, was born January 8, 1834, 
in Saxony, Germany, and in 1852 came 
to America with his father and a brother 
and sister, his mother having died in the 
old country when he was but three years 
old. The family, on arriving in the United 
States, located near Milwaukee, Wis., and, 
for about two years, Carl G. clerked in 
a general store in the village of Calumet 
and other localities, in 1856 settling in 
Wrightstown, Brown county, where for 
two years he clerked in a hotel. He then 
opened a general store in the village, 
which was one of the first in this section, 
and practically succeeded to the business 
interests of the Wrights, who were the 



founders of the place. In August, 1861, 
he married Miss Mary Thompson, who 
was born December 9, 1841, in Gran- 
ville, a suburb of Milwaukee, one of a 
family of nine children born to William 
and Frances (Quinette) Thompson, the 
former of whom was a native of Scotland, 
and an early settler in Milwaukee county, 
Wis. He died in Wrightstown at the 
age of seventy-three; his wife, who was 
born in France, is still living in Wrights- 
town. Of the thirteen children born to 
the marriage of Carl G. and Mary Mueller 
six sons and one daughter have been 
called away. The survivors are Charles 
W. (whose name opens this sketch), 
Emma, Mary, Clara E., Gertrude and 
Selma. Mr. Mueller continued to carry 
on his general store after his marriage, 
and was honored and respected by the 
entire community until the day of his 
death; and, indeed, his memory is still 
cherished with affection by those who 
knew him. He was a gentleman of a 
most enterprising spirit as well as of phil- 
anthropic disposition; was prosperous as 
a merchant, and invested his profits in 
large tracts of wild land, giving poor per- 
sons every opportunity to buy a home 
cheaply and get a start in life. It was a 
prominent trait in his character that in 
old times, when the country was new and 
money scarce, he would advance all need- 
ful supplies, and even money to the poor 
and rich, alike. In fact, all had unlimit- 
ed credit, as can be readily testified to by 
the old residents; to which fact, however, 
sad to relate, he lost the greater portion 
of his estate (which at one time was esti- 
mated to be worth over one hundred 
thousand dollars), many of those whom 
he had befriended when in need refusing 
to pav their obligations when the}' found 
themselves in more prosperous circum- 
stances. For years he ran the ferry 
across Fox river, and afterward built and 
operated the fir=t bridsre across that river, 
at this place a floating bridge. He built 
the "American House," the best hotel in 
the town, and was landlord of same; 



13^5 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



also built and operated a brewery on 
the west side of the village: started the 
first sawmill in Wrightstown, and a few 
years later also opened a general store and 
built a sawmill in Ashland, Wis. Just 
prior to his death he sold the Ashland 
mill, however, and after his demise the 
entire business at Ashland was closed up. 
Mr. Mueller was a devout Christian, ac- 
tive in religious work. He assisted in or- 
ganizing the first Lutheran Society in 
Wrightstown, gave the ground on which 
to build a church, much of the timber 
necessary for the building, and a good 
portion of the cash requisite for its erec- 
tion. It is said cjf him by the residents 
of Wrightstown that he gave sites for and 
helped, financially, all the churches and 
schools on the east side of the villiage of 
W'rightstown. In politics he was a life- 
long Ueniocrat, and for over twenty-five 
years was postmaster, also filling several 
other local offices with honor and credit 
at different times. He was the architect 
of his own fortune, and was in every re- 
spect a representative self-made man. 
His funeral took place from the Lutheran 
Church December 15, 1886, and was the 
largest ever seen in this part of the coun- 
try; so great, indeed, was the attendance 
of Germans, Americans and others, that 
two sermons were delivered, one in Ger- 
man and the other in English. His 
death was a sad blow to the entire com- 
munity, as he was not only a friend to the 
individual members thereof, but was also 
looked upon as one of the fathers of 
Wrightstown. His estimable widow still 
lias her residence at the old home, sur- 
rounded by her children and every com- 
fort calculated to make life desirable. She 
is a devout member of the Catholic 
Church, a kind and lovable woman, a 
noble mother, and a model of honor in 
her daily walk throuefh life. 

CHARLES W. MUELLER.the eldest 
son of this honored gentleman, was born 
in Wrightstown township. Brown Co., 
Wis., December 27, 1862. He is now 
the manager of the estate, and displays a 



rare business talent, which already marks 
him as one of the future representative 
men of his county. He has filled several 
local offices, and is at present clerk of the 
village and township, which responsible 
offices he has filled with credit for the 
past two years. He is a graduate of Ap- 
pleton high school, and he and his sisters 
have been reared to a faithful observance 
of the doctrines of the Catholic Church. 
From an early day he was his father's 
chief assistant, and, after the death of the 
latter, successfully conducted the large 
business in all its details, until his own 
marriage, when he wound up the business 
and has since had charge of the estate 
and everything pertaining to it. He was 
wedded in 1886 to Miss Louisa Delger, a 
native of Calumet county, Wis., and 
daughter of August and Estina Delger, 
both of whom are now deceased. Two 
children have blessed this union, viz. : 
Edwin and Irene. Socially Mr. and Mrs. 
Mueller stand in the front rank in their 
community, and as a business man he has 
the respect of all acquaintances. 



AUGUST H.AESE, prominent as a 
farmer and sawmill owner of 
Morrison township, Brown county, 
was born January 10, 1843, ''i 
Northern Prussia, son of Christoff Haese, 
a farmer. 

At the age of eleven years our subject 
emigrated, in company with his brother, 
John Ferdinand, to the United States, 
landing in New York, thence coming di- 
rectly to Manitowoc county. Wis., where 
a brother, a sister, and a brother-in-law 
were then living. Although a mere lad, 
August, after attending school a }ear, 
went to work in the woods at shingle 
making, then an industry pursued alto- 
gether by hand. Early in the spring of 
I 860 he went to Spring Lake Prairie, and 
for eight months worked on a farm at six 
dollars per month. He saved his earn- 
ings here, and also the money he earned 



COMMEMORATIVE BWGBAPUWAL RECORD. 



139 



later near Ripon, in Fond du Lac county. 
In the latter part of August, 1862, he re- 
turned to Manitowoc county, enlisted in 
Company F, Twenty-sixth Wis. V. I., 
and was sent to Milwaukee, whence, after 
two weeks' drilHng, he was returned 
home on account of being too young for 
a soldier and his father refusing to sign 
his enlistment papers. For a few years 
following he worked in the northern part 
of the State in sawmills and at lumbering, 
and then, in January, 1867, in company 
with his brother Ferdinand and another 
comrade, he settled on Section 22, in 
Morrison township, where the three 
erected a sawmill in a dense forest, the 
nearest road to the mill being the old 
stage road, one and a half miles west. 
Here, on the Branch river, the partner- 
ship lasted for a year and a half, Mr. 
Haese at that time buying his partners 
out and forming a new firm, comprising 
himself and his brothers Ferdinand and 
Albert, who for seven years worked sol- 
idly together, and consequently prospered. 

On January 15, 1869, Mr. Haese 
married, in Cooperstown, Wis. , Miss Ma- 
tilda Olp, who was born in Milwaukee in 
1850, a daughter of Ferdinand Olp, a na- 
tive of Prussia. The young couple went to 
housekeeping in a log cabin that stood 
north of their present fine residence 
which Mr. Haese erected in 1883. The 
children born to this union were as^ol- 
lows: Helena, who died at the age of 
seventeen; Louisa, now Mrs. Louis Falck; 
Robert C, an assistant of his father; Ida, 
Emma and Bertha, at home; August, who 
died at nine years of age; and Julia (twin 
of August), who lives at home; Arthur, 
also at home, and Ella, the survivor of a 
twin that died at birth. 

The Haese brothers remained together 
in business until 1876, when August 
bought the interest of the other two; one 
year after his making this purchase his 
mill was destroyed by fire. He had no 
insurance and but little capital left, but 
he had good credit, the next best thing to 
cash, and, probably a better thing yet, 



an unimpeachable character for integrity. 
Three solid contractors were anxious to 
secure the job of rebuilding, knowing full 
well that their pay would be certain if the 
life of Mr. Haese were spared, and that 
they would be fully reimbursed for their 
cash outlay and expenditure of time. So 
the mill was rebuilt, and paid for by Mr. 
Haese. and now, for twenty-seven years, 
he has been continuously and prosperously 
conducting the business on his own prop- 
erty — a tract of 160 acres. In 1869 he 
added farming to his milling industry, and 
has been as successful as an agriculturist 
as he has been as a mill man. This farm 
was literally hewn out of the woods, but 
is now a model of thrift and beauty and 
skillful culture. 

Mr. Haese's political proclivities are 
Democratic, but he prefers active busi- 
ness interests to the ephemeral ones of 
party politics, and wisely has never been 
an office seeker. He and his family are 
members of the Lutheran Church, and 
for six years he has been a deacon. His 
aim has always been to be a good citizen 
and so to train his children, and there is 
no family in the township that stands 
higher socially than his. When it is re- 
membered that he had no assistance in a 
pecuniary sense in his start in life; that 
his mother died when he was but three 
years of age, and that he was reared 
without the fostering care of the parent, 
who, as a rule, imparts the virtuous les- 
sons that from infancy onward make the 
man what he ought to be morally, it be- 
comes a matter of wonder that he has 
succeeded so well; and it may be inci- 
dentally added that his course through 
life is well worthy the emulation of the 
youth of our land. 



N 



lELS RASMUSSEN, one of the 

well-to-do farmers of Glenmore 

township. Brown county, was 

born November 11, 1838, in the 

Kingdom of Denmark, son of Rasmus 



140 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Christensen, who was employed as a farm 
hand by a large landowner for forty years, 
and who died in Denmark, as did also his 
wife. They were the parents of ten chil- 
dren — four sons and six daughters — of 
whom Niels is the eldest son and the sec- 
ond child in order of birth. 

Niels Rasmussen attended school in 
his native country from his seventh to his 
fourteenth year. He was reared to farm- 
ing, which he continued to follow until he 
was twenty-one years old, about which 
time he joined the army, serving seven- 
teen months. In 1863 he again joined 
the army, also in 1864, during the war 
with Prussia, ami while i.n the service was 
never wounded, though his clothing was 
pierced by a ball. On March 16, 1866, 
he married Miss Hannah Neilson, who 
was born June 2 1839, (daughter of Niels 
Anderson, a farmer in comfortable cir- 
cumstances), and attended school from 
the time she was seven years old until she 
reached the age of fifteen. One child was 
born to this union in Denmark, Mary, 
now the wife of J. P. Christenson, of 
Glenmore township. Brown countv. After 
his marriage Mr. Rasmussen worked as 
a laborer for a grain merchant on the 
Island of Moen, Denmark, until 1869, in 
the spring of which year, bidding their 
native land farewell, he and his little 
family proceeded from Copenhagen to 
Hull, I^ngland, and thence to Liverpool, 
where they took pa'^sage on the "North 
America" on April i, setting sail for 
America. The boat was bound for 
Quebec, but as it was early in the season 
the ice compelled them to put in at Port- 
land, Maine, and they landed there on 
the 14th of April. They had tickets for 
Green Bay, Wis. , whither they came via 
Chicago (where a sister of Mrs. Rasmus- 
sen was living), arriving at their destina- 
tion, April 21, strangers in a strange land, 
and totally unacquainted with the English 
language. The family remained in Green 
Ba\- while Mr. Rasmussen went to Glen- 
more township, where a brother resided, 
and during that summer he worked as a 



farm hand, also making shingles and do- 
ing anything else he could to earn an 
honest dollar to support his family. In 
the fall of 1869 he purchased a piece of 
land in section 24, Glenmore township, 
but through some mistake commenced 
clearing the wrong tract, and it was not 
until 1884, after much expensive litiga- 
tion, that he finally secured a clear title 
to his land. He now has a fine farm of 
120 acres, all of which has been cleared 
by him, or under his direction, a laborious 
task, and one which occupied many years. 
But from being a poor man he has, by 
honest industry and assiduous toil, become 
a well-to-do farmer and landowner. 

He and his wife had five children 
born to them in Wisconsin, namely: 
Charles, Lawrence, Andrew and Alfred, 
all living, and Niels, who died in infancy. 
The sons, who are all hard-workingyoung 
men, have been of great assistance to 
their father in the cultivation of the farm, 
which is one of the best-improved places 
in the township, the buildings being ex- 
ceptionally fine, and the barn one of the 
most commodious in the vicinity. In 
politics our subject is not an ardent party 
man, voting usually for the best man re- 
gardless of party, and he has served as 
school director in his township. He and 
his wife are members of the Lutheran 
Church of Denmark, and they are known 
and respected throughout their commu- 
nity as kind-hearted, hospitable people. 



FELIX LUROUIN, Fort Howard. 
The pioneer settlers in the Green 
Bay region had many difficulties 
to encounter in the earh' days, 
but they were, for the most part, hardy 
and persevering men, and more than one 
lived to see his final triumph over them all. 
Among these there have been persons of 
various nativities, all alike struggling to 
acquire a competence, and all developing 
into excellent citizens, public-spirited and 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 



141 



alive to the best interests of their com- 
munity. 

Fehx Lurquin was born in 1842, in the 
village of Blanden, Belgium, son of Joseph 
and Mary (Haazendonk) Lurquin, who 
had a family of five children, as follows: 
John B., married and residing on Elmore 
street. Fort Howard, where he is engaged 
in gardening; Collett, wife of John B. 
Vanderveken, residing in Belgium; Felix, 
our subject; and August and Leonie, both 
residents of Belgium, the latter the widow 
of Bernard Nakaars. The parents both 
died in the old country in the same month 
in 1893, the father aged eighty-six and 
the mother eighty-four years. 

Mr. Lurquin was educated and grew 
to man's estate in Belgium, and in 1865 
was married in that country to Miss Rosa- 
line De \to3', daughter of Franz and 
Johanna (Kattersoll) De Vroy, all natives 
of the same countr}-, where her parents 
passed their entire lives. Upon coming 
to Green Bay, in 1866, Mr. Lurquin found 
employment as a day laborer, and in the 
fall of 1867 removed to Fort Howard, 
settling where he now resides, on Dous- 
man street. Purchasing four acres of land 
from Mr. Elmore he engaged in garden- 
ing, and subsequently added a considera- 
ble area to this original small tract, still 
owning twelve acres, besides which he 
sold fourteen acres and gave eight and a 
half acres to his children. In 1876 he 
built his present brick residence, and is 
the owner of the fine brick Fink block 
on Dousman street, which he purchased 
in 1893. In politics Mr. Lurquin is a 
Democrat, and takes an active interest in 
the workings of his party; he was city 
marshal of Fort Howard for five years, 
serving twice in that capacity, and for two 
years he was superintendent of streets, 
but he is by no means an office-seeker. 
He and his wife are members of St. Willi- 
brord's Catholic Church at Green Bay. 
When they built their home at Fort 
Howard it was in the woods, but the place 
has grown beyond its then narrow con- 
fines, having developed to a degree per- 



haps never anticipated by its pioneer set- 
tlers, and their home is now within the 
city limits. Mr. Lurquin has adhered to 
industrious habits, and by perseverance 
has accumulated the property he now pos- 
sesses. When he and his wife arrived in 
this country, in 1866, they were without 
money, and all that they succeeded in 
gathering together has been acquired by 
hard labor and assiduous industry; at the 
present writing he has an independent 
competence, and is counted among the 
substantial citizens of Fort Howard. He 
is a worthy example of the pioneers who 
hewed out a home in the midst of a forest, 
and from a start of nothing secured a 
comfortable property by patient toil. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lurquin 
are: Joseph, who married Frances Deu- 
ster, and resides in the same house with 
his parents (they have one child, Henry); 
and Nettie, the wife of Ferdinand De- 
Volder, of Fort Howard, who has one 
daughter, Rosaline (she had a son who 
died February 14, 1894). 



EMILE VAN CALSTER, one of 
the respected self-made farmers of 
Bellevue township. Brown coun- 
ty, was born April 20, 1840, in 
Belgium, son of Gregg Van Calster, a 
blacksmith, who had eight children — 
four sons and four daughters — of whom 
Emile is the eldest. 

Our subject attended the schools of 
Belgium until he was eleven years old, 
after which, for eight years, he was em- 
ployed in the thread mills. When about 
twenty years old he commenced to learn 
the trade of painter, in which he con- 
tinued five years. Then, in the spring of 
1865, he sailed from Antwerp, and after 
a voyage of fourteen days landed at New 
York City, thence immediately coming to 
Wisconsin, and on June i landing at 
Green Bay, eighty dollars in debt, as he 
had borrowed to pay the expenses of the 
journey. In Green Bay he secured work 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



at his trade, which he continued to follow 
until 1872. In the meantime he had 
purchased thirtj' acres in Bellevue town- 
ship, where he now lives, at that time all 
new land, and put up the first dwelling, a 
24x28 house, himself, removing thereon 
in 1870. On December 25, 1867, Mr. 
Van Calster was married, in Green Bay, 
to Miss Hortense Daix, who was born 
January 18, 1841, near his home in Bel- 
gium, a daughter of Anton Daix, who 
died in Belgium. In 1865, his widow, 
Mrs. Daix, came with her family to Wis- 
consin, our subject being also one of 
the party. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Van Calster have 
been born the following named children : 
Joseph (who is a carpenter in Green Bay) ; 
Constance, Julius, and Sarah, at home; 
and two that died, Constance when seven 
years old, and Alvinia, when two and a 
half years old. Since 1872 our subject 
has given his attention principally to his 
farm, and he now has 120 acres of fine 
land, all improved by himself, where he 
is engaged in farming, in connection with 
which he also conducts a dairy business, 
lindustry and good management have 
brought him success, and he is highly es- 
teemed in his township. Politically he is 
a Republican, and has served his township 
as road master. In religious belief he 
and his wife are Spiritualists. 



Z.\CHAKIE GOFFART. Among 
the intelligent, prosperous agricul- 
turists and self-made citizens of 
Dc Pere township, none is more 
deserving of mention than the one whose 
name is here recorded. He was born 
August I, 1842, in Belgium, a son of 
Peter J. Goffart, who was a merchant and 
landowner in his native land, and in com- 
fortable circumstances. He died when 
his son, Zacharie was twelve years old. 

Zacharic Goffart received all his edu- 
cation in Belgium, and when, about four- 
teen \'ears old, came with his widowed 



mother to the United States. They sailed 
from Antwerp in April, 1857, on the 
"Westphalia,' and came via Quebec to 
Green Bay, Wis., where they arrived 
eight weeks after leaving their home. An 
older brother of our subject, Ferdinand, 
had preceded them to this country, and 
they all resided for a time in Green Bay 
township; but the la,nd was poor, and 
they soon afterward moved to De Pore 
township, along the East river. In this 
region, which was then all in the woods 
and abounded with wild animals, Zacharie 
was reared to manhood, and, there being 
no lack of work he commenced early to 
assist in the clearing of the land. From 
De Pere the family later removed to 
Rockland township, where they resided 
seven years. 

On June 11, 1867, Mr. Goffart was 
married, in De Pere, to Miss Mary T. 
Daix, a native of Belgium, and to this 
union were born six children, four of 
whom are yet living, namely: Catherine, 
Ellen (a school teacher, of Peoria, 111.), 
Hortense (a school teacher at Steven's 
Point, Wis.), and Leo (living at home). 
The mother of these died November 10, 
1879, and was buried in De Pere ceme- 
tery, and on January 10, 1881, Mr. Gof- 
fart was married, in De Pere, to his pres- 
ent wife, Elizabeth Becher. She was 
born March 17, 1 861, in New Denmark 
townshi]!. Brown county, a daughter 
of Joseph Becher, who was a native 
of Germany. To this marriage were born 
children as follows: Emil}', Constant 
(deceased), Joseph, John, Edward, Zach- 
ariah, Elizabeth, and Flora (deceased). 
After his marriage Mr. Goffart first lo- 
cated in De Pere township, along East 
river, and then for seven years resided in 
Rockland township. In 1892 he remo\ed 
to the city of De Pere, where he owns 
twenty acres within the corporation limits 
and forty-four acres outside in the town- 
ship, private claim No. 35. He has fol- 
lowed general farming and stock raising, 
and has met with encouraging success. 
He has seen the entire surroundin'j coun- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUWAL RECORD. 



'43 



try transformed from the woods to fertile, 
well-kept farms, and has himself taken no 
small part in the development of his sec- 
tion. He has been a hard-workinjj man, 
and by industry and energy has earned for 
himself a comfortable, well-improved farm 
and home. In his political affiliations he 
is a Democrat, but he does not take any 
active interest in party affairs, preferring 
to give his attention exclusively to his 
private business interests; but, though 
not an aspirant for office, he has served 
as roadmaster in Rockland and De Pare 
townships. Though Mr. Goffart's early 
educational ad\antages were somewhat 
limited, he has acquired a good store of 
knowledge by reading and observation; 
he takes great interest in the newspapers 
cf his section, as well as others of general 
interest, and keeps himself well informed, 
on current topics. He has ever been and 
is yet a very active man, always finding 
something to occupy his time. He has 
crossed the Atlantic five times, having 
paid two visits to his native home since 
coming to the United States, taking the 
first trip in 1S71. In 1S93 he proceeded 
over the Baltimore & Ohio railway to 
New York, where he embarked on the 
Red Star liner "Westerland" for Antwerp, 
and spent two months as a guest at the 
same house where he was born, as well 
as his mother and grandmother. Mr. 
Goffart has also journeyed throughout the 
Great West, for the benefit of his health, 
which was much improved, and all in all 
there are few farmers of his section who 
have traveled more extensively. 



PETER VANDERK INTER. 
Brown county is indebted to the 
little kingdom of Holland for 
many of her most loyal and sub- 
stantial farmer citizens, prominent among 
whom in New Denmark township is the 
gentleman here named. He was born in 
Holland December 25, 181 8, a son of 
Peter and Anna (Cooper) Vanderkinter, 



who reared a family of seven children, 
named as follows: Jacob, Mary, Duke, 
Leona, Catherine, John and Peter. The 
father owned a small farm, which he cul- 
tivated, and by thrift and industry was 
enabled to support his family in comfort. 
Peter Vanderkinter lived with his par- 
ents until he reached the age of eighteen 
years, at which time he entered the army, 
remaining in the service ten years. He 
then sailed for America in company with 
two other young men, and landed in New 
York after a voyage of thirty-seven days, 
during which one of his companions was 
so seriously injured that he died a short 
time after landing; the other young man 
lived in New York State six years, and 
then returned to his native land. Our 
subject was penniless on his arrival in the 
New World, and found employment with- 
out delay, working first for a gardener in 
New York at four dollars a month, and 
later going to New Jersey, where he re- 
mained seven j'ears, following the same 
line of work. Here he was married 
March 9, 1850, to Miss Anna Bush, and 
they came westward to Wisconsin, Mr. 
Vanderkinter working near Sheboj-gan as 
a farm hand for a year and a half, thence 
moving to New Denmark township, 
Browncounty, where he took up eighty 
acres of land, a complete wilderness at 
that time, and set about the task of con- 
verting it into a pleasant, fertile farm. 
He and his wife lived with their nearest 
neighbor until the log shanty, 18 x 20, was 
ready for occupancy, and this was their 
home for seven years, when a more sub- 
stantial one took its place; which in its 
turn was in course of time supplanted by 
the modern frame house now occupied by 
Frank Vanderkinter. The clearing of the 
land necessarily progressed slowly, for 
our subject had no team during the first 
six years, and therefore he had to hire 
such aid, working out bv the day to pay 
for it. All the trading had to be done at 
Green Bay, and, having to walk the entire 
distance, a trip to town occupied three 
davs. About fifteen vears after his removal 



144 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 



here Mr. Vanderkinter purchased another 
forty-acre tract of wild hind, which he has 
also cleared and improved, the farm being 
well-equipped with outbuildinj^s, and 
other accessories. 

To our subject and wife were born 
twelve children, as follows: Jacob, John, 
Rozina, Anna, triplets who died in in- 
fancy, Peter, Frank, Henry, Abraham 
and William, of which large family but 
four are now living: John, Frank, Henry 
and \\'illiam. The mother of these 
passed from earth March i, 1885, and 
was laid to rest in New Denmark ceme- 
tery, deeply mourned by all who knew 
her. Frank Vanderkinter has always re- 
mained on the home farm, of which he 
now has the principal management, his 
father having retired from active work. 
On August 18, 1888, he was married to 
Miss Minnie Fager, daughter of August 
and Hannah Fager, and their union has 
been blessed with three children: Will- 
iam, F"rederick and Henry. Politically 
Mr. Vanderkinter is a Democrat, but not 
active in party affairs. 



CW. STRECKENBACH. Far 
across the stormy Atlantic, in the 
quaint old German Fatherland, 
Ernest Streckenbach and Nettie 
Miller, his wife, were born. Both sought 
homes in the country of the stars and 
stripes, coming to Brown county, Wis., 
in the days when it was practically an un- 
broken wilderness. 

Mr. Streckenbach reached Green Bay 
in 1 848, married, and settled in the woods 
of Pittsfield township. Brown county, 
where he erected a log cabin and began 
the improvement of his land. ' It may be 
readily imagined that the young German 
soldier found this life wonderfully difTer- 
ent from what he had been accustomed to; 
but he bravely plodded ahead, and lived 
to see great changes accomplislied in the 
region about him. Four children came 
to gladden the home: Edward C., now 



engaged in the boot and shoe business at 
Fort Howard; Pauline, wife of L. C. 
Schilling; Louise, teacher in the public 
schools of Milwaukee; and the subject of 
this sketch. Mrs. Streckenbach, who had 
also come with her parents to Green Bay 
in 1 848, was called upon in 1 863 to mourn 
the death of her husband, who passed 
away in that year. She subsequently be- 
came the wife of Henry Rathman, and 
bore him four children: Lena, now Mrs. 
Alvin Outland, of Green Baj'; Clara, wife 
of W. W. Nuss. also of Green Bay; 
Emma, teacher in the public schools of 
the same city, and one deceased. 

C. W. Streckenbach was born in 1861 
in Pittsfield township. Brown Co., Wis. 
Coming to Green Bay at an early age, he 
acquired a common education in the pub- 
schools and at Prof. Murch's business 
college. At the age of thirteen years he 
engaged in the cooperage business in a 
plant, a portion of which is now owned by 
D. W. Britton. In 1885 the present 
wholesale firm of C. W. Streckenbach & 
Co. was formed. These gentlemen deal 
extensively in oysters and fish, and fur- 
nish employment at their establishment to 
twelve or fifteen men. In September, 
1890, Mr. Streckenbach was united in 
marriage, at Stephenson, Mich., with 
Miss Maud Benjamin, a native of Mani- 
towoc county. Wis., where her father, 
Sumner Benjamin, was a respected pio- 
neer; he now resides at Stephenson, and 
is a millwright by occupation. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Streckenbach have been born 
two children, Sumner and Hazel. Mr. 
Streckenbach is a Republican in politics, 
and takes a becoming interest in the af- 
fairs of his party. He is a member of 
the Royal Arcanum, Council No. 546; 
also of Pochequette Lodge, No. 126, K. 
of P. His estimable wife, who was reared 
a Methodist, attends the services of the 
M. E. Church. 

In a region like that surrounding Green 
Bay, and having so manj- natural facili- 
ties for commercial advancement, the 
changes in a few vears will necessarih- be 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



H5 



many, and, although yet a young man, 
Mr. Streckenbach has witnessed a re- 
markable development in the surround- 
ings of his home. The future is full of 
promise for this locality, and such repre- 
sentative men will be at the front in shap- 
ing its destiny along the lines of prosper- 
ity and usefulness. 



HORACE J. CONLEY, yacht 
builder, commodore of the Green 
Bay Yacht Club, and former pro- 
prietor of the beautiful vessel 
"Merlin," said to be the safest, best 
equipped and fastest yacht on the lakes, 
has been a resident of Green Bay for over 
a quarter of a century, having come to 
the town when a boy. 

He is a native of Maine, born in the 
town of Medway, August 3, 1861, to Vin- 
cent and Eleanor (Fowles) Conley, the 
father a Canadian by birth, the mother a 
native of Maine. The}' were married in 
that State, and there Vincent Conley fol- 
lowed the lumber business and carpentry, 
until I 866, when they came west to Wis- 
consin, bringing their family. Settling for 
the time in Green Bay, the father worked 
in the shipyards, later building vessels 
for his own account, and finally engaging 
in the ice trade until 1884, when he 
moved to Sheboygan, establishing there 
an extensive ice business which he still 
carries on. Eight children were born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Conley, five of 
whom are yet living, namely: William, 
married, in business a boat builder; Etta; 
Horace J., our subject; Lincoln, and 
Lewis — of whom William, Etta and Lewis 
live in Fort Howard, Wis. ; Lincoln, who 
is married, lives at Sheboygan. Wis. ; 
Edward, who was married and resided at 
Watersmeet, Gogebic Co., Mich., where 
he was a notary public and township 
supervisor, died there July 19, 1894. 

Horace J. Conley, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, received his education 
at the schools of Fort Howard and at 



Green Bay Business College, afterward 
learning the trade of boat builder, making 
himself conversant with all the details of 
the craft. In 1883 he commenced build- 
ing boats, yachts, etc., for his own ac- 
count, making a specialty of racing and 
sporting yachts of all descriptions, as well 
as ordinary sail boats, and he has built 
several boats that have "shown a clean 
pair of heels" to all competitors. His 
industry gives employment to some seven 
hands. In connection with his business 
Mr. Conley has naturally been deeply in- 
terested in yacht racing, in which his 
record places him "second to none," for 
he has proven that he can not only build 
boats, but that he can also sail them like 
the true " fore-an'-aft " sailor he is. 
Among the many yatch races in which he 
came off the victor may be mentioned the 
regatta at Chicago during the World's 
Fair, which was of more than local in- 
terest, as it attracted from all parts of 
the United States thousands of lovers 
of aquatic sports Besides winning the 
free-for-all race, his yacht, "Merlin," 
also beat, in private races, the schooner- 
yacht "Toxteth," and sloop "Rambler," 
coming in ahead of the first-named by a 
quarter of an hour. She took first prize 
at the Milwaukee Yacht Club regatta held 
at Milwaukee, July 4, 1894, and first 
prize at the Green Bay Yacht Club regat- 
ta held at Green Bay, September 26, 
1 894. In September, 1 894, the ' ' Mer- 
lin '' was sold by Commodore H. J. Con- 
ley to Commodore J. D. Sarles, of Green 
Bas'. Mr. Conley's "Empress" and 
"Vivian" are also famed for speed, the 
first-named being said to be the best 
finished yacht on the lakes; she won first 
prize in a race on Lake Oconomowoc, 
without availing herself of her time allow- 
ance, the "Vivian" coming in second. 
(The prize was a silver cup presented by 
Commodore Greene). In 1886, at the 
closing of the season of the Oconomowoc 
Yacht Club, on the waters of La Belle, 
the "Vivian" captured the first prize. 
Among other A i yachts built by Mr. Con- 



146 



COMMEMOllATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ley may be mentioned the fast sailor •' Au 
Re\oir, " for A. J. Chase, of Lake Crystal, 
Minnesota; schooner yacht "Oneida, "for 
John C. F"ollett, of Green Bay, Wis., (she 
won first prize in her class in the Green Bay 
rej^atta held July 27, 18941; sloop "Em- 
ma," for Commodore Greene, which, in 
her maiden race, beat the "Empress" 
and ' ' Vivian " on Lake Oconomowoc, July 
4, I 894, also on Auf^ust 26, in a race on 
the same lake, between boats brought in 
from Pine and Pewaukee Lakes, again 
won first prize, this time against ten 
starters, the boats taking part in this race 
representing the best builders in the coun- 
try, some of them coming from New York 
and Boston. 

In 1889 Mr. Conley was married in 
Green Bay (where she was born) to Miss 
Clara M. Scheller, daughter of Albert 
and Louise Scheller, natives of Germany, 
whence several years ago they came to Wis- 
consin, settling in Green Bay, where Mr. 
Scheller conducted one of the first tailor- 
ing establishments of the place. He died 
in 1863; his widow is still residing in 
Green Bay. To Mr. and Mrs. Conley 
has been born one child, a charming little 
daughter, named Marie Vivian. Mrs. 
Conlej' is a member of the Moravian 
Church. Our subject is a member of 
Pochequette Lodge, No. 26, K. of P., 
Green Bay, and of the Republican party. 
He was elected commodore of the Green 
Bay Yacht Club July 1 1. 1894. In addi- 
tion toj'achts and boats, he is also manu- 
facturer of sails, tents, flags, awnings, 
etc. The family residence is at No. 300 
South Washington street, Green Bay. 



FELIX DKOOG. This substantial, 
well-to-do citizen of De Pere, 
Brown coimty, is a native of Bel- 
gium, where he was born Decem- 
ber 25, 1823. and educated, attending 
school up to the age of thirteen yenrs. 

He started out in life for himself, first 
commencing to work as mason's assistant. 



afterward learning the trade of mason and 
bricklayer, at which he continued to work, 
and, being thrifty and economical, saved 
some mone\-. On April 15, 1856. he was 
married in Antwerp to Bernardine Evard, 
who was born in Belgium in August, 1826, 
and a few days after their marriage they 
bade farewell to their friends and home. 
Mr. Droog had not to leave his native 
country because of the fear of coming to 
want in later life, for he had been re- 
warded with the National Recompense of 
two medals of honor for devoted acts of 
courage. The first medal (silver) he re- 
ceived in April, 1850; the second one 
(gold), also an engraving showing his 
courageous acts, received from the royal 
palace February 11, 1851. With this 
honor, he and his j'onng bride set sail 
from Antwerp for America. They 
took passage in the "Mary Goodwin," 
and after a long voyage landed at Que- 
bec, Canada, whence they at once set out 
for their final destination. Green Bay, 
Wis. The journey from Quebec occu- 
pied nine days, and they arrived in Green 
Bay July 14, strangers in a strange land, 
and with but fifteen dollars to commence 
life in the New World. For o\er a year 
after their arrival they resided with Greg- 
orie Bormans. in .'Mlouez township, and 
then moved to De Pcre, where Mr. Droog 
obtained employment on the old stone 
school building, which was then in course 
of construction, and later took the con- 
tract for the mason work on the "Cali- 
fornia House " He continued to follow 
his trade at odd times for four and a half 
years, part of the time working for Joseph 
G. Lawton at seventy-five cents per day. 
Purchasing a lot in De Pere, he erected 
thereon the house in which the family 
still resides, and, after some years, pur- 
chased twenty acres of wild land in De- 
Pere township. The place was entirel}' in 
the woods, not a stick having been cut from 
it, and he at once set to work to clear and 
improve it; he never lived there, however, 
continuing to have his home in the town. 
He is energetic and industrious, and by hard 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'47 



work and perseverance has accumulated a 
comfortable competence. He not only 
cultivated his original larin, but added to 
it gradually, until it now consists of fifty 
acres of productive land. In addition to 
his agricultural labors he also continued 
to follow his trade until 1892, when he 
abandoned it. For twenty-three years he 
had been employed to set fire-brick and 
do other repair work in different furnaces 
in the Fo.\ River \'alle3', many of which 
he had also helped to build. There are 
few men in the township who have toiled 
harder, but he has met with encouraging 
success in his efforts, and he is highly re- 
spected everj'where for his sterling worth. 
Mr. and Mrs. Droog have been blessed 
with children as follows: Mar}', Mrs. 
Frank Calaway, of WestDePere: Leona, 
Mrs. August Matzke, of Glenmore; Jo- 
sephine, deceased wife of Mathias Matzke 
(she was a school teacher prior to her 
marriage); and Jennie C. and Henry J., 
at home. Mr. Droog is a Democrat in 
his political preferences, and in religious 
connection he and his wife are members 
of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, De Pere. 



CAPTAIN JOSEPH DENIS, of the 
steam tug "Charniy," has been 
sailing from the port of Green 
Bay since 1864, commencing on 
the steamboat "George L. Dunlap," and 
receiving his commission in 1868. 

He was born in Belgium in 1845, a 
son of Leopold and Rosalie (Noel) Denis, 
and in 1855 the family left their native 
land on the " Henry Reed," a sailing 
vessel, in fifty da\s arriving at New York 
City. Thence they proceeded to Buffalo, 
N. Y., where they passed their first win- 
ter; from there, in the following spring, 
came by rail to Fond du Lac, Wis., and 
thence by team to Green Bay. In Bel- 
gium the father had followed agricultural 
pursuits, and, being desirous of continuing 
the same vocation in the New World, 
bought 160 acres of totally uncleared 



timber land in Brussells township. Door 
Co., Wis., near Red river. This, how- 
ever, the family never cleared, nor even 
lived on, though in later years the father 
did some logging on it; but in Allouez 
township they lived for five years on Capt. 
Cotton's farm, where is now the cemetery 
of that township. He then bought a farm 
near the old military road, where he died 
Januarj- 22, 1892; his first wife had pre- 
ceded him to the grave in 1866. He was 
a Democrat in politics, and for eighteen 
years was assessor of his township. This 
couple had born to them children as 
follows: Joseph, the subject of this 
sketch; Victoria, wife of Frank Garrett, 
of Green Baj'; Celestin R. , residing at 
East De Pere, engaged as engineer and at 
farming; Louis, an engineer, who died in 
1891, at Appleton; Alfonsine, who died 
while en route to America; Charles, who 
died in Buffalo, N. Y. ; Leopold, an en- 
gineer, residing in Green Bay; Julia, wife 
of X. Parmentier, city clerk of Green 
Bay; Mary, wife of Alfonse Hugot, of 
Allouez; Rosalie, wife of Ralph Soquet, a 
druggist, and Charles, a resident of De- 
Pere. In 1867 Leopold Denis, father of 
this famil}', for his second wife married 
Honorine Istash, also a native of Belgium, 
and to this union were born seven chil- 
dren, of whom the living are Victor, 
P"rank, James, Honorine and Louisa. 

Our subject was but ten years of age 
when he came to Green Bay, and was 
educated in the schools of that city and 
in Allouez township. Until he com- 
menced boating he was employed on the 
farm; in 1882 and 1883, however, he was 
connected with his brother, Leopold, in 
sawmilling, but continued steamboating 
between Green Bay and all lake ports as 
far as Chicago. In 1868 he \\as married, 
in Green Bay, to Miss Mary Briquelet, a 
native of France and a daughter of 
Nicholas Briquelet, at that time a resi- 
dent of Allouez, where he died. Her 
brother, Joseph, came to this country in 
1856, and died in 1888. To the marriage 
of Capt. Denis have been born four chil- 



1 48 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



dren, viz.: Aj^nes (deceased in 1891) was 
the wife of Joseph Coel, a clotliing mer- 
chant; James is a salesman with Joannes 
Bros. ; and Lucy, and Joseph, also clerk- 
ing with Joannes Bros. The Captain in 
politics is a Republican; fraternally he is a 
member of the Royal Arcanum; in relig- 
ious faith he and his wife are members of 
St. John's Catholic Church. Their fine 
residence in Green Bay is located at No. 
325 Van Buren street, and is centrally 
situated. The Captain takes a lively in- 
terest in the progress of the city, is high- 
ly respected both on the lakes and on 
shore, and is recognized as a useful, sub- 
stantial citizen. 



PETER VANDERHEIDEN, 
farmer of Holland township, 
Brown county, was born in North 
Brabant, Holland, February 10, 
1849, a son of Derk and Antonet (Van- 
Roy) Vanderheiden. 

The father of our subject was a 
farmer, and was twice married, first to 
Petrone'la Van de Nymelenberg, who bore 
him seven children, and died November 
9, 1847. The father then married, No- 
vember 30, 1848, Antonet Van Roy, who 
has bore him six children, viz. : Peter, 
our subject; George B. ; Mary, deceased; 
John and Bardine (twins), and Mary (2). 
In 1850 the parents came to America, 
landing in New York, thence coming 
directly to Wisconsin. They settled in 
Holland township, where the father 
bought 160 acres of land in the wild 
woods, from which was carved out the 
splendid farm where our subject now lives. 
It would be superfluous to here relate the 
primitive manner in which the farm was 
reached and hewed from the wilderness. 
The courage and the endurance of the pio- 
neer have been depicted a* housand times, 
and the experience of the Vanderheiden 
family was that of all others in like cir- 
cumstances. Suffice it to say that the 
family prospered, but that it was for a 



period of thirty years that they lived in 
the 20 X 30 log cabin that originally occu- 
pied the site of their present substantial 
stone dwelling. 

Peter \'anderheiden was faithful in 
aiding his father in developing the home- 
stead, and was alwa)s a hard worker at 
home, with the exception of a few months 
during the winters, when he worked for 
neighbors; but he always brought his 
earnings home, adding thus to the family 
store. The father died here February 1 1, 
1874, aged fifty-nine years, eleven months 
and eleven days, deeply mourned by 
friends and neighbors. Our subject then 
took possession of the farm, which he has 
successfully managed to the present time; 
each heir became the owner of eighty 
acres. In 1887 our subject married Miss 
Louise, daughter of John and Mary 
(Gilsing) Pekel, the family coming to 
America from Germany in i860. There 
were nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Pekel, namely: Lambert, John, William, 
Mary, George, Kate (deceased in in- 
fancy), Louise, Kate (2), and Lena. To 
our subject and his wife have come four 
children, viz. : Theodore, born Decem- 
ber 7, 1S88; John and Mary, born Jan- 
uary 14, 1891; and William, born Jan- 
uary 7, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderheiden 
are devout members of the Catholic 
Church; in politics he is a Democrat, and 
socially he is one of the most respected 
citizens of the township. 



JOSEPH CRABB, a rising young agri- 
culturist of De Perc township, is a 
native of the town of De Pare, 
Brown county, born November 8, 
1 87 1, son of Philip and Gertrude Crabb, 
the former a native of Belgium, the latter 
of Holland. She was his second wife, 
and they were the parents of six children — 
three sons and three daughters — of whom 
Joseph is the eldest son. 

Joseph Crabb received a liberal com- 
mon-school education in the schools of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



149 



De Pere. When he was seven years old 
his father died, and his mother having re- 
married, he resided at home until he 
reached the age of eighteen, at which 
time he commenced life for his own ac- 
count. Proceeding to Glenwood, St. 
Croix Co., Wis., he remained there three 
years, the greater part of the time work- 
ing in a mill, excepting for a few months 
when it was idle, and he engaged in rail- 
roading. He then returned to De Pere 
township, Brown county, where for a 
short time he made his home with his 
wife's parents, coming, March i, 1893, to 
the farm where he now resides. On No- 
vember 5, 1889, Mr. Crabb was married, 
in De Pere, to Miss Nellie Kersten, who 
was born August 17, 1870, in De Pere 
township, daughter of John Kersten, a 
native of Germany. To this union have 
been born two children, Philip and Ger- 
trude A. Though Mr. Crabb is but a 
young man, and is, in fact, the youngest 
fanner in the township, he has no su- 
perior as an agriculturist in his section. 
He is hard-working, energetic and pro- 
gressive, and with his natural ability and 
good business management is bound to 
prosper. In his political affiliations he 
is a member of the Democratic party, 
and in religious connection he and his 
wife are both members of St. Mary's 
Catholic Church. 



JAMES D. McAllister, a weii- 
known resident of Howard township. 
Brown county, is a native of Wis- 
consin, born in Manitowoc county 
November 27, 1847, son of Clement and 
Minalta (Holbrook) McAllister. 

Clement McAllister was born and 
reared on a farm in the forests of New 
York State, and came to Wisconsin in 
1839, settling on a farm, where he died 
when about fifty years of age. His parents 
were Francis and Nancy (Elkins) McAllis- 
ter, natives of Scotland, the former of 
whom was born March i, 1792, and died 



November 6, 1841, in Manitowoc county, 
Wis. ; the latter died in St. Lawrence 
county, N. Y. Mrs. Minalta McAllister 
was born November 18, 18 10, in St. Law- 
rence county, N. Y., and now makes her 
home with her son, James D. She is a 
daughter of David and Minerva (Bartholo- 
mew) Holbrook, the former of whom, a 
farmer, was born in 1785 in Lebanon, 
Conn., and died in T833 in St. Lawrence 
county, N. Y. His parents were Peltia 
and Mary (Clark) Holbrook. Minerva 
Bartholomew, daughter of Isaac and 
Lydia (Deming) Bartholomev^', of Ver- 
mont, but later of New York, was born 
June 3, 1793, and died in 1843, the mother 
of twelve children, of whom Minalta Mc- 
Allister was the eldest, and of whom seven 
are yet living. 

James D. McAllister is the youngest 
child in a family of six, of whom but one 
besides himself, a sister, is living. He was 
reared on the home farm until fourteen 
years of age, when his father died, and he 
went to work for his Uncle Hiram, with 
whom he remained eight or nine years. 
In 1876 he first came to Howard town- 
ship. Brown count}', and bought eighty 
acres of partly cultivated land, which he 
at once commenced to improve and work. 
On May 28, 1879, he was married to Miss 
Ella Ames, who was born March 27, 1859, 
in Erie county, Penn., daughter of Clark 
and Mary (Robbins) Ames, who had a 
family of five children; these parents were 
also natives of Pennsylvania, in which 
State the mother died at the early age of 
twenty-seven years; the father, Clark 
Ames, and his children came to Wiscon- 
sin about the year 1866, and still reside 
in Pittsfield township. 

The union of James D. and Ella Mc- 
Allister has been blessed with six chil- 
dren, as follows: Mabel V., born April 
3, 1 881; William L. , born September 10, 
1882; Susan S., born June 3, 1885; Alvin 
L., born March 8, 1888; and Clyde C, 
born May 18, 1890, and one born May 
17, 1894, died July 28, 1894. Mr. Mc- 
Allister, at the time of his marriage, set- 



•50 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



tied on his present farm, on which he 
conducts a profitable dairying business. 
In his political affiliations he is a Republi- 
can, and he is active in promoting the 
educational interests of his section, also 
giving his aid to religious and other moral 
movements which tend to benefit or ad- 
vance his township or county. He and 
his family are universally respected, and 
Mr. McAllister's steady habits render him 
a desirable member of the community. 



SETH WILLIAMS CHAMPION, 
railroad manager, was born De- 
cember 25, 1844, at Princeton, 
Ky., son of Henry W. and Sally 
(Wiggcnton) Champion, also natives of 
Kentucky. They were both closely allied 
to well-known southern families, although 
bearing different names. 

Thomas Champion, grandfather of the 
subject of these lines, was a native of 
North Carolina, whence he moved into 
Kentucky, settling in Livingston county, 
near the city of Salem, where he resided 
until 1 8 14. He served as sheriff of Liv- 
ingston county, was a trader with the 
Southern States, and while on a trip 
south with a drove of horses contracted 
yellow fever, from which he died soon 
after reaching home, leaving a widow and 
five children, Henry W. being the eldest; 
Dr. Alfred Champion, now a resident of 
Eddyvillc, Ky., is the only surviving 
member of this family. Their mother, 
Mrs. Thomas Champion, was Miss 
Frances Williams, who, in 1809, in com- 
pany with her brother Henry, migrated 
from Virginia to Kentucky, and settled in 
Livingston county, near Salem. She was 
connected with the Williams family, nota- 
ble among the large landowners of Cul- 
peper county. Va., some members of 
which achieved distinction in public life. 
One of the most distinguished members 
of this family was Gen. Robert Williams, 
of the United States Army, an ardent 
Unionist, who rendered valuable service 



to the government during the Rebellion, 
notwithstanding the fact that he was a 
Virginian by birth. After the war he 
served as adjutant-general of the army, 
and married the widow of Stephen A. 
Douglas. His grandfather served in the 
Virginian line during the war of the Rev- 
olution, and was also a commissioned 
officer in the war of 1H12. The paternal 
great-grandmother of Seth Williams 
Champion came of another distinguished 
Virginia family, representatives of which 
were also numerous in Culpeper county. 

Henry W. Champion, father of our 
subject, was born, in 1812, in Livingston 
county, Ky., and was but a boy when his 
father died. His wife was a granddaugh- 
ter of John Miller Bell, who belonged to 
a famous Southern family, numerous rep- 
resentatives of which have been promi- 
nent in public life, John Minor Botts, 
who was one of the signers of Jefferson 
Davis' bail bond at the close of the Civil 
war, belonging to the antecedents of the 
Bell family. Prior to the war he served 
many years in Congress as an "Old-Line 
Whig," and was an enthusiastic follower 
of Henry Clay. He was a lawyer and 
gentleman farmer, his law office being in 
Richmond, and his country home near 
Culpeper Court House. He opposed the 
Secession movement, and when the war 
began retired to his farm, refusing to act 
with the large majority of the public men 
of Virginia who held that they owed their 
State allegiance paramount to that which 
they owed to the National Government. 
His loyalty to the Union caused him to 
suffer arrest and imprisonment at the 
hands of the Confederates, and his for- 
tune was seriously impaired by the rav- 
ages of war. After the struggle was ended, 
he e.xerted his influence to restore Vir- 
ginia to Statehood, and published an in- 
teresting volume entitled "The Great 
Rebellion, Its Secret History, Rise, Pro- 
gress and Disastrous Failure." 

In 1857 Henry W. Champion, with 
his family, emigrated from Kentucky to 
Coles county. 111., one of the older coun- 





'^Icr^Kt 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



153 



ties of southeastern Illinois, where he be- 
came a fanner. In 1862 he removed to 
central Illinois, settling first in Macon 
county, and three or four years later in 
Menard county, where he continued to re- 
side up to his death, which occurred in 
1 88 1, one week after the decease of his 
wife. In early life he was a printer, and 
published a paper both in Tennessee and 
Kentucky, but later was a merchant at 
Greenview, and for many years postmaster 
of that village. In his religious faith he 
was a stanch and active member of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and 
during his whole life was an ardent worker 
in the Sunday-schools. 

Seth Williams Champion, the subject 
proper of this sketch, received his literary 
education at the schools in Coles county 
and Mount Zion, Macon Co., 111., at the 
age of thirteen years commencing to work 
on his father's farm, and, until he at- 
tained his majority and sought other em- 
ployment, by far the greater share of 
his time was thereafter devoted to that 
kind of labor. When he was about twen- 
ty-two years of age, he left home and 
went to Virden, 111., becoming a clerk in 
the office of the Chicago & Alton Railway 
Co. at that point, and after remaining 
there one year he was appointed station 
agent at Greenview, 111. At the end of two 
years more he was promoted to station 
agent at Lacon, 111. (also on the Chicago 
& Alton railroad), and remained there 
eight years. In 1878 he came to Green 
Bay, Wis., and became the agent in that 
city of the Green Bay & Minnesota Rail- 
road Company, now known as the Green 
Bay, Winona & St. Paul Railroad Com- 
pany. Sometime afterward he entered 
the general offices of this company as 
chief clerk, and later was promoted in 
succession to the important and respon- 
sible positions of general freight and pas- 
senger agent, and superintendent. In 
1890 he became general manager of this 
line of railroad, with headquarters in 
Green Bay. He has also been manager, 
since its construction, of the Kewaunee, 



Green Bay & Western railroad, running 
from Green Bay to Kewaunee, a line 
thirty-four miles long, of which he was 
one of the builders and principal pro- 
moters. 

As a railroad man, Mr. Champion 
has become well known throughout the 
entire Northwest, and is recognized as a 
railroad operator of superior capacity and 
ability. Having begun his career, as a 
railroad man, as station agent in a country 
village, he has thoroughly familiarized 
himself with all the details of railroad 
business and management, and has earned 
promotion by hard work and thorough 
honest}', intelligent effort, and efficient 
services. He has made a close study of 
what may be termed ' ' The science of 
railroading," has a broad knowledge of 
the principles governing the operation of 
railroads and all the rules and regulations 
pertaining to railroad traffic, and is a 
man, also, of extensive general informa- 
tion. The duties and responsibilities of 
the positions which he has held have de- 
manded his undivided attention, and he 
has had neither the time nor the inclina- 
tion to seek official preferment or public 
honors of any kind, the only office he has 
ever held being that of alderman, while 
a resident of Lacon, III. He has, how- 
ever, taken the interest which all good 
citizens should feel in political move- 
ments, acting always with the Republi- 
can party where political issues are in- 
volved, and being a firm believer in the 
wisdom of its principles and politics. His 
family, although of Southern origin, be- 
longed to the " Old-Whig" party of ante- 
war days, and when his father came 
North he drifted easily and naturally into 
the Republican party, when that party 
came into existence. The son wasbrought 
up under this influence, and has seen no 
reason to change his political faith. The 
religious influences, which surrounded him 
in early life, were those of the Cumber- 
land Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Cham- 
pion is still a Presbyterian in his Church 
affiliations, but on account of there being 



'54 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



no Presbyterian Church of the Cumber- 
land faith in Green Bay, he affihates with 
the Methodist Church, of which his wife 
is a member. 

In 1868 Mr. Champion was married 
to Miss Lucinda A. White, a daughter of 
George Roley White, of Decatur, 111., in 
which city she was born, and to this union 
were born five children, of whom three 
are living, namely: Lalla May, Ora A. 
and Clyde W. 



REV. JACOBUS BOZMACK was 
born May i, 1848, in Austria, son 
of Valentine and Constantia Boz- 
mack, who had a family of eight 
children, all of whom are deceased ex- 
cept our subject. The parents both died 
in their native country. 

Jacobus Bozmack received his early 
education in the common schools of the 
land of his birth, and, at the age of 
twenty-seven years, entered the priest- 
hood. In 1 893 he came to America, 
and after a very rough voyage landed in 
New York city, thence coming directly 
to his charge in Eaton township, P)rown 
county, Wisconsin. 



HENRY NACHTWEY, a prosper- 
ous wide-awake general merchant 
of De Fere township, and post- 
master at Pine Grove, is a native 
of Wisconsin, born July 22, 1858, in Coop- 
erstown. Anton Nachtwey, father of 
Henry, was born March 26, 1826, in 
Prussia, Germany, a son of Michael 
Nachtwey, who died when his son, Anton, 
was twelve years old. Michael Nachtwey 
was married four times, and had twenty- 
five children; by his third marriage he had 
ten, of whom Anton was the ninth and 
the youngest son. This wife died when 
her son Anton was five 3ears old. 

Anton Nachtwey received a good edu- 
cation in the schools of his native coun- 



try. He was reared a farmer boy, and 
after the death of his father left the home- 
stead and hired out as a farmhand at 
various places until he reached the age of 
sixteen, when he went to Frankfort-on- 
the-Main. Here he remained until he 
was twenty-one years of age, during which 
time he was emplo}ed in the German 
mint for three years, and for a year and 
a half worked in a brewery with his 
brother, Henry (this brother afterward 
conducted a store and a saloon in Coopers- 
town, Wis. ). Anton had a very profitable 
situation in the government mint, but 
he was obliged to abandon it on account 
of his health. Having a few hundred 
dollars, part of which he received from 
his father's estate, and part of which he 
had saved, Mr. Nachtwey, in the summer 
of 1847, left his native countr}' and set out 
for America. He proceeded to London, 
England; but after waiting there nine days 
for a vessel which did not arrive, he took 
the cars to Liverpool, whence he set sail, 
and after a voyage of seven weeks landed 
at New York. From there he proceeded 
by steamboat to Albany, thence, via the 
Erie canal to Buffalo, where he took 
passage on the steamer "Michigan" for 
Milwaukee, Wis. His destination was 
Two Rivers, but as the "Michigan " did 
not stop at that port, he came hither by 
sailing vessel from Milwaukee, arriving at 
his journey's end in the latter part of 
July. At that time the town of Two 
Rivers contained but twenty-seven build- 
ings, by actual count, and Indians were 
still numerous in the surrounding country. 
Here Mr. Nachtwey found work in the 
sawmill of a Mr. Smit, and remained four 
years. 

On July 20, 1 85 I, he was married, in 
Cooperstown, to Miss Catherine Flatten, 
who was born July 8, 1835, '" Prussia, 
daughter of Anton and Margaret Flatten, 
who came to the United States in 1842. 
They were seven weeks crossijig the ocean, 
and made the entire journey from their 
home in Germany to Green Bay, Wis., 
by water, making the lake trip (-)n the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



155 



"Old Columbus," this being; the last trip 
made by that old boat. For a year and 
a half after their arrival the Flattens lived 
in Gi^een Bay, and then moved to De- 
Pere township. Brown county, where Mrs. 
Nachtwey resided until her marriage. To 
Anton and Margaret Nachtwey have been 
born children as follows: Joseph, of 
Bellevue township; John, of New Den- 
mark township; Henry, whose name opens 
this sketch; Anton, of Glenmore town- 
ship; Frank, of Bellevue township; Mary, 
teacher in a convent in Chicago; Mark, 
Matilda, and Maggie and Lizzie (twins). 
at home; thre^ children that died young; 
and Peter, who died in Green Bay at the 
age of seventeen, from lockjaw, the re- 
sult of an accident in a sawmill. 

After his marriage Mr. Nachtwey re- 
sided in Cooperstown, of which place he 
and his brother Henry were among the first 
German settlers. When they first came 
there the surrounding country was still in 
its primitive condition, and Mr. Nachtwey 
remembers at one time seeing seventeen 
Indian wigwams in Cooperstown, the oc- 
cupants of which were all engaged in 
making maple sugar, which they traded 
to the settlers for potatoes and other food. 
In 1877 he came to New Denmark town- 
ship, Brown county, where he and his 
wife still make their home. He has fol- 
lowed farming continuously ever since his 
marriage, and he now has a fine tract of 
160 acres. He and his wife are members 
of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church at 
Pine Grove, and in his political affilia- 
tions Mr. Nachtwey generally fa\'ors the 
principles of the Democratic party; how- 
ever, he cast a vote for Abraham Lincoln, 
and supports the best man without much 
regard for party lines. He is universally 
respected as an honest, upright citizen. 
He has a remarkable memory, and easily 
recalls events which happened vears ago. 

Henry Nachtwey received his educa- 
tion in the common schools of his time, 
and was thoroughly trained to agriculture 
on the home farm. In 1 870 he commenced 
to work in a shingle-mil], and continued the 



same until a painful accident to his 
shoulder compelled him to retire from 
active labor and rest for a year, at the end of 
which time, with complete rest and the 
aid of a costly contrivance, he fully re- 
covered and was able to resume work. 
For three years he was employed in the 
mills of Gillon & Monroe, becoming thor- 
oughly familiar with all kinds of sawmill- 
ing, which in the early pioneer times was 
a very important industry, but with the 
clearing up of the countrj' has been gradu- 
ally decreasing. On November 12, 1889, 
Mr. Nachtwej' was united in marriage, in 
De Pere, with Miss Margaret E. Connel- 
ly, who was born May 23, 1865, in the 
Province of Ontario, Canada, daughter of 
John Connelly, and was but nine weeks 
old when her parents came to Wisconsin, 
where she was reared. After marriage the 
young couple commenced housekeeping 
in Pine Grove, De Pere township, where 
he has been engaged in general mercan- 
tile business since 1882. He commenced 
alone, but later received his brother, 
Joseph, as a partner, and they carried on 
the business together until 1891, since 
when our subject has been sole proprietor. 
He has been very successful, and he con- 
ducts one of the best-kept and most com- 
plete general stores in the county, his 
courteous and accommodating disposition 
having made him exceedingly popular 
with his fellowmen. The postoffice at 
Pine Grove had been discontinued, but in 
1882 it was re-established, and Mr. 
Nachtwey was appointed to the position 
of postmaster, in which he now serves. 
Mr. and Mrs. Nachtwey are both mem- 
bers of Holy Trinity Catholic Church at 
Pine Grove. They have had one child, 
Allen A., who was born June 22, 1892. 



WILLIAM WORKMAN, the pop- 
ular druggist of De Pere, Wis., 
was born at the village of Prest- 
wick, Ayrshire, Scotland, June 
22, 1S22, a son of John and Ann (Prin- 



156 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



glej Workman, the former of whom was 
a weaver, who employed several journey- 
men, but who died when his son William 
was but six years of age. Mrs. Ann 
Workman continued to reside at Prest- 
wick for some years after the death of her 
husband, but tinall}' followed her son Will- 
iam to America, and ended her days at 
his home in De Pere. Both parents were 
members of the Presbyterian Church. 

William Workman ser\ed an appren- 
ticeship of five and a half years at the 
machinist's trade in Deanston, Perth- 
shire, Scotland, and then, July i, 1842, 
at the age of twenty years, embarked at 
Glasgow on a sailing vessel for the United 
States, and nine weeks later landed in 
New York City, where he remained about 
a year, employed at various occupations; 
he then came to Milwaukee, Wis. ; thence 
moved to Waterville, where he emplo\ed 
himself at farming for a year, and was 
then employed in carpentering at Ripon. 
On January 8, 1852, he started for Cali- 
fornia b\' the Panama route, reaching 
Panama on the first of the following 
March; built and started the first circu- 
lar sawmill in the place at a salary of 
one hundred dollars per week in gold, 
and on May i reached San Francisco. 
After quite successfully mining in Cali- 
fornia for two years, Mr. Workman re- 
turned to Ripon, Wis., May 30, 1854, 
and established a steam cabinet-making 
establishment; in 1859 he purchased a 
seeding machine patent, and for three 
years was engaged in its manufacture at 
Ripon, but the patent proved a failure. 
Mr. Workman ne.xt secured several pat- 
ents for sundry other machines, and in 
the manufacture of these he met with 
better success. In 1866 he entered into 
partnership with Jason and \\'ellington 
Hitchcock, and added the manufacture of 
sleighs, cutters, wagons, etc., and in 1878 
sold his interest in the factor}' to Jason 
Hitchcock and moved to De Pere, where 
he took the position of superintendent of 
the De Pere Iron Works, in which he 
held some stock. In 1873 the company 



failed and was bought in by Blanchard & 
Arnold, of Milwaukee, for whom Mr. 
Workman acted as superintendent. This 
firm also fell into financial difficulties 
through the failure of the Union Steel & 
Iron Company, of Chicago, in 1884, and 
by this disaster Mr. Workman was again 
a sufferer to the extent of five thousand 
dollars. On November 30, 1885, Mr. 
Workman bought out the interest of his 
son and his son's partner, Michael Welsh, 
in their drug store in West De Pere, and 
this he conducted until August 18, 1890; 
in 1887 he also purchased from William 
Chapman his drug store in East De Pere, 
and to this, after selling out in W'est De- 
Pere, he has since devoted his entire at- 
tention, meeting with a prosperous trade. 
Mr. Workman has been twice mar- 
ried, first time at Ripon, in 1845, to Miss 
Rachel Stilwell, who survived her mar- 
riage only three months; his second mar- 
riage occurred, in 1850, to Margaret 
Miller, also at Ripon. and this union has 
been blessed with six children, viz. : Will- 
iam M., a druggist of West De Pere; 
Mary, married to David Thomas, of Ripon; 
Margaret and Aimie P., at home; John, 
who died at Ripon of scarletina at the 
the age of two years and nine months; 
and Frank, who died of diphtheria at De- 
Pere, aged three years and three months. 
Mr. Workman was a charter member of 
Ripon Lodge, No. 95, F. & A. M., in 
1857; he also was a charter member of 
Ripon Chapter, No. 30, and a member of 
the Commandery at Fond du Lac; he is 
now a member of De Pere Lodge. No. 
85, of which he has served as secretary 
three j'ears. In politics he is a Repub- 
lican, and while living at Ripon he served 
as county supervisor from the First ward; 
two terms; also in the city council several 
terms, and as mayor one term; at West 
De Pere he has served as president of the 
village for ten or more years, and also as 
member of council in East De Pere for 
two years — evincing in each position a 
business ability that gave the utmost 
satisfaction to the public. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



157 



Mr. Workman has always commanded 
the respect of the communities in which 
he has lived, and been recognized as a 
valuable and desirable member of society. 



JAMES TOUHEY, the genial pro- 
prietor of the "New Transit Hotel" 
at De Pere, was born July 28, 1836, 
in County Clare, Ireland, son of 
Michael and Bridget (Maloney) Touhey, 
natives of the same county. 

Michael Touhey was a farmer of 
moderate means, and also a cattle dealer, 
with his residence about seven miles 
northeast of Limerick. His children, 
who were all born in Ireland, were named 
as follows: Jane, Mary, Dennis, Bridget, 
Michael, Honora, Margaret, Winnie, 
Michael (2), Timothy, Winnie (2), and 
James; there was also one that died in in- 
fancy. They were not, however, born in 
the order named, as James, our subject, 
was the fifth child and the third son. On 
March 17, 1848, Michael Touhey and his 
family left Limerick for America, and on 
June 20, landed in Quebec. From that 
city he went to Burlington, Vt., where he 
was appointed overseer and timekeeper 
over 1,200 men employed on the New 
York & Erie railway, then being built. 
Wisconsin was then a new State, and, al- 
though he was making money he con- 
cluded to try his fortune here. Accord- 
ingly, in the latter part of August, 1848, he 
arrived in Milwaukee, where he was en- 
gaged in street grading, etc. , employing 
many men and teams, until September, 
1855, when he removed to Manitowoc, 
and a short time afterward purchased a 
tract of 160 acres in Franklin township, 
same count}', which he subsequently in- 
creased to 400 acres. Here he died, in 
the Catholic faith, April 6, 1886, and was 
followed to the grave by his faithful wife 
four days later. Their remains now rest 
side by side in Maple Grove cemetery, 
Manitowoc county. Of his large family 
four children only survive: Honora, a 



widow; James, our subject; Margaret, 
now Mrs. Patrick McMann, of Kansas; 
and Michael, of Bessemer, Mich., but 
formerly of Morrison township. Brown 
Co., Wis., being then the representative 
of his District in the State Legislature. 

James Touhey received his earlier ed- 
ucation in his native land, and, after 
reaching the United States, at the age of 
eleven years, attended the Milwaukee 
schools until large enough to drive a team 
for his father. While thus employed he 
drove the horses that hoisted the first lo- 
comotive that e\'er ran in Wisconsin, and 
which was subsequently used on the Mil- 
waukee & Mississippi railroad. He moved 
with his parents to Franklin township, 
Manitowoc county, where he worked on 
his father's extensive tracts of new land 
until his marriage, October 26, 1858, at 
Manitowoc Rapids, with Miss Mary Mans- 
field, a native County Kilkenu}-, Ireland, 
born in 1839, daughter of Thomas Mans- 
field, who died when his daughter was 
but five years of age, leaving a widow and 
five children. The widow came to the 
United States in 1850. remarried, and had 
three children by her second husband. 
Mary Mansfield was reared near Haver- 
straw, on the Hud.son (or North) river. 
New York, and in 1858, while on a visit 
to Wisconsin, met and married Mr. Tou- 
hey. For five years after his marriage 
Mr. Touhey resided with his father, and 
then located on i 20 acres of timbered land 
that had formed part of his father's estate. 
He cleared this land and made a fine 
farm, on which he resided twelve years, 
doing hard work all the time. In the fall 
of 1873 he removed to De Pcie and pur- 
chased the " Fox River Hotel," which he 
remodeled and opened on the second 
Tuesday in November of the same year, 
changing the name to the "Manitowoc 
House." Aided by his wife, a very ac- 
complished lady, he carried on a most 
prosperous business until April 22, 1882, 
when the edifice was consumed by fire. 
Mr. Touhey immediately rebuilt on a 
larger scale, and called the new hotel the 



I5S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



"Transit Hotel." in which he did a thriv- 
ing trade for seven years, when he was 
af,'ain burned out. Mr. Touhe}-, some- 
what di.scouraged, then went to Hot 
Springs, Ark., to be treated for rheuma- 
tism, from which he had been suffering 
since 1879; later he visited various sites 
in Colorado, where .several offers of an 
advantageous nature were made to as- 
sist him in opening a hotel, but the pub- 
lic-spirited citizens of De Pere induced 
him to return to that city and resume his 
former business. Acordinglv. on the ist 
of September, 1890, he opened the "New 
Transit Hotel," now .so well known along 
the F"o.\ river. 

Mr. Touhey is a stanch Democrat, and 
was once elected justice ol the peace, but 
declined to serve; in 1863, however, he 
served as a member of the board of alder- 
men of De Pere. He is a member of St 
Francis Catholic Church, and he and his 
wife are held in the highest respect by the 
entire community. They have had no 
children born to them, but some young 
relative— niece or nephew— has always 
found a home under their roof. 



Emma, Robert, Ida, and Albert. After 
a residence of about si.xteen years on his 
farm Mr. Schroeder removed with his 
family to Wrightstown, leaving one son in 
charge of the home place. Here Mr. 
Schroeder at once established his present 
business, dealing in farm machiner\- and 
agricultural implements, and has built up 
a successful and thriving trade, his fair 
dealing and gentlemanly deportment gain- 
ing for him the confidence of the com- 
munity. He is a local leader in the Dem- 
ocratic party, and has filled .several re- 
sponsible offices; he is now a candidate 
for the position of postmaster. 



Chari.es schroi£dp:r. This 
popular dealer in agricultural im- 
plements of Wrightstown, Brown 
county, was born June 6, 1844 
in West Pru.ssia, son of Gottlieb and 
Louise fLuefgei Schroeder. 

In 1863, ill company with his mother 
and two sisters, our subject came to the 
United States, landing at Baltimore Md., 
August 15, whence they moved to the 
town of Rockland. Brown Co., Wis., set- 
thng in the wilderness near the Fo.\ River 
Valley, where he engaged in farming. On 
January 18. 1870, Mr. Schroeder was 
here married to Miss Bertha \\'irschke a 
daughter of Gottlieb Wir.schke, who was 
largely engaged in the manufacture of 
linseed oil. To this union have been 
born ten children, namelv: Marv. Charles, 
August, Emilie, Rudolph, " Wilhelm' 



CHRISTOPH MEISTER, who is a 
contractor and builder, of Green 
Bay, was born in Saxony, Ger- 
many, November 9, 1820, a son 
of Henry and Elizabeth (Neuman) Meis- 
ter, who, in 1855, settled in Green Bay, 
where the father died in 1864, the mother 
in 1866. They reared a family of six 
children, as follows: Christoph, the sub- 
ject of this sketch; Fredericka, wife of 
Matthias Fi.st, of Pittstield township; 
Carolme, wife of Jacob Low, of Preble 
township; Harry; James; and Ernestine, 
I wife of Frank Lipman,of Preble township.' 
I Christoph Meister was educated in 

Germany, and also learned his trade of 
carpenter and builder in that country. 
On June 18, 1853, he came to Green Bay, 
and m 1856 erected his present plea.sant 
residence. On arriving here he at once 
engaged in business, and among the many 
structures he has put up may be men"- 
tioned "Cook's Hotel," Chapman block. 
Uncle Frank's block. Engine House No. 1 ,' 
the old Postoffice building. Turner Halli 
the Union Brewery, a brewery in Esca- 
naba, the courthouse in Grand Rapids, 
and most of the larger stores and dwell- 
ings in Green Bay. Mr. Meister was 
united in matrimonv' in Germany, in 1.S49, 
to Miss Dorothea Montag. and to this 
union have been born eight children, viz. : 



COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



159 



Ernest, Charley, Herman, Frederick, 
Louisa (wife of Otto Brehmer), Lena, 
Emma, and Matilda. Mr. and Mrs. Meis- 
ter are members of the Lutheran Church. 
Socially he is a member of Herman 
Lodge, No. Ill, in which he has passed 
all the chairs, and is also a member of 
the Turnverein and of the German Benev- 
olent Society. In politics he is a Re- 
publican, taking an active interest in the 
success of the party, and has served as 
alderman four years. Mr. Meister is the 
oldest contractor in Green Bay, has la- 
bored hard to advance its interests, and 
has won for himself a high standing in the 
estimation of the entire communit\'. 



JOHN BATEY, of De Pere, was born 
in the village of Stella, on the river 
Tyne, County of Durham, England, 
September I I, 1823, and is a son of 
John and Ann (Blair) Batey, the former 
of whom was a mason and contractor. 

Our subject was educated in private 
schools in the village of Backworth, 
county of Northumberland, England, 
until fifteen years of age, when he was 
indentured for six years to a coal com- 
pany (for whom his father was a foreman 
over the masons employed) for the pur- 
pose of learning masonry. He served 
out the full term of his indentures, and also 
worked for the company three years as a 
journeyman. On the 25th of |anuar\-, 
1845, he married Doroth)- Armstrong, 
then eighteen years and eleven days old, 
a daughter of Thomas and Ann (Scott) 
Armstrong, the wedding taking place in 
All Saints Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
For ten years after his marriage Mr. 
Batey resided in Backworth, working at 
his trade, and, of his four children born 
there, three died of scarlet fever, which 
so distressed him that he resolved to 
abandon the country and emigrate to 
Australia. On reaching Liverpool with 
his wife and remaining child, Ann, then 
eight years old, the news of hard times 



was so disheartening from the antipodes, 
that he changed his destination to Amer- 
ica, and landed in Montreal, Canada, 
where he found work on the famous Vic- 
toria bridge, tlien in course of construc- 
tion for the Grand Trunk railway. But 
the work was dangerous, and drownings 
of masons were of such frequent occur- 
rence, that he sought and secured em- 
ployment in the Grand Trunk railroad 
shops at Montreal, where he remained 
three months, and then moved to Point 
Levi, near Quebec; but, the water freez- 
ing here a quarter of an inch in one night, 
in the month of September, he immedi- 
ately took passage for Toronto. This trip 
was an exceedingh- stormy one; the boat 
was wrecked, his household goods all 
lost, and he, his wife and child barely 
escaped with their lives. Being unaware 
of the liability of the boat owners for his 
entire loss, Mr. Batey accepted five dol- 
lars from the Captain as full indemnity 
for his goods and clothing. At Toronto 
Mr. Batey worked for three years at his 
trade for the railroad company, and then 
came to Wisconsin and passed two years 
at Marquette; from there, about 1870, he 
came to De Pere, since when he has con- 
tracted for or assisted in the erecting of 
furnaces all the way across the continent 
from Detroit, Mich., to Portland, Ore., 
at one time taking nineteen workmen 
from De Pere to Oregon. At present 
Mr. Batey confines himself to acting 
as foreman or director of men engaged 
in mason work, having accumulated suf- 
ficient means to support his wife and self 
during his declining years. 

While residing in Canada there were 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Batey four children, 
of whom two only are now living, viz. : 
Rebecca, married to Mr. Bicksler, of 
Spokane Falls, Wash., and Thomas W., 
at home with his parents. Ann, the child 
who was born in England, was married 
in Canada, to William Wright, bore her 
husband five children, and died when 
about twenty-six years old — the children 
being mostly reared by Mrs. Batey. In 



i6o 



COMMEMORATIVK BWGRAPniCAL nECORD. 



politics Mr. Batey is independent, while 
Mrs. Batey affiliates with the Repub- 
licans, and she has been a consistent 
member of the Presbyterian Church for 
twenty-six years. 



M 



H. NOLAN, chief of police of 
Green Bay, was born in 1856, 
in Sheboygan coimty, Wis. 
His parents, Thomas and Mary 
(McDonald) Nolan, natives of Ireland, 
about the year 1 84 1 settled in the woods 
of Sheboygan county, where they wrested 
a farm from the forest and acquired a 
moderate fortune. They now reside in 
Green Bush township, Sheboygan county, 
in ease and comfort. They had born to 
them a family of twelve children, of whom 
eleven are living, viz. : Bridget, wife of 
Michael Flynn, of Antigo, Wis. ; John, 
of Altoona, Wis.; M. H., our subject; 
Andrew, a farmer of Dakota; Katie, at- 
tending the Normal School at Oshkosh, 
Wis. ; Libbie, assistant county treasurer 
of Langlade county, Wis. ; Anna, clerk- 
ing in Milwaukee; Thomas, a farmer of 
Sheboygan county; Winnie, wife of Thom- 
as Keenan, of Milwaukee; Alice, a school- 
teacher of Sheboygan county, and Madge, 
now attending school. 

M. H. Nolan was reared to farming 
on the Sheboygan county homestead. 
While yet a young man he passed two 
years in traveling, seeing the country and 
working here and there until his final set- 
tlement in Green Bay, in 1882. After 
being employed at different branches of 
labor, he was placed in the city tire de- 
partment, and had charge of engine 
house No. 2 for a year; was then tran.s- 
ferred to the police force, and served four 
years in a subordinate position, when he 
was appointed chief in 1893; having filled 
the position one term with ability and to 
the satisfaction of all concerned, he was 
re-appointed and is now serving his sec- 
ond term. The force comprises the chief 
and si.\ subordinates, and, under Mr. 



Nolan's guidance, have succeeded in keep- 
ing the city in an admirable state of good 
order and quietude. In piilitics Chief 
Nolan is a Democrat; in religion he is a 
devout Catholic. He is a member of the 
Knights of the Maccabees, of which he 
was one of the organizers of Green Bay, 
and is also a member of the Royal .Ar- 
canum. He is a man of nerve, and is 
much admired by his many friends and 
associates. 



FRANK THEODORE BLESCH, 
a wide-awake and enterprising 
merchant of Green Bay, and who 
for some years has been connected 
with the commercial and social interests 
of that city, was born in Fort Howard, 
Wis., July 18,1861, of German ilescent, 
his grandfather, Carl Blesch, having been 
born at Bingen-on-the-Rhine. The great- 
grandfather was a well-known musician 
of that locality, and a composer of piano 
and organ music. Carl Blesch was also 
a very popular citizen in the community 
where he lived, and was the proprietor of 
the ' ' Pariser Hof " (or ' • Parisian Hotel ") 
in Bingen. He died in the prime of life, 
leaving a widow, whose maiden name was 
Clara Heuser, who survived him many 
years. They were the parents of seven 
children: Margareta and Carl, both de- 
ceased; John B; .Andrew; Francis, also 
ceased; Elesa and Peter. 

Francis Blesch, father of our subject, 
was born in Bingen, November 6, 1824, 
and in the public schools of his native 
town obtained a good practical education. 
He there learned the cooper's and brewer's 
trades, perfecting himself in the business, 
and worked along those lines in many 
places, traveling over the greater part of 
Europe. Eventually returning to Bingen, 
he there remained until October, 1849, 
when he crossed the Atlantic to America, 
with but little capital; he was thoroughly 
honest, however, and willing to work, and 
soon won the respect and confidence of all 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



i6i 



by his many good qualities of head and 
heart. He first located in Milford, Penn., 
but in 1850 came to Green Bay, Wis., 
where he established a brewery and did a 
successful business. He was a member 
of the Masonic fraternity and a benevo- 
lent and charitable man, giving freely of 
his means to the poor and distressed, 
doing all in a quiet and unostentatious 
manner. His death occurred November 
9, 1879, and he was mourned by many 
friends. He married Antoinette Schnei- 
der, a native of Brussels, Belgium, who 
survives her husband; she is the mother of 
six children, namely: Mrs. Sophia B. 
Jorgenson, Mrs. Clara Monroe, Mrs. 
Emily Lewis, Gustav A., Frank T. and 
Louise A. 

The subject of this sketch was edu- 
cated in the public schools of his native 
town, and at the age of seventeen entered 
upon his business career as a clerk in the 
dry-goods store of his brother-in-law, J. 
L. Jorgenson. He remained in that store 
nine years, during which time he mastered 
every detail of the business. He became 
a partner in the concern, and when a 
branch store was established at Green 
Bay he moved thither to assume the po- 
sition of resident manager, and has since 
been in charge of what is now one of the 
leading mercantile establishments of the 
city. He is a man of excellent business 
and executive abilities, sagacious and far- 
sighted, and by his earnest desire to please 
his customers, and his courteous treatment 
and fair dealing, he has secured a liberal 
patronage, of which he is well deserving. 
The best interests of the community re- 
ceive his support, and he withholds his co- 
operation from no worthy undertaking 
calculated to promote the general welfare. 



RJ. BLACK, stock dealer. Fort 
Howard. This gentleman was 
born, in 1843, in Jylland, Den- 
mark, and is a son of James and 
Carrie (Morup) Black, natives of the same 



place, where the father died in 1869, the 
mother in 1871, never having left their 
native countrj-. Their children were 
seven in number (of whom four came to 
Wisconsin), viz. : James, who resides in 
Denmark; R. J., the subject of these 
lines; Carrie Marie, wife of Anders Nel- 
son, a large dairy farmer of Denmark; 
Peter, also residing in Denmark; Chris- 
tian, a resident of Fort Howard, Wis ; 
Anna Catherine, who came to Oshkosh, 
Wis., and died there in 1870, and James, 
who came to Fort Howard in 1874, where 
he now resides. 

R. J. Black was reared and educated 
in Denmark, and prepared himself for a 
teacher. At the age of twenty-one years 
he left his native land and came to Wis- 
consin. Returning to Denmark in 1869 
he remained until the following year, 
when he again came to the "Badger 
State." He first located at Oshkosh, in 
1865, working at the lumber business, but 
in May, 1874, removed to Fort Howard 
and settled in Tanktown. He was then in 
the employ of the Green Bay, Winona & 
St. Paul Railroad Company, for whom he 
had begun work as a track-layer, assisting 
in laying the rails as far as Winona, Minn. 
He had previously, after his return from 
Denmark, been employed by the Wiscon- 
sin Central Railroad Company, helping 
to grade the road, and, later, was with 
the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad 
Company, on their line between Green 
Bay and Marinette. After the first year 
at Fort Howard Mr. Black opened a meat 
market, which he conducted for .seventeen 
years, finally selling out and engaging in 
the stock business, in which he has con- 
tinued. He buys and sells live stock, and 
has an extensive business. He is the 
owner of a good farm in the city limits, 
and has been successful in his ventures. 

In 1872, at New London, Wis., Mr. 
Black was married to Miss Marie Madsen, 
a native of Lolland, Denmark, and daugh- 
ter of Mads and Miriam Christina (Torsen) 
Rasmussen, who spent their entire lives 
in their natiN'e country. Four of their 



l62 



COMMEMOUATIVK BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



chil(iren emifjrated to Wisconsin: Rasmus 
Madscn and I'rcderic Matisen, both resi- 
dents of l-'ort Howard; Mrs. Black, of the 
same place, and Signc, wife of C. J. 
Black, who died at Fort Howard in 1 886. 
There were two brothers, Nels, who died 
in Australia, and Christian, who died in 
the South. Mr. and Mrs. Black are the 
parents of si.\ children: Charlotte, wife 
of Rev. J. F. Younj:;, pastor of the Pres- 
byterian Church at Fort Howard; Marie, 
a j^aaduate of the Fort Howard schools 
in 1<S93, and now attending Normal School 
at Oshkosh; Agnes, Emma and Stella, at 
school; and Edna. In political matters 
Mr. Black is a Prohibitionist, and he and 
his wife were charter members of the 
local organization of the I. O. G. T. ; 
both are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Mr. Black also holds member- 
ship in the I. O. O. F. at Green Bay, 
and the Royal .\rcanum at Fort Howard. 
For five years he has served on the school 
board, and for an ecpial period was alder- 
man from the Fifth ward, serving also two 
years as supervisor. He takes commend- 
able interest in public affairs, and is in every 
respect an upright, worthy citizen. In 
1889, in order to enjoy a pleasure trip 
and see more of the country, he visited 
California. 

Mr. and Mrs. Black have both re- 
sided in Fort Howard a sufficient period 
to witness remarkal)le changes in the 
place, and have kept pace with its devel- 
opment. All the region round about 
Green Bay has undergone almost a com- 
plete transformation during the years of 
their residence, and the end is not \et. 



DM. HARTEAU, architect, of 
Green Bay, was born at Dc Pere, 
Brown count}', Wis., in 1842, a 
son of Joseph and Mary iGorham) 
Harteau, the former a native of Canada, 
the latter of Mackinac. Michigan. 

Joseph Harteau, with two brothers. 



Mitchell and Lewis, early came to Green 
Ba)' (Shantytown), and there Joseph 
found employment on the river under a 
Mr. Whitney, and was there married. 
Later he migrated to Scott township and 
engaged in farming, and still later moved 
to Chase township, Oconto Co., Wis., 
where he passed from earth in 1889; his 
wife had died in 1888. Mrs. Harteau's 
father, David B. Gorham, was a native 
of England, and was a shipbuilder. On 
coming to America he settled in the Ter- 
ritor)- of Michigan, and in July, 1827, 
was naturalized in the county of Michili- 
mackinac, but shortly afterward moved to 
Green Bay, Wis., where he was employed 
by the government in boat building, and 
where he met his death at the hands of a 
soldier. His widow, of whom Charley 
Gorham, of De Pere, is the youngest 
brother, afterward married Charles Ga- 
beau, a native of Canada. Joseph and 
Mary Harteau were the parents of eight 
children, as follows: D. M., our subject; 
Ivosella, who married William Pherson, 
and died at Oshkosh; Adeline, wife of 
Louis Hardvvelk, of Menominee; Charley, 
of Chase township, Oconto county ; Joseph ; 
Augustus, of Chase township; Adel, mar- 
ried to John Wilson, and Eliza (Mrs. 
Longled), of Wisconsin. 

In 1864, D. M. Harteau enlisted at 
Green Bay, in Company C, Forty-seventh 
Wis. V. I., was assigned to garrison duty 
at Tuliahoma, Tenn., and was discharged 
at Nashville, Tenn., in 1865. On his re- 
turn he worked at his trade, that of mason, 
and studied architecture, opening an office 
in Green Bay, in 1874, for the practice of 
the latter science, and has been so em- 
ployed ever since. He was married, in 
1872 to Miss Camilla Follett, who was 
born in AUouez township. Brown county, 
a datighter of Burley and Lizzie Follett. 
The father was a stationer, but later was 
in the boot and shoe business, and died 
in Green Bay; the mother passed from 
earth in Marinette. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Harteau six children were born, of whom 
oidv one survives, Zola Lillian; the de- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



16,^ 



ceased are: Lewis, Sarah, Charles, David, 
and Adda. 

In pohtics Mr. Harteau is a Repub- 
lican, and has served as a member of the 
common council from the Third ward; he 
is also a member of T. O. Howe Post, No. 
124, G. A. R., and of the French Catholic 
Church; Mrs. Harteau is Presbyterian. 
The family are quiet and retiring in their 
habits, and are regarded with general re- 
spect, while Mr. Harteau's professional 
reputation stands on a firm basis. 



JOSEPH HENRIGILLES, present 
district clerk, is one of the most 
popular citizens of De Pere town- 
ship, Brown county, with whose in- 
terests he has for many years been promi- 
nently identified. 

Our subject was born Februar\- 9, 
1840, in Francorchamps, Belgium, son of 
Hubert Henrigilles, who was a well-to-do 
fanner and miller. The latter married 
Mary C. Legros, and to their union came 
five children, four of whom grew to ma- 
turity, viz.: Therese, married to J. Nisen; 
Margaret, now the wife of Jacques Ducat, 
a farmer of De Pere township; Marj-, who 
married Nic. Guirsh, and died in Kansas; 
and Joseph, whose name introduces this 
memoir. The mother of these died in 
1846. In 1858 Hubert Henrigilles sold 
his property in Belgium, and in the fall of 
the year took passage at Antwerp for New 
York, where he and his family landed 
after a voyage of thirty-six days. From 
New York they proceeded westward to 
Chicago, 111., and here remained two 
months, at the end of which time they 
came to Peshtigo, Wis. , where the father 
and son entered the employ of Ogden, the 
lumber and railroad man. They worked 
in sawmills, and also at vessel loading 
until i860, when they removed to New 
Hamburg, Scott Co., Mo., and here the 
father engaged in farming and other pur- 
suits until 1 87 1, when he returned to 
"Wisconsin, and passed the remainder of 



his life in De Pere township. Brown 
county, at the home of his son. He died 
in 1892, at the age of ninety, a member 
of the Catholic Church, and in politics a 
Republican. While a resident of Missouri 
he enlisted in the home guards, on the 
Union side. 

Joseph Henrigilles was reared to agri- 
cultural life, and received his education in 
the common schools of his native place, 
the instruction being principall}' in 
French, but he also received a fair train- 
ing in the English language. When 
eighteen years of age he came with his 
father to the United States, and his first 
work in the New World was for the Ogden 
Com.pany, near Peshtigo, Wis., as pre- 
viousl}' stated. The first private resi- 
dence in Peshtigo was built for his father, 
but it was never taken off the contractor's 
hands. Later our subject engaged in 
fishing, and in 1 860 he went to New Ham- 
burg, Scott Co., Mo., and there joined 
Company B, Scott Count}- (Mo.) Home 
Guards, Volunteer Battalion. On August, 
15, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company B, First 
Missouri Cavalry, Hubbard's Battalion, at 
Jefferson Barracks, Mo., for three years, 
or during the war. In 1863 he was pro- 
moted to corporal, and on December 31, 
same year he was honorably discharged at 
Little Rock, Ark. The next day, January 
1 , 1 864, he re-enlisted in the same company 
and regiment, and served to the close of 
the war, receiving his final discharge Sep- 
tember I, 1865. Mr. Henrigilles was 
taken ill in St. Louis soon after his enroll- 
ment, and was sent to the hospital, where 
he suffered much for want of proper food. 
After leaving the hospital he joined his 
regiment at Tipton, Mo., and thence went 
to Springfield, same State, under the 
command of Gen. Fremont, subsequently 
returned to Tipton, where he was taken 
ill with fever, and, upon his recovery, he 
rejoined his regiment at Springfield, Mo., 
to assist in driving the Rebels from the 
State. The latter returning, the engage- 
ment at Pea Ridge took place. At Sugar 
Creek a friend of our subject was wounded, 



164 



COMMEMOnATIVE BIOURAPniCAL RECORD. 



and Mr. Henrigilles was sent to the hos- 
pital with him. This establishment had 
been moved three miles from its first lo- 
cation, and on March 7, 1862, it was at- 
tacked by the Rebels, the building being 
between the fires of both armies. From 
there our subject was sent to Cassville, 
Mo., was appointed hospital steward, and, 
after some four months rejoined his com- 
mand at Springfield. For a time he served 
as scout. and was then engaged with 1,300 
other men in the pursuit of Col. Coffee. The 
Confederates were driven from the State, 
and the pursuers returned to Mt. Vernon, 
Mo. Our subject was then detailed with 
one hundred other men to guard a mill at 
Newtonia, Mo., which was thirty-three 
miles from the Union and five miles from 
the Confederate camp. The second day 
the horse Mr. Henrigilles rode gave out. 
When the detachment arrived at New- 
tonia they were met by i , 600 Confederates, 
forming into line for battle, and Capt. 
Adams, who had the command, ordered 
the men to take care of themselves. Our | 
subject was captured, put in a pen with a 1 
score of others, and taken to Sugar Creek, 
where all their effects were taken from 
them, and they were kept on the bare ' 
ground. Thence they were conveyed I 
across Arkansas, via Elm Springs, Fay- j 
etteville, over the Ozark mountains to | 
Van Buren, and from there to Fort Smith, I 
where they were held for three months, ' 
scantily clothed and fed, and with bricks 
for their bed. They were paroled at Lit- 
tle Rock, and from there Mr. Henrigilles 
went to Helena, .Ark., and after remaining 
in that city several weeks joined his bat- 
talion at RoUa. Mo. He was again on 
scouting duty for a while, and then went 
to Pilot Knob and Jackson, Mo., being 
with his connnand when it encountered 
Gen. Marmaduke and drove him from the 
State, capturing the towns of Pilot Knob 
and, later. Little Rock. .Ark. The winter 
was spent at Benton, .\rk., .scouting, and 
they then joined the Camden expedition, 
bein? assigned to the command of Gen. 
Steele; they were on the march for forty- 



two days, fifteen days without drawing 
rations, and three days without having 
anjthing to eat. On the return to Little 
Rock, our subject was granted a veteran 
furlough. He afterward was detailed to 
carry mail from Camden, .Ark., to Wash- 
ington, Arkansas. 

Major Hubbard's battalion, or the 
battalion to which Mr. Henrigilles be- 
longed, was engaged in the following ac- 
tions: Springfield, Mo., October 26,1861; 
Little Blue, Mo., November 11, 1861; 
Clinton, Mo., December 17, 1861; Silver 
Creek, Mo, January 8, 1862; Spring- 
field, Mo., February 12, 1862; Cross 
Timber, Ark., February 16, 1862; charge 
at Sugar Creek. Ark., February 18,1862; 
first capture at Fayetteville, .Ark., Feb- 
ruary 28, 1862; Pea Ridge. Ark.. March 
6. 7 and 8; Neosho, Mo., April 26, 1862; 
Cowskin Prairie, April 24, 1862; Berry- 
ville, ,Ark., May 20, 1862; Fayetteville, 
Ark., June 27, 1862; Newtonia, Mo., 
September 13. 1862; Seneca Mill, Ind. 
Ter. ,Scptemberi6, 1862; McGuire's Ford, 
Ark., October 28, 1862; Prairie Grove, 
Ark. , December 7, 1 862 ; Van Buren, Ark. , 
December 28, 1862; Chalk Bluff, Mo., 
May 5. 1863; Bajou Metre, Ark., August 
20, 1863; Shallow Ford, Ark., August 25, 
1863; Caddo Gap, Ark., November 7, 
1863; Cedar Glade, Ark., November 10, 
1S63; Arkadelphia, Ark., March 3, 1864; 
Spoonville, -Ark., March 5, 1864; Little 
Mi.ssouri River, Ark., March 10, 1864 
Prairie D'Anne, Ark., March 13, 1864 
Poison Spring, Ark., March 14, 1864 
capture of Camden, Ark. .March 15, 1864 
Jenkins Ferry, Ark., April 30, 1864. 
Genera! Steele's division, which had suf- 
fered heavily in incessant skirmishing 
through the entire march to make con- 
nection with Banks from Little Kock,was 
attacked on the Sabine river, in Arkansas, 
by the consolidated forces of Generals 
Kirby Smith and Price — 5,000 Union 
soldiers against 20,000 Rebels. A battle 
of about eight hours' duration ensued, 
which was- one of the sharpest contests 
of the Southwest in the war, but resulted 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



l6: 



in a victory for the Union force, which 
saved Little Rock and Arkansas to the 
United States Government. The army of 
the Frontier, to which our subject's regi- 
ment had been assigned, was designed to 
put an end to the combination of Rebels 
and Indians, and to do service in all 
capacities where needed; consequently 
it performed duties of the most arduous 
and dangerous character, much of which 
has never been portrayed on the pages of 
history. They were occupied successively 
in expeditions against the I-iebels and In- 
dians, connected with the Confederate 
forces in skirmishes with Rebel guerrillas, 
bushwhackers, etc. ; and of such heav}- 
marches as were made by the cavalry and 
sharpshooters history has no record. 

Joseph Henngilles received his dis- 
charge September 1,1865, at Little Rock, 
Ark., and immediately proceeded to De- 
Pere, Wis. , in the hope of recovering his 
health, which had broken down com- 
pletely in his long service. For two years 
thereafter he worked in a sawmill for 
David Loy. On December i, 1866, Mr. 
Henrigilles was married, in De Pere, by 
Father Verboort, to Miss Mary B. Bor- 
man, who was born February 4, 1850, in 
Belgium. She was one of a family of six 
children ('two now living) who came with 
their parents to the United States in 1855, 
and was reared in Brown county, Wis. 
For about five years the young couple 
had their residence on the Borman home- 
stead, and then, in 1871, took up their 
home on the place where they are yet re- 
siding, lot 20, private claim 36, De Pere 
township. At that time the tract com- 
prised twenty acres of heavily-wooded 
land, but it has since been increased to 
eighty-five acres. Although he has been 
in poor health ever since the war, Mr. 
Henrigilles has been a hard worker, and 
his good management and progressive 
habits have brought him success. He is 
naturally intelligent, keeps himself well 
informed on the general topics of the day, 
and reads considerably. He is a fine pen- 
man, and, had he devoted much time to 



it, he would undobtedly have become an 
artist in this line. In his political affilia- 
tions Mr. Henrigilles is a stanch supporter 
of the Republican party, and, as such, has 
been elected to various offices, serving his 
township as justice of the peace, as town 
clerk for several years, assessor and su- 
pervisor, and at present he holds the office 
of district clerk. In religious faith he 
and his wife are both members of the 
Catholic Church. To their union have 
been born the following named fifteen 
children: Mar}- T. (now Mrs. Joseph 
Martin, of Lawrence township), Mary E. 
(now Mrs. Hubert Duquaine, of De Pere 
township), Mary L. (now Mrs. Henry Von 
\'onderen, of De Pere township), Joseph, 
Mary H., Mary L., Ann J., Mary T., 
Hubert H., Laura E., Alise C, Ida M., 
Elionor L. , Catherine E. , and Mary L. ; 
of whom Mary H., Mary L. , Mary T., 
Mary L. , and Ann J. are deceased. 



ALVIX HUNTER, a prosperous 
husbandman of Suamico town- 
ship, Brown county, is a native of 
Maine, born in Kennebec county, 
March 24, 1844. His parents, Arthur 
and Emeline fSmith) Hunter, were also 
natives of the same place, the former 
born in 18 16, dying at the age of seventy- 
four; the latter still enjoys life on the old 
home farm. Of their three children, Al- 
vin is one of the two surviving. 

Our subject worked among the granite 
hills of his native State, assisting on the 
home farm, until the blast of war called 
him from his home. He was nearly 
twenty years old when he enlisted, Decem- 
ber 5, 1863, in Company F, First Maine 
Cavalry, and he did faithful service until 
March 31, 1865, when he was wounded 
at Dinwiddie C. H., Va. ; he was honor- 
ably discharged June 27, 1865, from hos- 
pital at Augusta, Maine. After the close 
of the war he came to Brown county, 
Wis. , and bought a forty-acre tract of 
land, but he followed teaming for a liveli- 



i66 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



hood until his marriage, which took place 
November 28, 1868, to Miss Rose Bru- 
nette, who was a native of Green Bay, 
born in 1842. Her parents. Prudent 
and Mary L. fKeynold) Brunette, were 
natives of Canada, who came in 1854 to 
the United States, where they died at the 
respective ajjes of eighty-eipht and seven- 
ty-nine, the father passing away first. 
They were born in 1804 and 1805, re- 
spectively, and their longevity was the 
result, no doubt, of the steady habits that 
descended to their children, of whom 
they had eleven, four of them still living. 
To Alvin and Rose Hunter were born nine- 
children, as follows: Ida E., married 
to Ed. J. Coffin, and has two sons; 
Edward A., married to Verna Codington; 
Cnra M., second wife of N. J. Putnam, 
by whom she has two daughters; Lillian 
(i^rst wife of N. J. Putnam), who died 
leaving one child; George, who died at 
the age of four months; and Willie A., 
Walter O., George D. and Charles L. , 
all four at home. 

At the time of his marriage Mr. Hun- 
ter settled on his purchase of forty acres, 
which he cultivated twenty years and 
then went east, and for one summer 
worked on his father's farm, after which 
he returned to Wisconsin and bought a 
new farm of eighty acres, on which he 
still lives. In his political preferences Mr. 
Hunter is a Republican, having cast his 
first Presidential vote for U. S. Grant in 
1 868, since when he has been active in 
party work, and has held several offices; 
he is now chairman of his township. 
Socially he is an active member of T. O. 
Howe Post, No. 124, G. A. R., of Green 
Bay, and he and his wife are regular at- 
tendants of Calvary Church. 



CM. WINTON, general farmer and 
stock-raiser, of De Pere township, 
Brown county, is one of the best- 
known and most highly respected 
men in his community. He was born July 



27, 1850, in Meadville, Crawford Co., 
Penn., son of Charles Winton, who was 
a native of Centreville, same county. 

The Winton family are descended from 
English ancestry, who settled in Pennsyl- 
vania about the beginning of the present 
century, coming either from New York 
or one of the New England States. When 
a young man Charles Winton married, in 
his native county. Miss Phoebe Waid, who 
was also born there. He was a farmer of 
but limited means, and in 1854 he brought 
his family westward to Wisconsin, where 
cheap homes could then be had by those 
who were willing to undergo the numerous 
trials and inconveniences which were the 
common lot of the pioneer. He first lo- 
cated in Rock county, where he spent the 
winter of 1854-5, and in the spring of 
1855 removed farther north to Glenmore 
township, at that time one of the wildest 
sections of Brown county. Some timber 
had been cut from the land, but the greater 
part of the country was still in its primi- 
tive state, and the life of the early settler 
was one of constant hardship, privation 
and danger. In 1865 Mr. Winton re- 
moved to De Pere township, where his 
wife died in 1872. He now makes his 
home in Daggett, Mich. Thej- had a 
family of ten children — five sons and five 
daughters — all of whom but one, Edgar, 
are yet living. 

Charles Mead Winton was but four 
years of age when he came with his par- 
ents to Wisconsin, and his early education 
was such as the common district schools 
of that early day afforded. In the mean- 
time he also received a thorough training 
on the farm, and remained with his par- 
ents until 1872, when he decided to pay 
a visit to his birthplace in Pennsylvania. 
The superior educational advantages to be 
had in the East became so apparent to 
him that he concluded to remain, and for 
five years attended school at Centreville, 
Crawford Co., Penn., where he received 
thorough instruction, and in 1879 he re- 
turned to Wisconsin. 

On July 20, 1881, Mr. Winton was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL UECORD. 



167 



married in De Pere, to Miss Harriet G. 
Phelps, a native of Janesville Wis. , 
daughter of Jeremiah and Theresa Phelps, 
natives of New York State, who came to 
Wisconsin in an early day. In 1879 Mr. 
Winton bought the old homestead, and 
after his marriage he made it his perma- 
nent home; it now consists of eighty acres 
of fertile land, where he conducts a gen- 
eral farming and stock-raising business. 
By industry and perseverance he has 
greatly improved his farm and home. In 
politics he is a stanch adherent of the 
principles of the Republican part\', and 
in 1891, 1893 and 1894 was elected town- 
ship assessor, in which position he is 
proving himself an able officer. Mrs. 
Winton is a member of the M. E. Church 
in De Pere. They have had one child, 
Aden L. , who was born September 25, 
1882. Mr. Winton is a great reader, 
keeping himself well informed on general 
topics, and he and his wife are highly es- 
teemed in the community. 



LEONARD BONE, retired mer- 
chant, of De Pere, was born about 
thirty miles southwest of Montreal, 
Canada, in the village of Vau- 
dreuil, February 2, 1826, a son of Andrew 
and Monick (Lesbuay) Bone, both also 
natives of Canada and of French descent. 
At the age of eleven years our sub- 
ject was permitted to make his residence 
with a wealthy gentleman, who, in return 
for Leonard's services, was to give him a 
good education, but who wholly neglected 
so to do, the result being that the lad, when 
nearly seventeen years old, quit the em- 
ploy of the part}' mentioned and made 
his way to Whitehall, N. Y. , when not 
quite seventeen. A few weeks later he 
reached Albany, in the same State, where 
he was fortunate enough to secure work 
with a stonecutter, and, although a novice, 
was soon able to earn sixty-five dollars a 
month, and this business he followed 
about eighteen months. Times becoming 



dull, however, he engaged at work as a 
farm hand seven miles from Albany, be- 
ginning at three dollars per month, but at 
the end of the first month his wages were 
increased to ten dollars, his employer find- 
ing him to be worth that amount. After 
a two-month's sickness, he was married at 
Albany to Miss Jane Remington, a native 
of Two Rivers, Canada, born September 
27, 1823, a daughter of John and Vic- 
toria (LeClainj Remington, the former of 
whom was of English descent, the latter 
of French. Shortly after his marriage 
Mr. Bone came west and found employ- 
ment at stone-cutting in Joliet, 111., where 
he worked two jears, and was then per- 
suaded by William Townsend to embark 
in the hotel business at Chicago, where, 
within two years, he lost all he had in- 
vested — seventeen hundred dollars — and 
was obliged to borrow fifty dollars to en- 
able him to leave that city. About this 
time, in 1849, he first came to De Pere, 
but did not stay long, preferring to 
go to Pensaukee, where, for a year, he 
managed a boarding house forF. B. Gard- 
ner, who operated a sawmill, and for his 
own and his wife's services received thirty 
dollars per month; the following four 
years their compensation was one thou- 
sand one hundred dollars per year. Mr. 
and Mrs. Bone then settled on a farm of 
eight}- acres near De Pere, which he cul- 
tivated some years, and then went into the 
grocer}' business within the limits of the 
city, where he erected the first brick block 
and accumulated a competence that justi- 
fied his retirement fifteen years ago. Mr. 
and Mrs. Bone are members of the Cath- 
olic Church, and in politics he is a Re- 
publican. There have been no children 
born to them, but they have'reared, from 
the age of thirteen months, Kate Palmer, 
now happil}- married to Michael Tessier, 
and with him living in Nebraska; the}" 
have also reared Leonard Tessier (son of 
Michael and Kate), a graduate of the De- 
Pere High School and of the Universit}' 
,of Wisconsin, and who is now superin- 
tendent of the Electric Light Works at 



1 68 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



De Pere; in addition to these adopted 
children, they also reared a nephew, 
Julian Bone, from the age of twelve to 
twenty j'ears. What more need be said 
as to the native kindness of their hearts? 



ANTHONY GOEMANS (deceased), 
who during his lifetime was a 
much respected farmer of Rock- 
land township. Brown county, 
was a native of Holland, born September 
29, 1 82 1, in the province of Limburg. 
He was a son of John Goemans, a well- 
to-do fajmer, who had six children, An- 
thony being the eldest in the family. 

During his youth Anthon}' Goemans 
had very limited educational advantages, 
as he had to commence work very early 
in life, and was reared to farming, which 
he always followed. In 1856, hearing 
that he would have better wages and op- 
portunities for advancement in the United 
States, he left his native country, and 
coming to Wisconsin remained here ten 
years, engaging in various kinds of work. 
In 1866 he returned to Holland, and on 
February 28, 1867, was there married to 
Miss Joanna Bernards, who was born No- 
vember 5, 1839, daughter of John Ber- 
nards, a farmer of that country. Bid- 
ding farewell to their home and friends, 
they left Holland a month after their 
marriage, and, proceeding from Rotter- 
dam to Glasgow, took passage there on 
a vessel bound for New York, at which 
port they landed after a voyage of twenty- 
four days. Their destination being in 
Wisconsin, they proceeded thither by 
rail, and after a short stay in Little 
Chute, Outagamie county, came to De- 
Pere township. Brown county, where Mr. 
Goemans purchased a tract of eighty 
acres in Section i i. The land had not 
been improved in any way; in some 
places it was covered with logs and wood, 
all of which had to be cleared away, the 
task involving no small amount of hard 
work; but being anxious to have a home he 



could call his own, Mr. Goemans perse- 
vered, and in time succeeded in hewing a 
fine property out of the dense forest. On 
this farm all their children were born, as 
follows: Anna M. (Mrs. Martin Baeten), 
John W., Mary M. (Mrs. Henry Herm- 
sen, of Green Bay), Frank S., Peter J., 
Katie, Christina M., Herbert, and Nellie 
E. Of these, John W. is a carpenter by 
trade, moves buildings, drives piles, and 
builds bridges; Frank S. entered the 
monastery of the Servite Fathers Sep- 
tember 4, 1894, and is still there. On 
January 2, 1886, the father of this family 
was called from earth, and was buried in 
De Pere Cemeter)'. He was a Catholic 
in religious faith, and in politics a Demo- 
crat. At the time of his death the eld- 
est of the nine chddren was but seventeen 
years of age, but Mrs. Goemans has car- 
ried on the farm successfully, and has dis- 
played no little business ability and sa- 
gacity in the management of the place, 
which comprises 1 20 acres of prime land. 
The farm work is now attended to by the 
sons, Peter J. and Herbert, who have 
proven themselves full}' competent, and 
the entire family are respected for their 
industry wherever they are known. In 
church connection they are all members 
of St. Mary's Catholic Congregation, 
De Pere. 



JOSEPH HOEFFEL, president of 
the Allouez Mineral Spring Com- 
pany, of Green Bay, was born March 
25, 1825, in thetown of Lichtenberg, 
Province of Lorraine, France. The first 
of the family of whom we have any record, 
was Joseph Hoeffel (grandfather of our 
subject), who was a mechanic, following 
his trade in France. He reared a family 
of six children — five sons and one daugh- 
ter — all of whom received good educa- 
tions, becoming for the most part teachers 
and musicians. 

Of the sons, Anthony (father of our 
subject) was brought up to the trade of 



COMMEMORATIVE BWGRAPEICAL RECORD. 



[71 



weaver, which he followed in Europe for 
some time. In his military service, which 
ended with Waterloo, he was in the arm)- 
of Napoleon the Great, doing garrison 
duty chiefly. In 18 10 he was united in 
marriage to Miss Cecelia Carabin, who 
bore him ten children, of whom Louis 
died at Havre, France, in the fall of 1828, 
while the family were c// ;-tf«/tto America. 
In the United States they made their 
hom.e at Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio, 
where they followed farming with consid- 
erable success. The father being a 
weaver, as already related, constructed a 
loom for himself and manufactured cloth 
for his neighbors, as well as for family 
use. He was devoted to music, and was 
for many years leader of church choirs. 
His wife died at the age of forty, in i 840, 
and two years later he married Miss Mary 
Beyer, who passed away, in 1857, aged 
sixty-five years. Both wives died at Nor- 
walk, where he himself departed this life 
March 10, 1861, aged seventy-four years. 
Joseph Hoeffel,the subject properof this 
sketch, received his education at Norwalk, 
Ohio. When seventeen years of age he 
began to learn carriage making, and at 
the end of a three-years' apprenticeship, 
October 8, 1845, came to Milwaukee, 
Wis. , where he followed his trade as a 
journeyman one year. On August 10, 
1846, he moved to Brookfield, Waukesha 
county, and here he engaged in the busi- 
ness of manufacturing carriages, etc. In 
1848, he visited Norwalk, Ohio, and was 
married November 3 to Miss Catharine 
Frye, who bore him a son, A. Louis 
Hoeffel. Mrs. Hoeffel died at Brookfield, 
Wis., June 13, 1850, and May 20, 1851, 
Mr. Hoeffel was again married, this time 
at Waukesha, Wis. , to Miss Frances 
Knowles, by which union nine children 
have been born, of whom are now living 
the following named six: Frank, Sylves- 
ter, Elizabeth, Agnes, Joseph P. and 
James I. 

In the fall of 1853, at the first Wis- 
consin State Fair, held at Watertown, 
Wis., Mr. Hoeffel exhibited a full line of 

10 



carriages, wagons, etc., of his own manu- 
facture, and received awards on his 
patents in gearing. On May i, 1856, he 
sold out his Brookfield business and re- 
moved to Green Ba\-, Wis. , arriving June 
28, 1856. The same j-ear he erected a 
store building on Washington street, and 
opened a general store, conducting same 
until 1 87 1. In the spring of 1872, hav- 
ing acquired property at Oconto, Wis., 
he moved there, and started a store. 
Business prospered and his sons, Frank 
and Sylvester, after assisting him in the 
business a number of }ears, purchased 
same in 1886, Mr. Hoeffel retiring, owing 
to poor health. 

In 1 888, an accidental discover}' de- 
cided Mr. Hoeffel to again enter business 
life. ^^'hile overseeing some improve- 
ments on his Astor Hill property at 
Green Bay he drank freel}' of the waters 
of a spring at the foot of the hill. The 
prompt action of the \\-ater on his en- 
feebled s\'stem and the remarkable relief 
he experienced from its use convinced 
him of its great medicinal value. He 
arranged at once for a thorongh and ex- 
haustive analysis of the water. Samples 
were for\\arded to Prof. W. W. Daniells, 
the distinguished professor of chemistry 
and pharmacy in the W'isconsin State 
University, Madison, and, after a com- 
plete and scientific analysis of the water, 
he subsmitted same: 

University of Wisconsin. \ 

Chemic.'^l Laboratories, [• 

MAnisON, Wi.*;., AiiR-ust 13, 1888. ) 

Joseph Hoeffel: 

Dear Sir: The sample of spring water re- 
ceived from -you for analysis has the following- 
composition, expressed in jfrains, per United 
States standard gallon of 231 cubic inches: 

Sodium chloride 4.2SS2S 

Potassium sulphate 0.12072 

Sodium sulphate 3.4S826 

Calcium sulphate 0.10788 

Sodium phosphate trace. 

Bicarbonate of iron 0.06257 

Bicarbonate of lime 24.68662 

Bicarbonate of magnesia 27.53300 

Oxide of aluminum (alumina). . 0.17470 
Silica and insoluble residue. . . . 1.97160 

Total grains per U. S. gal. .62.38060 
Temperature, 46 degrees Fahrenheit. 



COMMEMORAriVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



This is an unusually large amount of solids 
to find in a Wisconsin mineral water — the larg^- 
est amount I have ever found. The salts that 
exist in unusual quantities are niaffnesia, 
sodium salts, sulphuric acid, lime and chlorine. 
Of these I have made duplicate determinations, 
to he assured of their accuracy. 

You will note its freedom from organic mat- 
ter. Yours trulv, 

W. W. DANIELLS, 
Professor of Analytical and Applied Chemistry. 

The receipt of this exceedingly favor- 
able analysis from so reliable a source, 
and the action of the water on Mr. Hoef- 
fel having proved same to be possessed of 
positive curative virtues, determined him 
to develop the springs and place the water 
before the public that others might like- 
wise enjoy its healing powers. The an- 
alysis of Allouez Water reveals the fact 
that it is the strongest alkaline (antacid) 
mineral water known. The combination 
of the salts of sodium, magnesia, lime, 
iron and silica with carbonic, sulphuric, 
and hydrochloric acids, all in perfect solu- 
tion, is a rare one. This fact at once 
brought it into prominence before the 
public. Physicians, especially, recog- 
nized in the harmonious blending of these 
therapeutic properties, a sovereign rem- 
edy, whose use is indicated in all dis- 
eases of the allied phenomena of the uric 
acid diathesis, viz. : Diabetes, Bright's 
disease, inflammation of the bladder and 
kidneys, rheumatism, dyspepsia, torpid 
liver, cloudy urine, gravel, suppression of 
urine, calculi or stone in bladder, consti- 
pation, piles, catarrh of the stomach, 
nervous debility, gout, rheumatic gout, 
dropsy, sick headache, female weakness, 
and eczema. In the short period of time 
since the discovery of the medicinal vir- 
tues of Allouez, the reputation and fame 
of the water have become widespread. 
The marvelous curative power it possesses 
has gained for it the attention of the 
medical profession in various parts of this 
countrj', who recommend and prescribe 
it, often where medicine has failed to ef- 
fect a cure. As a remedy it acts the 
same alone or in connection with medi- 
cal treatment. The demand for Allouez 



is constantly inceasing, and thousands of 
cases of bottled water are shipped annu- 
ally. The springs were named ' ' Allouez " 
in honor of Pere Claude Allouez, the in- 
trepid missionary who founded the first 
Indian mission in 1668 (225 years ago;, 
but a short distance from these springs. 
That the medical virtues of the waters of 
these springs were known to the Indians 
and early missionaries may be inferred 
from extracts taken from Marcjuette's 
Journal: "Embarking in our canoes, 
we left the river and nation of the Wild 
Oats (Menominees), and soon reached the 
extremity of Baydes Puants (Green Bay;. 
Leaving this bay, we entered the river 
emptying into it. We found the river 
full of bustard, duck, teal and other water 
birds, attracted by the wild oats growing. 
I had the curiosity to drink the mineral 
waters found not far from here. " 

The following is a short sketch of Mr. 
Hoeffel's seven living children: (I). A. 
Louis, eldest of the seven living children, 
was born at Brooktield, Wis., September 
4, 1849, and moved with his parents to 
Green Bay, where he was educated; he 
became a marine engineer, which voca- 
tion he now follows; he is married and 
has four children. (II). John Francis 
was born at Brookfield, Wis., June 25, 
1853, and came with his parents to Green 
Bay, where he received his education in 
the public schools; later he attended St. 
Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, Wis. ; 
in 1883, he married Miss Clara Saylor, of 
Saugatuck, Mich., who died June 12, 
1883; on January 25, 1888, he was united 
in marriage to ^Iiss Adelaide Doolittle, at 
Whitewater, Wis. ; he is now located in 
business at Chicago; thev have one son, 
Basil D., born October 2'6, 1888. (III). 
Sylvester was born October 10, 1857. at 
Brookfield, Wis., came to Green Bay with 
his parents, and pursued his studies in the 
public schools; in 1871, he engaged in 
mercantile business in Oconto, where he 
still resides; he was married May 25, 
1 88 1, to Miss Genevieve Heath, of Osh- 
kosh, and they have five children, their 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



173 



names and dates of birth being as follows: 
Paul S., June 12, 1885; Mildred G., Oc- 
tober 27, 1888; Marion F., October 27, 
1888; Gerald N., June 20, 1892; Ken- 
neth M., March 29, 1894. (IV). Eliza- 
beth was born at Green Bay, Wis., June 

8, 1858; after graduating from the high 
school here, she attended St. Mary's In- 
stitute at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1875, where 
she graduated four years later; she was 
united in marriage with Dr. P. O'Keefe, 
at Oconto, Wis., January 31, 1883, where 
they still reside; they have four children, 
Horace V., born December 28, 1884; Jes- 
sie A., born October 9, 1886; Carroll J., 
born September i, 1889; and Gertrude 
L. , born June 2, 1894. (V). Agnes C. 
was born December 3, i860, at Green 
Bay, Wis. ; received a thorough high school 
and convent education; in 1878, she 
studied painting at Chicago, under Prof. 
Gregori, for two years, also music at the 
Chicago Conservatory; on October 10, 
1 88 1, she was united in marriage at 
Oconto, Wis., to Henry U. Cole, where 
they continue to reside; they have seven 
children, their names and dates of birth 
being as follows-: Francis M., August 3, 
1882; Minnie Cecile, December 15, 1883; 
Helen, August, t 886; Henry U., April 26, 
1888; Pauline A., July 15, 1889; Agnes 
C, September 27, 1892; Kathleen, June 

9, 1894. (VI). Joseph P., born Septem- 
ber 17, 1 86 1, at Green Bay, Wis., 
was educated at the public schools; in 
1879, he attended the College of the Sa- 
cred Heart at Watertown, Wis., finishing 
his studies there; after seven years' ex- 
perience in his father's store in Oconto, 
became to Green Bay in April, 1889, 
where he andjames I. (mentioned below) 
engaged in the shoe business; he is inter- 
ested in the Allouez Mineral Spring Com- 
pany, at Green Bay, directing the man- 
agement of the same; he was united in 
marriage to Miss Christine Romana Waite, 
of Pewaukee, Wis., Februar}' 3, 1890, 
and they have one son, Joseph Merrill, 
born October 31, 1890. (VII). James I. 
was born April i, 1863, at Green Bay, 



\\'is. ; after attending the public schools 
here and at Oconto, he entered the Col- 
lege of the Sacred Heart at Watertown, 
Wis., finishing his studies there in 1881; 
having secured a business education in his 
father's store at Oconto, he came to 
Green Bay, 1889, and associated himself 
in the shoe business with his brother, 
Joseph P. ; he is also interested in the 
Allouez Mineral Spring Company; he is 
not married. 



T 



HOMAS RYAN, who for the past 
forty years has been actively 
identified with the agricultural in- 
terests of Rockland township. 
Brown county, was born November 10, 
1833, in County Tipperary, Ireland, son 
of Patrick and Nora Ryan, the former of 
whom, who was a farmer, died in 1 846, 
leaving a widow and seven children — 
four sons and three daughters. In 1853, 
having determined to try their fortune in 
the New World, the family proceeded to 
Liverpool, where they took passage on 
the "Arctic," bound for New York, in 
which city they landed after a voyage of 
five weeks and five days. Going to 
Otsego county, N. Y., they remained 
there a year and a half, the sons engag- 
ing in farm work, and then came west- 
ward to Brown county, Wis., by water, 
arriving in Green Bay in November, 1855. 
After coming to Wisconsin, our sub- 
ject worked in Oconto county and vicini- 
ty for some time, following various pur- 
suits, principally farming. In i860 he 
purchased forty acres of new land in Sec- 
tion 10, Rockland township (being obliged 
to go into debt for a portion of this 
tract), and built thereon a rude, though 
comfortable log house, in which he and 
his mother made their home. As the 
farm yielded no support for some years, 
he followed lumbering during the winter 
season for several years, devoting the 
rest of the year to clearing and improving 
the land. He has not only succeeded in 
converting the original forty acres into a 



1/4 



COM.VEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPIIICAL RECORD. 



present 
leading;; 
He has 



fertile, well-cultivated tract, but has 
added thereto until he now has a fine 
farm of 160 acres. His property has 
been feathered by years of industry and 
untiring energy, and he is a self-made 
man in the full sense of the word, having 
risen from a poor boy to his 
enviable position among the 
farmers of Rockland township. 
been called upon to serve in various of- 
fices of honor and trust in his township, 
such as member of the school board, 
supervisor and chairman, and has dis- 
charged the duties imposed upon him in a 
creditable and highly satisfactory manner. 
In his political preferences he is a Demo- 
crat, though not strictly partisan, in local 
elections voting for the best man regard- 
less of party ties. 

fn November, 1865, Mr. Kyan was 
married to Miss Margaret Lee, a native 
of County Galway, freland, daughter of 
Michael I^ee, who was a farmer of Rock- 
land township. After marriage the young 
couple immediately took up their resi- 
dence on the farm, where, in 1886, Mr. 
Ryan erected one of the most substantial 
rural homes in the vicinity. This union 
has been blessed with children as follows: 
Catherine, Mrs. H. P. Crist, of Wausau- 
kee, Wis. ; Agatha, a school-teacher of 
De Pare: Patrick J., at home; Marie 
Anna, a school-teacher of Wausaukee; 
Michael E., at home, who attends the 
high school in West De Pere; Winnifred, 
attending the State Normal School at Osh- 
kosh; Timothy, going to school in De- 
Pere; and Thomas and Robert, at home. 
These children have all had excellent 
educational opportimities, of which they 
have not been slow to take advantage 
and to fully appreciate, and the entire 
family are among the highly respected 
ones of the vicinity. In religious connec- 
tion they arc members of St. Francis 
Church, De Pere. During the Civil war 
Mr. Ryan enlisted, on January i, 1865, 
at Green Bay, in Company I, Fifty-first 
Regiment Wis., V. I. and served during 
the remainder of the struggle on scouting 



and guard duty, receiving an honorable 
discharge at Madison, Wis., August i, 
same year. 



CF. GOODELL, station agent 
and general local representative 
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul Railway Company at De- 
Pere, is a practical railroad man. When 
but a youth of seventeen he was initiated 
into the mysteries of telegraphy, and since 
that time his rise, though gradual, has 
been marked. There are probably no 
other business concerns conducted by 
large corporations in which ability and 
attention to duty are more promptly 
rewarded by promotion than in our great 
railway systems, where precision, effi- 
ciency, and reliability are extremely es- 
sential, and in these respects our subject, 
though thoroughly tried, has not been 
found wanting. 

C. F. Goodell is the son of Watson 
and Luvilla (Stranahan) Goodell, the 
former of whom was born in Schenectady, 
N. Y., the latter in Utica, X. V., both 
descendants of sturdy New England stock. 
Watson Goodell received a good common- 
school education in the schools of Albany, 
N. Y. , and later in life became an expert 
accountant, a profession he followed for 
several years. His health having become 
impaired in the comparatively' confining 
work, Mr. Goodell, thinking the change 
would prove beneficial, decided to remove 
to Wisconsin, then considered the "Far 
West." Accordingly, in about 1850, he 
removed hither, and made his first loca- 
tion near Oconomowoc, where he com- 
menced farming. At that time the coun- 
try was entirely new, and the land being 
covered with timber, the work was at- 
tended with many hardships; but the 
change brought about the result he had 
hoped for, and his health improved. He 
had married, in New York State, Miss 
Luvilla Stranahan, who survives him, and 
they had three children: C. P.; Carrie; 
and Maria, the wife of J. H. Le Grand, a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



175 



prominent politician and at present county 
auditor of Buena Vista county, Iowa, with 
residence in Storm Lake. Mr. Goodell 
passed from earth in June, 1890, in Port- 
age, Wis., and his widow now resides 
with her daughter Maria, in Storm Lake, 
Iowa. In politics he was a stanch mem- 
ber of the Republican party, and at one 
time served as justice of the peace in his 
township. He was a member of the Con- 
gregational Church, as is also his widow, 
though she was originally a member of 
the Episcopal Church. Shortly after his 
removal to Wisconsin Mr. Goodell went to 
Pardeeville, where he had his residence 
several years. 

C. F. Goodell was born October 5, 
1853, in Oconomowoc, Wis., and received 
at first an elementary education, after- 
ward taking a more complete course in 
the schools of Oconomowoc. When 
seventeen years old he entered a railway 
office at Pardeeville, Wis., on what was 
then the St. Paul road, where, under A. 
E. Cole, station agent at that place, he 
obtained his first knowledge of telegraphy. 
When he had advanced far enough to re- 
ceive and send messages he was placed in 
the capacity of " extra man " on the then 
Northern division, from Horicon Junction 
to Portage City, Wis., and later, while 
still in his "teens, " was given charge of 
the office at Rolling Prairie, Wis. He 
was next stationed at Winneconne, on the 
Northern division, as operator and clerk; 
afterward served as operator at Horicon 
Junction for two years, and then for a 
short time filled similar positions at Ripon 
and Oshkosh. Mr. Goodell then went to 
Milwaukee, where for a time he was in 
the train dispatcher's office of the Wis- 
consin Central, later going to Phillips, 
Wis., in the employ of the same com- 
pany, as operator and clerk at the chief 
engineers's headquarters. His first ex- 
perience as station agent was at Fifield, 
at which place he was stationed when 
there was not a house in the town, tents 
being the only shelter, and in addition to 
his regular duties he sold the lots there 



for the compan}-, who owned the plat. 
From Fifield he was transferred to 
Waldo, Sheboygan count}-, where he 
again acted as agent, and here m the 
spring of 1878 he was united in marriage 
with Miss Carrie Ford, a native of Waldo, 
daughter of Benjamin Ford, who came here 
from Lake county, Ohio. In February, 
1882, Mr. Goodell came to De Pere, at 
which time the road through here was 
operated by the Wisconsin Central, and 
when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railway Company assumed charge he 
still continued in the office, and now has 
charge of their interests at this place. 

Our subject is a Republican, and a 
stanch adherent of the party, though be- 
}ond voting regularly he takes no active 
part in political affairs. He is a leading 
member of the Congregational Church, 
being at present a trustee and superin- 
tendent of the Sunday-school. Mr. and 
Mrs. Goodell have four children, namely: 
Harold F. , Charles W. , Lula and 
Alton W. 



M 



RS. MARGARET AEBISCH- 
ER, widow of Samuel Aebischer, 
is a daughter of Charles and 
Barbara (Meringer) Bloom, who 
came to America from Germany when 
their daughter was about seven months 
old, locating first in New York. They 
fanned there until 1850, when thej- re- 
moved to Wisconsin, and they still live 
at Chilton, where they are engaged in the 
same vocation. They have a famih' of 
nine children. 

Samuel Aebischer was a native of 
Switzerland, and, on coming to America, 
in company with two brothers, first lo- 
cated at Elkhorn, Walworth Co., Wis., 
where he learned shoemaking, a trade he 
followed thirty-five years. The family 
came to Brown county in 1887, where 
Mr. Aebischer bought a farm of i i 5 acres 
from a brother, and cultivated same until his 
death, which occurred when he was fifty- 
two years old. In the Civil war he served 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 



one year (1863) in Company K, Fourth 
Regiment Wis. V. C. , and was discharged 
at Vicksburg, Miss., on account of sick- 
ness. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
Acbischer took place October 13. 1867, 
and they had eight children, of whom five 
are still living, their names and dates of 
birth being as follows: Charles N., Sep- 
tember 25, 1870; Willie, March 7, 1872; 
Maggie, August 3, 1879; Minnie, April 
26, 1883; and Cora, June 21, 1885. It 
was not until after her husband's death 
that Mrs. Aebischer erected her pres- 
ent comfortable brick dwelling, where 
her son, Charles N., also lives. Mrs. 
Aebischer has proven herself to be a 
woman of no small business ability; but 
the affairs of the farm are now looked 
after by her son, Charles N. She is a 
devout member of the Lutheran Church, 
and is greatly respected throughout the 
township. 



EBERHARDT A. LANCE, a well- 
known and jiopular druggist at 
West De Pere, Brown county, is 
a native of Fond du Lac, Wis., 
born April 11, 1859, and is a son of A. 
A. and Catherine (Trumbauer) Lange. 
A. A. Lange, a native of Berlin, Ger- 
many, came to the United States about 
1835, and, being an upholsterer, carried 
on that business at Fond du Lac for 
several years, and also at Milwaukee. 
Mrs. Catherine I^ange came from Penn- 
sylvania. 

The subject of this sketch was edu- 
cated in the schools of Fond du Lac, and 
at the age of seventeen entered the drug 
store of Ur. Wright. He remained in 
the same store ten years, the firm chang- 
ing twice in that time, first to A. De- 
Land, and then to Kellogg & Lange; 
then, in 18S6-87, he carried on a drug 
store on his own account, in Brillion, 
Wis. In the fall of 1887 he came to De- 
Pere, and for three and a half years was 
employed in the drug store of William 
Workman. In 1890 he bought out his 



employer's business in West De Pere, 
and in 1893 moved to his present loca- 
tion, where he carries a full line of drugs, 
paints, wall paper, ammunition, station- 
ery, etc., has one of the neatest and best- 
equipped establishments of the kind in 
the town, and does a remunerative trade. 
In 18S3 Mr. Lange married Miss Allie E. 
Megnussen, who has borne him three 
children, named respectively: Albert H., 
Roy Harrison and Arthur D. Mr. Lange 
is a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
and is very highly esteemed in the com- 
munity'. 



AUGUSTIN H. BABCOCK, a well- 
to-do farmer of Howard town- 
ship, Brown county, was born 
July 17, 1840, in Alexander, 
Washington Co., Maine, a son of Stephen 
and Betsey (Flood) Babcock. In 1873 
he come alone to Wisconsin. His par- 
ents had also come here, settling on the 
farm where our subject still resides, and 
here the father died at the age of seventy- 
five years, the mother at the age of 
seventy-seven. They were the parents 
of twelve children, of whom two sons 
and three daughters are yet living. 

Stephen Babcock was a native of 
King's county, N. S., but when a young 
man came to the United States and made 
his home in Maine. Mrs. Betsey (Flood) 
Babcock was born in St. Matthews, 
Mass. , one of the nine children of Peter and 
Lucy (Snow) Flood, the former of whom 
was a shoemaker and harnessmaker, and 
died at Alexander, Maine, at a very ad- 
vanced age: he served through the Mexi- 
can war. Military ardor seems to have 
been inherent in the family, as four of 
the grandsons, of the Babcock branch, 
did gallant service in the Civil war, in- 
cluding Augustin H., our subject, whose 
military record is mentioned farther on; 
his brother William died while in the 
service; another brother, George A., 
served in Company A, Fourteenth Wis. 
V. I. ; and another brother, Gilbert, was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPUICAL RECORD. 



'77 



wounded in the battle of Petersburg, Va. , 
while serving in the Twenty-eighth Wis- 
consin Volunteer Infantry. 

Augustin H. Babcock left the parental 
farm at the age of ten years, and hired 
out by the month on his own account, 
continuing to work thus until his enlist- 
ment. He was first in Company F, 
Sixth Maine Volunteers, and later in the 
Nineteenth Regiment, Maine V. I., serv- 
ing altogether four years. At the bat- 
tle of the Wilderness he was so badly 
wounded that he was disabled for the 
entire summer, and subsequently he was 
confined to hospital with typhoid fever; 
but with these exceptions was with 
his regiment in all its marches, engage- 
ments and skirmishes. After the close of 
the war he resumed the pursuits of peace, 
and shortly afterward married Miss Louisa 
Foster, who died two years later. In 
about 1873 he settled down on the old 
farm in Howard township, Brown county, 
and in 1879 married Miss Jennie Black- 
burn, who was born in Manitowoc county. 
Wis., a daughter of Lorin and Hannah 
Blackburn. To this union five children 
have been born, of whom the following 
four are still living: Louisa, born Au- 
gust 9, 1880; Alice, born January 22, 1883; 
Stella, born October 24, 1886; and Vera, 
born October 22, 1888. Mr. Babcock 
has made a success of his life as a farmer, 
and has always maintained the respect 
and esteem of his neighbors. In relig- 
ious faith he and his wife are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. In poli- 
tics he has been independent; he cast his 
first Presidential vote, in 1865, for George 
Brinton McClellan, the Democratic nomi- 
nee, but since then has voted the Repub- 
lican ticket. 



JOSEPH LEY, a worthy representa- 
tive of one of the old pioneer fami- 
lies of Rockland township, Brown 
county, where he is a well-known 
and highly respected citizen, was born in 



that township May 10, 1854, a son of 
Joseph Ley. 

The latter was born in 1823, in Prus- 
sia, where he was reared, and in early 
manhood learned the trade of carpenter. 
Hearing and reading of the superior ad- 
vantages offered to young men in the 
New World, he resolved to emigrate, and 
gathering together what capital he could, 
he left his native land in 1844 to seek his 
fortune in the United States. Many of 
the early settlers in Wisconsin were Ger- 
mans, and having decided to come to that 
then new State, Mr. Lej' after landing in 
New York proceeded by boat to Milwau- 
kee, Wis. He came from Milwaukee to 
Green Bay on foot, the road which he 
took leading him the greater part oi the 
way through the dense forest, and often 
it was nothing more than an Indian trail. 
He frequently met Indians, who were 
then still numerous in this region, though 
usually friendly, but as he did not know this 
their appearance alarmed him not a little. 
The woods abounded with wild animals, 
and the howling of the wolves, which 
were especially ferocious, caused him 
great uneasiness. But the long, tedious 
journey was at last safely accomplisiied, 
and on arriving at Green Bay he found it 
a small town, containing a few houses, 
the garrison stationed at Fort Howard 
forming the greater part of the popula- 
tion of both towns at that time. Mr. 
Ley made his first location in Section 3, 
Rockland, in which township only three 
other families were then living. He had 
a brother living at Fond du Lac, but is 
now a resident of Jordan, Minn. Mr. 
Ley was at this time but a poor young 
man, not able to jnirchase land even 
at the low prices it then sold for. He 
could obtain work at his trade, how- 
ever, and was offered two blocks in what 
is now the business portion of Green Bay, 
for a year's labor, an offer which he re- 
fused, never realizing that the little vil- 
lage would in a few years become an im- 
portant city. He was truly a pioneer of 
Rockland township, for he cut the first 



17S 



COJdMKMOnATlVK BIOCUAPHICAI. RECORD. 



timber felled by a white man in Section 
3, and after making a small clearing built 
the lirst house there. It was only a rude 
log dwelling, but it was the only shelter 
he and his family had the year round. 
Here he resided for some time, toiling 
early and late to clear his land and hew a 
home from the dense forest, and a few 
years later removed to a farm in Section 
8, Rockland township, where he passed 
the remainder of his da\s. This was also 
new land; but he once more commenced 
the task of converting the forest into a 
productive farm, and at his death he left 
150 acres of good farming land as well 
improved as any in the township up to 
that time. He endured all the vicissi- 
tudes and hardships incident to the set- 
tling and improving of a new country, and 
did his full share toward the advancement 
oi his section. Politically he was a Dem- 
ocrat and a leader in the party, and he 
served faithfully in various local positions 
of honor and trust, being township as- 
sessor fifteen \ears and justice of the i)eace 
sixteen years; and his good common sense 
and sound judgment won for him the re- 
spect of all who came in contact with 
him. He died November 23, 1878, a 
member of St. Francis Catholic Church, 
De Perc. and was buried in De Pere cem- 
etery. After his settlement here Mr. Ley 
offered a home/o his aged parents, and 
the\- set out on the journey from Ger- 
man}-, but the mother died iii route. The 
father arrived safely at his destination, and 
passed his declining years in comfort, dy- 
ing at the home^ of his son February 17, 
1872, at the age of ninety years. 

Joseph I-ey, Sr. , was first married in 
1 85 I, in De Pere, to Miss Mary Engles, a 
native of Germany, and they had a fam- 
ily, of whom tw(j sons grew to maturity: 
Michael, who is a resident of Lu.xem- 
bourg, Kewaunee county; and Joseph, 
mention of whom is made farther on. 
The mother of these was called from 
earth in 185S, and buried in Shantytown 
cemetery. For his second wife Mr. Ley 
subsecjuently wedded Mrs. Josephine Det- 



rich, who was born in Belgium, and came 
to the United States with relatives. She 
is yet living at the age of seventy-three 
years. Of their family one son and three 
daughters are living, viz. : Thomas, living 
at Pound, Wis. ; Mary, wife of Henry 
Berg, of De Pere; Julia, wife of Con. 
Keefe, of Rockland; and Louisa, wife of 
Charles Brown, of Pound, Wis. ; the 
others dying in infanc}-. 

Joseph Ley, whose name introduces 
these lines, was reared in the same man- 
ner as other pioneer children, receiving 
his literary training at the rude schools of 
the time, which were quite different from 
those of the present day. His knowledge 
of farming he received under the tuition 
of his father. On May 13, 1884, he was 
united in marriage, at Menasha, Wis., 
with Miss Mary Lemmel, the ceremony 
being performed by Father Andrew Sen- 
bert. She was born April 11, 1858, at 
Maple Grove, Manitowoc Co., Wis., 
daughter of Agidius Lemmel, who was a 
native of Bavaria, Germany, from which 
country he came to Wisconsin in an 
early day. Here he married Barbara 
Schaeffer, and they had a family of seven 
children, to wit: John D., of Menasha, 
Wis. ; Kate. Mrs. John Cure, of Mil- 
waukee; Mary, Mrs. Joseph Lej-; Bar- 
bara, Mrs. Fred Digler, of Menasha; 
Anna L. , S. S. de Notre Dame, Cham- 
paign, Illinois; Rosa, Mrs. Fred Esser, 
of .Milwaukee; and Maggie, Mrs. Henry 
Grant, of Menasha. Wis. After mar- 
riage our subject resided at the paternal 
homestead until 1889, when became to 
his present farm, which now comprises 
I 30 acres of excellent land. All the im- 
provements on this farm have been made 
by him, and he has also erected all the 
buildings on the farm. He is a success- 
ful agriculturist, progressive and enter- 
prising, and is recognized as one of Rock- 
land township's public-spirited citizens, 
always ready to encourage and assist 
every movement for the improvement and 
advancement of his section. 

A local leader in the Democratic ranks, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'79 



Mr. Ley has been elected by that party 
to positions of trust, such as township 
treasurer, in which he served ten years, 
and he was school clerk eleven years, 
giving complete satisfaction to his con- 
stituency. Mr. and Mrs. Ley have an 
interesting familj- of six children, namely: 
Anton J., Maggie M., Anna L. , Hen- 
rietta M., Joseph H. and Hildy M. In 
religious faith the entire family are 
members of St. Francis Catholic Church, 
De Pere. 



GEORGE A. DELANEY, one of 
the best stone-cutters in Howard 
township. Brown county, was 
born here in i 869, the youngest 
in the family of six sons and five daugh- 
ters born to James C. Delaney. 

janies C. Delaney was born Februar}' 
I, 1819, in Shippensburg, Penn., a son of 
James and Rebecca (Anderson) Delaney, 
the former of whom was a native of Ire- 
land, the latter of England. James and 
Rebecca Delaney came to the United 
States when quite young, and here he first 
followed the blacksmith trade, afterward 
conducting an old-time tavern; later he 
settled on a farm in Ohio, where he also 
conducted a blacksmith shop, around 
•which a little country village sprang up. 
Here he died at the age of sixty-four 
years; his wife had died when their son, 
James C, was but two years of age. Of 
the five children born to James and 
Rebecca Delaney, four are still living. 

James C. Delaney, at the age of ten 
years, started out in the world for him- 
self, and worked at various places by the 
month until he was fourteen years old, 
when he was apprenticed to a shoemaker. 
After a two-years' service he ran away, 
and at Philadelphia found employment as 
driver of a canal-boat horse, later became 
steersman, and then captain. When 
twenty years old he enlisted in the army 
as a musician, and for two years served as 
fifer in the Florida war. On his return he 
met Miss Elizabeth Dickinson at Buffalo, 



N. Y. , and they were married December 
7, 1842. She was born in England, a 
daughter of Robert and Mary Dickinson, 
and was two years old when brought to 
America by her parents, who both died in 
Buffalo. Shortly after his marriage Mr. 
Delaney re-enlisted for five years, served 
as fifer, and was sent to Mexico, where he 
was quartered in the halls of the Monte- 
zumas. He served, in all, ten years as 
fifer, eight of which he was fife-major of 
the Second United States Infantry. After 
the Mexican war the army was billeted at 
different points, and Mr. Delaney's lot 
was cast at Fort Howard, Wis. , where he 
was eventually discharged. But in the 
meantime he had bought a few acres of 
land, on which he has lived ever since, 
adding constantly to his original purchase 
until he became, possessor of a fine piece 
of property, of which he has given each of 
his two sons forty or fiftj' acres. 



WJ. CASEY, who for the past 
thirteen years has been favor- 
ably known as a pains-taking and 
careful railroad official, is a native 
of Ireland, born in 1856. a son of John 
and Mary (O'Keefe) Casey, of the same 
nativity. The father died in Ireland, the 
widowed mother, about the year 1859, 
coming with her little family of one (onr 
subject) to the United States, first locat- 
ing in Fond du Lac, Wis., later settling 
in Milwaukee, where she is now residing. 
Our subject, as will be seen, was three 
years old when he was brought to Wis- 
consin, and he was reared and educated 
in Fond du Lac. When old enough to 
commence the world, he learned teleg- 
raphy at Campbellsport, same State, and 
after six months received the appointment 
of local agent at Fredonia, Wis., for the 
Wisconsin Central railroad. After six 
months so employed, he was sent to 
Forest Junction, where he also served six 
months in similar work, at the end of 
which time he moved to Amherst Junc- 
tion, having been appointed joint agent 



I So 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



for the Wisconsin Central and the Green 
Bay, Winona & St. Paul railroads. Here 
he was stationed from 1882 till 1885, and 
was then moved to Green Bay, to till the 
position of chief clerk in the freight and 
passenger department of the Green Bay, 
Winona & St. Paul railroad. In 1887 he 
was appointed agent at Green Bay (Fort 
Howard Junction); in 1890 he was ap- 
pointed traveling auditor for the company, 
in 1892 being promoted to his present in- 
cumbency, that of car accountant for the 
Green Bay, Winona, & St. Paul and the 
Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western rail- 
roads. 

In 1878 Mr. Casey was married at 
Fond du Lac, Wis., to Miss Hattie 
Durand, and four children have blessed 
their union, viz. : Charles, Mamie, \\'ill- 
iam and George. Our subject is a mem- 
ber of the Royal Arcanum, of Pochequette 
Lodge, No. 26, Knights of P\thias, and 
lieutenant in the Uniform Kank of same. 



JOSEPH HEBEL, who, for the past 
quarter of a century, has been act- 
ively identified with the farming in- 
terests of the township of Glenmore, 
Brown county, was born in Germany in 
1845, <i ^o" "f Mathias Hebel. The 
latter died before our subject was nine 
years old, and, the family being left in 
somewhat straitened circumstances, Jo- 
seph went to live with a farmer. 

Our subject was reared to farming, 
and continued to follow that vocation 
until lie was twenty-one years of age, 
when he concluded to come to the New 
World, where he would have better 
chances for advancement. Borrowing 
the necessary money from a friend, he 
sailed from Bremen early in the summer 
of 1867, and landed at Quebec after a 
voyage of eight weeks. From there he 
came at once by rail to Milwaukee, Wis., 
thence to Manitowoc, where he found 
himself a stranger in a strange land, but 
young and active, and willing to work at 
anything which would bring him an honest 



dollar. He remained in Manitowoc coun- 
ty about three years, finding employment 
during the summers at farm work, and in 
the winter season engaged in lumbering. 
Two years after his arrival he returned 
the money he had borrowed to bring him 
here, and he also saved enough to bring 
his widowed mother, and his two sisters 
— Mary and Barbara. They lived in a 
rented house in Manitowoc county, and, 
after the daughters married the mother 
continued to reside with our subject until 
her death. 

On January 2'si, 18G9, Joseph Hebel 
was married, in Francis Creek, Wis., to 
Miss Mary Gruber, who was born in Ger- 
many in 1847, daughter of Mathias Gru- 
ber. In the year of his marriage Mr. 
Hebel purchased forty acres in Section 24, 
Glenmore township. Brown county, only 
five acres of which were cleared at that 
time, and here, in a small log house, 
which stood a short distance from their 
present residence, they made their home 
for a number of years. .\t first the farm 
afforded no revenue whatever, and, in 
addition to the arduous task of clearing' 
away the forest, Mr. Hebel also engaged 
in making shingles by hand, receiving two 
dollars a thousand for them, delivered at 
Green Bay. fifteen miles distant. But 
after several years of hard work the land 
was greatly improved, and, though obliged 
to go into debt for his first purchase, he 
soon paid for it, and added another tract, 
now owning eight\' acres of excellent 
land. At that time his children were all 
too \oung to help, but he has reared his 
family in comfort, and hewed a comforta- 
ble home from the dense forest. In all 
his dealings with his fellow men he has 
been square and upright, and has acquired 
an enviable reputation for integrity of 
character and honesty of ]iurpose, being 
respected by all who know him. Mr. 
Hebel is a Democrat in his political 
preferences, but takes no active part in 
party affairs; in religious connection he 
and his wife are members of St. James 
Catholic Church, at Cooperstown, Mani- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



iSi 



towoc county. To their union came 
children as follows, their names and dates 
of birth being: Joseph, November i8, 
iS7i;John, April 29, 1873; Anton, No- 
vember 2, 1875; Louis, February 23, 
1878; Margaret, April 12, 1881; Annie, 
March 22, 1883; Mary, May 31, 1886; 
Frank, January 4, 1891. One son, Louis, 
died x'oung. 



S\V. H A Y F O R D, a prominent 
citizen of Wrightstown, Brown 
county, is a native of Potsdam, N. 
v., born July 25, 1832. His father, 
Abiel D. Hayford, who was a native of 
Massachusetts, was a Congregational min- 
ister. He married Miss Laura A. John- 
son, whose father, C. Johnson, was con- 
nected with the body-guard of Gen. George 
Washington. According to tradition, he 
was a skillful carpenter, and made the 
coffin for the unfortunate Major Andre. 

S. W. Hayford, at the age of fifteen 
years, leaving the parental roof to brave 
the world on his own account, worked in 
different States for a time, and then, to- 
gether with his brother, James H., began 
the study of medicine. But their means 
were too cramped to allow them both to 
continue their education, so our subject 
concluded to abandon the stud\- for the 
time being, and with fraternal generosity 
assist his brother to a diploma, after which 
he would resume the study himself. Re- 
turning to New York, he married, on 
May 3, 1854, Miss R. Chapin. daughter 
of a prosperous farmer of that State, and 
two years later they came to Wrights- 
town, Wis. To this union have been 
born the following named children: Lu- 
ther D., of Rhinelander, Wis. ; Lucina A., 
at home; James H., in Illinois; Edwin, 
of Wheatland, N. Dak. ; Alfred, still at 
home; Chester, in Illinois; Charles, of 
Sheboygan, Wis. ; Carrie, Chapin and 
Laura, at home. In 1864 Mr. Hayford en- 
listed in Company E, Forty-second Wis- 
consin V. I. , with which he served until 
the close of the war, when he received an 



honorable discharge, and returned to his 
home to resume the peaceful occupation 
of tilling the soil. Circumstances pre- 
vented his ever resuming the study of 
medicine. Politically he is an ardent Re- 
publican, but is not an aspirant for office, 
although he has served as justice of the 
peace. From a child he has been a very 
active temperance worker and an active 
Christian. 

Dr. James H. Hayford, brother of our 
subject, and now the editor of the Lara- 
mie (Wyo.) WccklyScntiml, has attained 
considerable fame as the originator of the 
woman suffrage movement. Mrs. Hay- 
ford, his wife, had the distinction of serv- 
ing on the first and only jury composed 
equally of male and female members in 
the United States. 



WB. ANDERSON, junior member 
of the well-known leading firm 
of contractors and builders, 
McGrath & Anderson, Green 
Bay, is a living e.xample of what industry, 
perseverance and sound judgment can 
produce; while his business life bears tes- 
timony to what it is possible for man, 
with willing heart and hands, to ac- 
complish. 

He isanati\eof Ontario, Canada, born 
August 20, 185 I, in the town of Corn- 
wall, a son of Robert and Mary (McMillen) 
Anderson, the former of whom came, 
when a boy, from his native land, Scot- 
land, to Canada. He learned the trade 
of tailor, which for many years he fol- 
lowed in Cornwall, where he made a set- 
tlement, becoming a leading citizen of the 
town, which he served as clerk and treas- 
urer for thirty-four years. Of Kno.x 
Presbyterian Church in Cornwall he was 
a prominent member for a long period of 
time, and he served in many positions of 
honor and trust, so highly was fie esteemed 
by the community. He and his wife lived 
to advanced ages, dying, he in 1892, she 
in 1886. 

The subject of this sketch, who is 



I 82 



COMMEMOUATIVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



third ill order of birth in his parents' 
family, received a fair education at the 
schools of his native town. At the age 
of fifteen he went to work as a farm 
hand, receiving nine dollars per month 
and his "keep," and his earnings he 
turned over to his father, not that he was 
obliged to do so, but in response to the sim- 
ple filial promptings of his heart. When, in 
the winter time, there was not much to 
do on the farm, the lad would be found 
hauling cordwood to town, his pay at 
that time being six dollars per month. 
Coming to the United States in 1868, he 
worked for a time as a farm hand in St. 
Lawrence county, N. Y. , receiving seven- 
teen dollars per month, and during one 
season he labored in the lumber regions, 
known as "The South Woods," in St. 
Lawrence county. In 1870, learning 
that labor was better paid in the West, 
he set out with buoyant spirits and a 
hard hand— for in the words of Shake- 
speare "there is no better sign of a 
brave heart than a hard hand " — and 
landing in Winona, Minn., he found 
himself the happy owner of only twelve 
dollars in cash and his clothes (rather a 
limited supply), but possessed of a super- 
abundant allowance of courage and Scotch- 
Canadian "grit." Here he secured work 
as a common laborer in the service of a 
contractor named F. A. Johnson, who 
was engaged in driving piles and erecting 
bridges for the Chicago & Northwestern 
railroad. After a time, Mr. Johnson 
having similar work at St. Joe, Mich., 
our subject went there, and staid till the 
contract was completed. Returning to 
Winona, he continued sometime longer 
in the employ of Mr. Johnson, and then 
engaged with the Chicago & Northwestern 
Railroad Company as a bridge builder. 
In this, though yet a lad, his work was so 
thorough, and so highly appreciated by 
his einpl(j}ers, that he was made fore- 
man of a gang, in which position he re- 
mained till 1 876, when he resigned, hav- 
ing accepted a similar appointment from 
the Southern Minnesota Railwa\' Com- 



pany. This last was a two-years" engage- 
ment; and his efficiency was again re- 
warded with promotion, he becoming 
superintendent of bridges and buildings, 
in which capacity he remained some four 
years. At the end of that time he 
moved to Winnipeg, Canada, where he 
found similar work on the Canadian Pa- 
cific railroad, then in course of construc- 
tion, his engagement with them termi- 
nating in 1884, when he returned to the 
United States, and for two years lived in 
St. Paul, Minn., taking a much-needed 
rest. During the next two years he was 
foreman for contractors on the Minneapo- 
lis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie rail- 
way, and then for one year was superin- 
tendent of bridges and buildings for that 
company. We now find him in the em- 
ploy of the Milwaukee & Northern Rail- 
road Compan}', whom he served in similar 
capacity till in February, 1893, when he 
became a partner with Mr. Thomas J. 
McGrath, as contractors and builders. 
Since the partnership was formed the 
firm have erected 800 feet of dockage for 
the Murphy Lumber Co. ; plant for " The 
Columbian Bakery;" extensive coal sheds 
for Barkhousen & Hathawa\-; the power 
house for the Green Bay Electric Co. ; 
about 14,000 yards of cedar block paving 
on Washington street, all in the city of 
Green Bay, besides the bridge over the 
East river, connecting Allouez and Belle- 
vue townships, in Brown county. 

On October 9, 1875, Mr. Anderson 
was married in Winona, Minn., to Sarah 
Pritchard, who was born May 2, 1856, in 
the city of Delaware, Del., a daughter of 
Thomas and Mary ("Morgan) Pritchard, 
who were of English descent. At the 
age of thirteen Mrs. Anderson accom- 
panied her parents to England, where 
they left her, as they had to return to the 
United States. The intention was that 
the 3'oung girl should come home with 
some relatives, but she concluded to re- 
turn without their company which she 
did on the steamship "Turriffo." In 1868 
her parents removed to Minnesota, and a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



I S3 



year later she followed them. The names 
of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. W. 
B. x\nderson are: Mary Jessie (she died 
when two months old); James R. , Will- 
iam Iv. , and Olive A. Politically our 
subject is a stanch Democrat. Mrs. 
Anderson is a member of the Catholic 
Church, and the entire family enjoy the 
respect and esteem of a wide circle of 
friends. 



JOSEPH TREML, farmer and stock- 
raiser, and one of the highly re- 
respected citizens of Glen more 
township, Brown county, is a na- 
tive of Germany, born October 15, 1S28, 
son of Joseph Treml, who had fi\e chil- 
dren — three sons and two daughters — of 
whom our subject is the eldest. 

Joseph Treml was reared to farm life, 
and during his youth had but limited edu- 
cational advantages, attending school only 
three winters. He remained at home until 
he reached the age of twenty-one, at 
which time he commenced life on his own 
account, working as a farm hand, and 
later the homestead came into his posses- 
sion. In February, 1866, he was married 
in Germany, to Miss Mary Reiter, who 
was born November 30, 1843, daughter 
of Adam Reiter, and while living in Ger- 
many they had two children, as follows: 
Joseph, born October 10, 1868. now 
working on the home farm; and Annie, 
born February 22, 1872, who was mar- 
ried August 3, 1892, to Thomas Crestoff, 
of Montpelier township, Kewaunee coun- 
ty. After his marriage Mr. Treml contin- 
ued farming until 1874, when he disposed 
of his property, and with the proceeds 
brought his family to the United States. 
They sailed from Bremen, arriving in 
Baltimore, Md., after an ocean voyage of 
eighteen days, and immediately after 
landing came westward over the Pennsyl- 
vania railroad, to De Pere, Brown Co., 
Wis., via Chicago. Shortly afterward 
Mr. Treml purchased forty acres of new 
land in Section 25, Glenmore township. 



for which he paid three hundred dollars. 
The first timber on this land had been 
cut by lumbermen; but he built the first 
house, a log structure, which stood where 
the kitchen of the present residence now 
is. The years that followed were filled 
with hardship and stern toil, but these 
settlers were an.xious to have a home of 
their own, and by perseverance suc- 
ceeded at last in clearing the entire farm. 
On this place the rest of their children 
were born, as follows: Wolfgang, born 
October 1, 1874; Mary, born November 
8, 1876; Frank, born January 10, 1880, 
all three living at home; and four sons — 
John, Charles (i), Charles (2), and 
George — who died in infancy. 

During his residence in Glenmore 
township our subject has devoted himself 
exclusively to farming and stock-raising, 
and besides improving the original tract 
has added to it till he now has 120 acres. 
When he settled here it was covered with 
brush and stumps and fallen timber left 
by lumbermen, and no small amount of 
labor has been involved in its transforma- 
tion to its present condition, in which 
work his sons have been of great help to 
him. He is universally respected by his 
fellow citizens for his square, honest 
methods and upright character. He is a 
stanch Democrat, but has never given 
any time to politics, all his time being de- 
voted to his business interests. He and 
his wife are members of St. Mary's 
Church, in Glenmore, and they are highly 
esteemed by all who know them. 



LG. SCHILLER, manager of C. 
Schiller, wholesale dealer in fresh, 
salt and smoked fish, at the foot 
of Jefferson street. Green Bay, 
was born September 12, 1848, in the 
Province of Brandenburg, Germany. 

Our subject came to Green Bay in 
1872, and April 6, 1874, married Miss 
Clara Asimont, daughter of George Asi- 
mont, who came to Green Bay from Ger- 
many in 1857. On first coming to that 



184 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



city Mr. Schiller was employed by Cran- 
dall & North, wholesale f^jrocers, and for 
four years did faithful service; he was then 
employed for three months b\- John Daj- 
& Son, wholesale grocers and fish dealers, 
and in November, 1876, went into the 
grocery business at the corner of Pine 
and Adams streets; in the spring of 1882 
he moved to Washington street, but sold 
out May 30, 1889, and assumed his pres- 
ent position. This house was established 
in 1879 on East river, and in 1889 L. G. 
Schiller established the business at the 
foot of Jefferson street, in the interest of 
his employer, at the time of his taking 
the management of the concern in Green 
Bay. Under his control all things have 
prospered, and he now employs twenty- 
five hands. The position of Mr. and 
Mrs. Schiller in social circles is all that 
can be desired, and both are members of 
the Lutheran Church, in good and faith- 
ful standing. He has also been treasurer 
of his church ten years; is a member of 
the Royal Arcanum, of the Orderof Tonti, 
and of the Knights of the Maccabees. In 
politics he is a Republican, and in 1877- 
78 was a member of the city council; he 
has likewise served as a member of the 
board of school trustees, and every office 
he has held with credit to himself and to 
the satisfaction of the public. 

Of seven children born to the parents 
of L. G. Schiller, two besides himself are 
residents of the United States — Louis, 
who came to Green Bay in 1868, worked 
for Crandall & North, until 1874, and 
then went to Milwaukee, where he still 
resides; and Frank, who reached Green 
Bay in 1872, was in business with his 
brother, L. G., till 1889, but is now a 
resident of Fort Scott, Kans. To the 
marriage of L. G. Schiller and Clara Asi- 
mont were born ten children, viz. : Clara, 
died in 1875; Gustave, bookkeeper for his 
father; Julia, residing with her parents; 
Frieda and Clara, (twins), died in 1878; 
Sophie, died in 1880; Henrietta, died in 
1 882 ; Louis, died in 1883; Clarence, resid- 
ing with his parents ; and Otto, died in 1 889. 



FRANK CRABB, one of De Pere's 
prosperous young business men, 
is a nati\e of Brown county, born 
May 8, 1862, in Section 3. Rock- 
land township. 

Philip Crabb, his father, was born in 
Belgium, and was there reared, receiving 
but a limited education, as he had to 
commence work when but a bo\'. In 
early manhood, hoping to succeed better 
in the United States, he emigrated hither, 
and coming to northern Wisconsin, at 
that time a new and unsettled country, 
found employment as a laborer, work be- 
ing plenty in the lumber regions. He was 
married in Green Bay to Mrs. Catherine 
Tillmans, a widow, and shortly afterward 
located on a farm in Rockland township, 
where they resided until their removal to 
De Pere. Previous to their coming, Mr. 
Crabb had had a business room built in 
the town, walking daily to and fro from 
his farm to superintend its construction, 
and during his absence Mrs. Crabb would 
work in the clearing. One day, while 
she was thus engaged, she heard the 
screams of her little daughter, who was 
playing about the house. The child's 
dress had accidently caught fire, and, with 
great presence of mind, the mother dashed 
her into a watering-trough, but the little 
girl soon afterward died from the injuries. 
Our subject, Frank, was the only child 
by the first wife that grew to maturity; 
she died in 1871, and was buried in the 
Catholic cemetery at De Pere. Philip 
Crabb subsequently remarried, and by 
that union had two children who lived to 
adult age, namely: Annie, now Mrs. 
Peter Pembrook, of De Pere; and Joseph, 
a farmer of De Pere township. Mr. 
Crabb died July i, 1879, and was buried 
in De Pere cemeter}-; he was a member 
of the Catholic Church, and a stanch 
Democrat, though he never took an active 
part in politics. After his removal to the 
town of De Pere he carried on a grocery 
and liquor business in the store room 
above mentioned, becoming very success- 
ful and accumulating a snug property. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



1S5 



Frugality and industrj' and attention to 
business were the elements of his success, 
for his proper!}' was made from a start of 
nothing else. 

Up to the age of five years Frank 
Crabb lived on a farm in Rockland town- 
ship, and then came with his parents to 
De Pare, where he received his education, 
attending the "old stone schoolhouse " 
for several years. When but a boy he 
commenced to assist his father in the 
store, where he secured his first business 
training, and, after the death of the father, 
continued the business in the same build- 
ing until 1882, when he was burned out. 
In 1885 he rebuilt, erecting a substantial 
brick business room and residence, where 
he now conducts one of the best-appointed 
saloons in De Pere, doing a prosperous 
business. Mr. Crabb was married in 1880 
to Miss Allie Vanderhyden, a native of 
Oconto county. Wis. , and a daughter of 
John Vanderhyden, who is a Hollander 
by birth. This union was blessed with the 
following named children: Katie G., 
Cecelia T. , Theresa A., Frank John 
Joseph (deceased), George A., and Al- 
gomaj. Our subject, like his father, is a 
stanch member of the Democratic party, 
but does not mingle in political affairs. 
In religious faith he is a member of St. 
Mary's Catholic Church. 



BARNARD FINNEGAN, a self- 
made prosperous agriculturist and 
extensive land owner of Holland 
township. Brown county, is a na- 
tive of the land of Erin, born about the 
year 1 827 in County Sligo, a son of Patrick 
and Rose (Flynn) Finnegan. 

Patrick Finnegan was a tenant farmer, 
and like many others at that time, though 
hard-working and frugal, found it no easy 
task to support his family in comfort. He 
had six children — one daughter, Winnie, 
who died young, and five sons, Barnard, 
Patrick, Thomas, John and Eugene, of 
whom but two are now living, Barnard 
and Patrick. The mother of these dying. 



the father subsequently married Miss Mar- 
garet Kerrigan, with whom he came to 
the United States in 1846 (leaving his 
sons in Ireland), and made his home in 
Montgomery county, N. Y. Barnard 
Finnegan received a somewhat limited 
common-school education, for, being the 
eldest son, he commenced work at the 
early age of eleven years. After his father 
left Ireland Barnard supported himself by 
farm labor until the fall of 1847, when 
his father provided him and his brother 
Thomas with means to emigrate. The 
two young men proceeded to Liverpool, 
where they took passage on a sailing ves- 
sel bound for America, and, landing after 
a four-weeks' voyage, immediately joined 
their father in Montgomery county, N. Y. 
Here Barnard found employment as a 
farm hand, and was also employed as 
section laborer on the New York Central 
railroad between Utica and Albany, con- 
tinuing in this some years. Thomas Fin- 
negan died in Montgomery county, where 
he was buried, and in the spring of 1853 
Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan and Barnard con- 
cluded to migrate to Wisconsin, attracted 
undoubtedly by the cheapness of the land 
in that then new State. Gathering to- 
gether their household effects, they set 
out for what was then the "Far West," 
going by rail to Buffalo, where they em- 
barked on the lake steamer "Morton," 
Capt. Thompson, and landed in Green 
Bay, Wis., early in June. The father 
came at once to Kaukauna, but Barnard 
obtained employment for the summer as 
deck-hand on the steamer '.' Moore," ply- 
ing between Green Bay, Washington Har- 
bor and Mackinac. In the fall, after navi- 
gation had closed, oursubject rejoined his 
father at Kaukauna, and here he remained 
two years in the employ of the Fox River 
Improvement Co About 1855 he pur- 
chased eighty acres in section 22, Hol- 
land township, on which not a single im- 
provement had been made, and he built 
the first house on the place, which is yet 
standing. Here Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan 
passed their declining days; but Barnard 



iS6 



COMMEMOKATIVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



did not make a permanent home there at 
first, for it needed mone}' to carry on the 
farm, and he could at that time earn more 
at other pursuits. Hut he earnestly set 
about the task of clearing and improving 
his farm, and not only accomplished this 
much, hut also added to the place from 
time to time, now owning 280 acres of ex- 
cellent land, all of which he has accjuired 
by industry and honest toil. His sons 
have been of great assistance to him in 
the cultivation of this large farm, and to- 
day they stand among the leading \oung 
men in the township. 

On February ly, 1S61, liarnard Fin- 
negan was united in marriage with Miss 
Mary Cavney, who was born March 7, 
1843, in County Sligo, Ireland, only 
daughter of Roger and Julia (McNulty) 
Cavney. They came to the United States 
in 1850, and for several years resided in 
New York City, where Mrs. Cavney died. 
In 1858 the father and his daughter Mary 
came to Wisconsin, where he passed the 
remainder of his days, making his home 
with his daughter until his death, which 
occurred March 28, 1877. 

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Finne- 
gan took uji their residence on the farm, 
where they have since continued to make- 
their home. Their union has been 
blessed -with eight children, a brief rec- 
ord of whom is as follows : Rosa, died 
at the age of three years. Patrick, died 
at the age of fifteen \'ears and nine 
months. John C, born Jul}' 10, 1867, 
received an education at the common 
schools of the home neighbi)rhood, sub- 
sequently attended McCunn's Business 
College in Green Bay for a year, and 
taught school in Brown county seven 
years; he is a stanch Democrat, a local 
leader in the party, and in 1893 was 
elected township clerk; at present he is a 
notary public; he married Odell Savageau 
November 7, 1S94, and lives in a fine 
residence on his farm in Holland town- 
ship. Brown county. Michael J., born 
August 28, 1869, graduated from the 
Green Bay Business College, and for the 



past six years has been employed by the 
Metropolitan Lumber Comjian}', of Dick- 
inson county, Mich., as bookkeeper. 
Eddie B., born January 23, 1872, also 
took a course in the Green Bay Business 
College; he resides at home. Charles 
T., born November i. 1874, lives at 
home. F'rank died when two years and 
seven months old. Mamie E. . born 
January 11, 1883, is living at home. In 
religious connection the famil)' are all 
members of St. Francis Church, Holland 
township. Politically Mr. Finnegan is an 
ardent adherent of the principles of the 
Democratic party, but, though interested 
in its welfare, is not acti\e in party affairs. 



M 



.\XUEL BRUNETTE, proprie- 
tor of the Duck Creek Stone 
( Uiarry, \"elp, Brown county, is 
one of the prominent self-made 
men of northeastern \\'isconsin, where he 
is widely and favorably known. 

He was born June 5, 1842, in Green 
Bay, son of Dominick and Louisa (Bru- 
nette) Brunette, the foriner of whom was 
born in Green Bay in 181 2, and for many 
years was a jobber in logs, lumber, etc. ; 
he is now retired from business, residing 
on a farm in Brown county owned by 
our subject. Mrs. Louisa Brunette was 
born in Lower Canada, and died in How- 
ard township. Brown county, at the age 
of sixt\-six years, the mother of fourteen 
children, of whom but five are now li\ing. 
Manuel Brunette's paternal grandfather, 
Dominick Brunette, Sr. , was born in 
Little Moscow, Canada, and in 1796 came 
to Green Bay with a party in bark canoes, 
being among the first to \isit the shores 
and settle here. On entering the bay, at 
that point known as •' Death's Door," the 
party was dashed against an island, and 
the canoes wrecked, but they succeeded 
in repairing them with birch bark, and 
then made their way along the east 
shore to what is now the city of Green 
Bay, at that time only a fur-trading post. 
Here for some \ears Dominick Brunette 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



1S9 



engaged in fur trading, and then marired 
a Miss Grignori, through whom he in- 
herited part of an old French claim. 
This led him to adopt farming, a voca- 
tion he followed the remainder of his days, 
dying in 1862 at the age of seventy-eight 
years; his wife also lived to an advanced 
age. He had reared his son Dominick to 
a life of usefulness and hardihood, a train- 
ing which fully qualified him for the 
dangers incident to those early times, and 
he took an active part as a home guard in 
defense of the settlers during the Indian 
war against the depredations and attack 
of the Redskins, as well as in the more 
peaceful but equally hazardous undertak- 
ing of acting as one of the party who sur- 
veyed the military road running from 
Green Bay to Prairie Du Chien. 

Manuel Brunette was reared to the 
practical pursuits of agriculture as well as 
to those of life in the woods. On com- 
mencing life for himself he first hired out 
by the day or month either at logging or 
farming, also as a shingle sawyer, and 
from these crude beginnings has accumu- 
lated his present fortune. He was vir- 
tually at home during his " jobbing out" 
experience, until his marriage to Miss 
Teressa Walker, a native of Lockport, 
N. Y. , which event occurred April 21, 
186"; their union has been blessed with 
fourteen children, ten of whom are yet 
living, as follows: Mary L., Sarah, Lemuel, 
Margaret, Roland, Manuel, Abbie, 
Robert, Norine and James. Of these the 
second daughter, Sarah, is the wife of 
Albert Strasburger, superintendent of 
schools of Sheboygan county, Wisconsin. 

Mrs. Teressa Brunette is a daughter 
of James and Sarah (Welch) Walker, the 
former of whom was born in Tullamore, 
King's county, Ireland, May 3, 1 8 14, and 
was about eleven years old when he came 
to America with his sister and settled in 
New Brunswick. There he at once shipped 
as a cabin boy, sailing between Que- 
bec and Chatham, a vocation he followed 
until he reached the age of twenty, when 

he went to Pennsylvania, working in a 
11 



stone quarry until 1839, in which year he 
moved to Lockport, N. Y. He was there 
married, in 1840, to Miss Sarah Welch, 
and resided there until 1849, when he set 
out for Wisconsin, traveling via canal to 
Buffalo, and thence by steamer "A. D. 
Patchen" to Milwaukee, where he passed 
the greater part of the summer. Coming 
thence to Green Bay, he settled finally 
at Velp, Brown county, where he cleared 
forty acres of land, and made a perma- 
nent home, residing there until his death, 
which occurred in November, 1892. In 
1872 he opened a general store, and for 
fonrteen years served as postmaster at 
Velp. In politics he was first an Aboli- 
tionist, later a Democrat. He was the 
father of ten children, of whom four sons 
and three daughters survive. Mr. Walker 
was a great traveler in his day, and vis- 
ited nearly every stone quarry in the 
United States; he was a great reader, and 
a most enterprising and progressive man 
in every way, having assisted in construct- 
ing the first threshing machine in the 
country; put in the first blast in the Erie 
canal near Lockport, N. Y. , and was one 
of the first passengers to cross the Alle- 
ghany Mountains on a railroad. Having 
been educated in the common schools, he 
knew their value, and, in company with 
David Cormier and Charles W. Athey, 
organized the first school in Howard 
township, against strong opposition on 
account of the cost. He was always active 
in public affairs, and was highly honored 
in this section of the county. Mrs. Sarah 
(Welch) Walker was born March 4, 1826, 
daughter of Thomas and Mary (Nichols) 
Welch, natives of Limerick, Ireland, who 
landed in Toronto, Canada, the year Mrs. 
Walker was born. 

After his marriage Manuel Brunette 
settled on a single acre of land he had 
previously purchased with money earned 
by hard daily labor, and built a small 
frame house, 20x26, thereon. With no 
capital, save good health and determina- 
tion, he, for sixteen vears, followed boat- 
ing, and hauling lumber, shingles, etc., 



190 



COMMEMOaAriVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



by frugality and attention to business 
managing to accumulate some cash cap- 
ital. In 1873 he bought the Duck Creek 
Stone Ouarry, the business which chietly 
engages his attention at present, but in 
the meantime had purchased various tracts 
of farming lands, to the cultivation of 
which he has given his personal super- 
vision, and is now not only recognized as 
one of the most progressive farmers of 
Brown county, but as a thoroughly sub- 
stantial business man. The Duck Creek 
Ouarry stone is described to be the most 
substantial for sub-structure in the North- 
west, and is so acknowledged. The es- 
tablishment supplies engine beds, fur- 
nishes cut and dimension stone to order, 
and has a steam barge to deliver orders 
wherever practicable. It runs steam 
drills, a channeling machine and polish- 
ing machines, giving constant employ- 
ment to about fifty men, and is yearly 
extending its trade. Many of the finest 
buildings in the Northwest are constructed 
from the product of this quarry, and Mr. 
Brunette deserves great credit for placing 
the valuable material before builders and 
architects of the country. 

In politics our subject is a Democrat, 
and cast his first Presidential vote for 
George B. McClellan. He has served 
his fellow- citizens fifteen years as super- 
visor, for several terms as member of the 
Brown county board, and in other local 
offices, in every one of which he has 
given the utmost satisfaction. He is the 
present treasurer of the school board, and 
has been postmaster of Velp since Grover 
Cleveland's first administration, with his 
daughter Margaret as assistant. Mr. 
Brunette and family are members of the 
Catholic Church, toward the support of 
which he has contributed generously, as 
well as to the building up of other 
churches and schools. In fact, he is 
active and liberal in all public under- 
takings. Mr. Brunette is self-educated, 
and has been the sole architect of his 
fortune. His reading is of a most exten- 
sive character, including ancient and 



modern history, politics and current litera- 
ture. He is wise in counsel, and is much 
sought after both by business and profes- 
sional men for advice, and few men are 
more highly respected in Brown county. 
Of such men the State of Wisconsin is 
justly proud, as such lives are a living 
example to the new generation. 



WILLARD E. BURDEAU, of 
Flintville, Brown county, was 
born December i, 1859, in 
Clinton county, N. Y. His 
grandparents, Jacob and Fannie Burdeau, 
were born near Montreal, Canada, and 
came to t'.e United States about 181 2, 
locating near LakeChamplain, in Clinton 
county, N. Y. ; later moved to a farm at 
Chazy, Clinton county, thence to Woods 
Falls, N. Y. , finally returning to Dover, 
Canada, where they died at an advanced 
age. They had a family of thirteen chil- 
dren, among whom was Isaac, the father 
of our subject. 

Isaac Burdeau was born May S, 1831, 
in the village of Champlain, Clinton Co., 
N. Y., was reared a farmer, and was mar- 
ried December 31, 1853, to Miss Mary A. 
Cook, who was born in Clinton county, N. 
Y. , October 8, 1837, a daughter of John 
and Ann Cook. Isaac Burdeau followed 
farming in his native county until 1866, 
when he brought his family to Brown 
county. Wis., and bought a farm near 
where his son Willard E. now lives, re- 
siding thereon until his death, which oc- 
curred January 13, 1894. He was one of 
the best known and most highly respected 
lousiness men of the county, and an old- 
time and influential Democrat. There 
were six children in his family, one of 
whom died at the age of thirty-four years, 
leaving a family of eight children. 

Willard E. Burdeau, at twenty-one 
years of age, left the home farm for Lake 
Superior, where, for two years, he was 
foreman for a large sawmill firm; then re- 
turned home, and for the next two years 
followed logging, working hard and mak- 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



191 



ing money. On May 8, 1884, he married 
Miss Sarah A. PhilHps, a native of 
Suamico township, born July 6, 1863, 
and this happy union has been blessed 
with four children, as follows: Alma E. , 
born February 18, 1886; Earl \V., born 
February 21, 1888; Leo A., born October 
5, 1891, and Flora, born March 16, 1893. 
After his marriage Mr. Burdeau carried 
on a farm until 1892, when he bought a 
general store, to which, in 1894, he add- 
ed a large stock of farm machinery, in- 
cluding binders and mowers, besides 
wagons and buggies, in all of which he has 
made a success. He is a member of the 
Democratic party, and September 30, 
1893, "^'^s appointed postmaster. He 
has served as supervisor and road over- 
seer, and for one year as chairman of the 
town board; he has also been a school of- 
ficer for several years. He and his wife 
are members of the Catholic Church. 

Mrs. Sarah A. Burdeau is a daughter 
of George Phillips, whose parents, Daniel 
and Nancy (Hughes) Phillips, were natives 
of County Down, Ireland, where George 
was born, in August, 1820, one of ten 
children. George came to America in 
1854, landing in Canada, where he lived 
fourteen months, and then went to 
Whitehall, and later to Clinton, N. Y., 
thence to Syracuse, same State. While 
there he married Miss Sarah Quinn, who 
was one of a family of seven children, also 
born in County Down; her mother was a 
daughter of John and Sarah Sloan. To 
George and Sarah (Ouinn) Phillips were 
born five children, and the family came 
to Wisconsin about the year 1S56, but 
three years later returned to New York, 
where they remained one year. At the 
end of that time they came back to Wis- 
consin, locating in Door county, but 
about i860 settled in Suamico township. 
Brown county, where they now reside, 
beins; among its most honored citizens. 

Willard E. Burdeau has led a very 
active and industrious life, and has made 
his fortune solely through his personal 
exertions. He is recognized by his 



neighbors as a man of enterprise, ever 
ready to promote all projects designed 
for the public good; and his fellow citizens 
have never hesitated to call upon his ser- 
vices when in need of a faithful and reli- 
able executor of a public trust. His social 
standing is with the best people in the 
community, and his business integrity has 
ever been without reproach. 



FRANZ LI EB MANN, a typical 
self-made, industrious farmer, and 
one of the leading, highly respected 
citizens of Preble township, Brown 
county, is a native of Schwarzburg-Rudol- 
stadt, Germany, born June 27, 1824, in 
the village of Lichte, by Koenigsee. His 
father. Christian M. Liebmann, was a na- 
tive of the same place, and by occupa- 
tion was a farmer. 

Franz Liebmann was educated in the 
common schools of his place of birth. 
When thirteen years old he commenced 
to learn the trade of potter, at which he 
served an apprenticeship of three years, 
and then followed same as journeyman in 
various parts of Germany, giving his 
father part of his earnings before he be- 
came of age. In the spring of 185 i, con- 
cluding he could better his condition by 
coming to the United States, he bade 
adieu to his home and friends and sailed 
from Hamburg on the vessel ' ' Germany. " 
Reaching New York after an ocean voy- 
age of five or six weeks, he proceeded 
thence by boat to Albany, and from there 
by rail to Buffalo, where he took the lake 
boat to Sheboygan, Wis. From the 
latter place he came to Green Bay, where 
several families from his home neighbor- 
hood had settled. Mr. Liebmann's first 
employment in the New World was mak- 
ing ditches, at which he continued one year, 
and then spent three months at his trade, 
conducting the pottery business on a small 
scale in Green Bay, where he was the 
first in that line. After a time his health 
became poor, and, on his recovery, he 
went to Menasha, Wis., and worked for 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOOEAPIIICAL UECORD. 



Mr. Hatchclder in the potter}' in that 
town for about six months. Then, join- 
ing his father and brother Louis, who had 
followed him to the United States, he 
went to Washington Harbor, Wis., where 
they engaged in the fishery business, and 
prospered. But here he was again taken 
sick, and he left the place one hundred 
dollars in debt. Coming to Green Bay, 
he worked in sawmills for Robinson, 
Howe, Tyler, and others, was then for 
some time employed in Bellevue town- 
ship, and finall}-, in November, 1859, 
came to his present farm, having sold his 
house and lot in Green Bay. 

On October 31, 1858, Mr. Liebmann 
was married, in Green Bay. to Enistina 
Meister, who came from Germany about 
1853, and children as follows were born 
to their union: Ernst, a farmer of Preble 
township, born October 19, 1859, who 
was married October 26, 1886, to Hannah 
Jobelius, and has had two children: Nellie 
(deceased) and Laura (he is a Republican 
in political coimection, a leader in the 
party in his township, and has served as 
chairman of the board, supervisor, and 
for three years as assessor, still holding 
the latter office); Edwin, a saloon keeper 
in Preble; Fred, at home; Louisa, widow 
of Charles Wallman, of Peshtigo, Wis., 
and Caroline, Mrs. Hubbard Basten, of 
Preble. Mr. Liebmann first purchased a 
tract of twenty acres, and now owns 120 
acres of excellent farming land, the culti- 
vation of which is now carried on by his 
sons. In January, 1865, he was drafted 
into Company B, Fourteenth Regiment 
Wis. V. I., was first sent to Vicksburg, 
and was present at the fall of Spanish 
Fort, this being his first battle; they then 
commenced the march toward Montgom- 
ery, and we cii route at the time of Lee's 
surrender. Mr. Liebmann was mustered 
out at Mobile, and received his discharge 
October 9, 1S65, at Madison, Wis., com- 
ing home at once; but after his return he 
had an attack of fever and ague, also rheu- 
matism (which still troubles him), being 
sick for two jears as a result of exposure. 



Our subject has follow-ed farming for 
thirty-ti\e years, and from a start of forty 
dollars, the amount he had when he 
landed in Green Bay, he has accumulated 
a very comfortable propert}', the result of 
years of hard work and economy. Atone 
time, while working at day labor, money 
was so- scarce that he was obliged to take 
his pay in "shin plasters" (this was in 
1856-57). But he struggled along, jear 
by year improving his circumstances, till 
he now stands among the most successful 
farmers of his section. In politics he has 
been a Republican since i S60, and is a 
stanch supporter of the principles of his 
party. He has held various offices in his 
township, and served for some time as 
clerk of the school board, then as chair- 
man of same for six years, discharging 
his duties with credit to himself and satis- 
faction to all. During his younger days 
Mr. Liebmann was a most indefatigable 
worker, and he has attended to the clear- 
ing of his entire farm, seeing the dense 
forest, once inhabited by wild animals, 
supplanted by fertile fields, representing 
many years of unrelenting toil. He and 
his family are highly esteemed, and he is 
known to be honest and straightforward 
in all his dealings with his fellowmen. 
Sociallv he is a member of Hermann 
Lodge," No. Ill, I. O. O. F., of T. O. 
Howe Post, No. 124, G. A. R. , and of 
the Germania Benevolent Society. 



JOHN D. ESMANN, an industrious 
well-to-do farmer of New Denmark 
township. Brown county, is a native 
of Germany, born September 9, 
1823, a son of Herman H. and Margaret 
(Schlake) Esmann, who had a family of 
seven children, namely: John D., Anna, 
Gesche, Fritz, Meta, Henry, and Ber- 
nend. 

Our subject received his education in 
the common schools of his native land, 
and learned the mason's trade under his 
father, following same constantly in his 
native countrv. In 1852 he was married 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



193 



in Germany to Miss Adelaide Meise- 
gades, and, in 1861, they emigrated to 
America, landing' in New York City, thence 
immediately comin;; westward to New 
Denmark township. Brown Co., Wis. 
Here Mr. Esmann purchased eighty acres 
of wild land, which, by hard labor and 
shrewd financiering, he has converted 
into a highly cultivated improved farm, 
where he is ruccessfully engaged in general 
agriculture. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Esmann were born 
four children, as follows: Meta, Henry 
(deceased), Gesene, and Fritz, the latter 
remaining on the home farm with his 
father, their mother having died in 1883. 
She was a member of the Lutheran 
Church, as is also Mr. Esmann. In his 
political preferences' he is a Republican. 



LORENZ HEIM, one of the thrifty 
industrious German farmers of 
Scott township. Brown count)-, is 
a native of the Fatherland, born 
February 28, 1831, son of Martin Heim. 
In the fall of 1846 the latter, with his 
family of three sons and two daughters, 
immigrated to the United States, and com- 
ing directly to Wisconsin, made a settle- 
ment in Brown county. In Green Bay 
township, which then comprised what is 
now four townships, he purchased a tract 
of eighty acres of new land, covered with 
timber and brush, and on this farm he and 
his wife passed the remainder of their 
days, he dying in 1872, she in 1878. 

Lorenz Heim was fifteen years of age 
when he came with his parents to Amer- 
ica, prior to which he had received his 
education in the common schools of his 
native land. He secured work in Green 
Bay, for four years doing chores around 
the old " Astor House," for which work 
he received eleven dollars per month, his 
earnings all going to assist his parents to 
pay for their new home; subsequently he 
worked two years at another hotel in the 
same capacity. On November 26, 1855, 
Mr. Heim was married at New Franken, 



Brown county, to Miss Barbara Bidde- 
john, who was born in Belgium, March 
22, 1830, and came to America in 1855. 
To this union have been born seventeen 
children, of whom Mary is the wife of 
Joseph Ryder, of Menominee, Mich. ; 
Catherine is married to Andrew Simons; 
Frona lives at home; Andrew is a resident 
of Marinette, Wis. ; Louis is living at 
home; Agnes is the wife of Peter Becker, 
of Michigan; Lena, Hobart, Caroline, 
John, and Joseph all live at home; the 
others died in infancy. 

At the time of his marriage Mr. Heim 
had purchased a tract of new, uncleared 
land, for which he went into debt, and 
this he has since cleared and improved, 
now owning 160 acres of prime farm 
land. He is one of the self-made men of 
his section, and is everywhere respected 
for his industry and honest, straightfor- 
ward methods in dealing with his fellow- 
men. In 1865 he was drafted into the 
army, but hired a substitute whom he 
paid $800. In politics Mr. Heim is a 
stanch Democrat, and, though not particu- 
lar!}' active in politics and no office- 
seeker, has served four years as super- 
visor of his township. The entire family 
belong to the Catholic Church. 



ARCHIE LYNN GOWEY, plumber 
at De Pere, was .born in Spring 
Vale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., 
May 29, 1854, and is a son of 
John H. and Jane (Parish) Gowey, na- 
tives, respectively, of Poultney, Vt. , and 
of the village of Askron, England. John 
Gowey was engaged in farming at Spring 
Vale, also carried on a lumber business 
at Fond du Lac for many years, and there 
built the Moore & Galloway mill. In 
1866-67 he was engaged in the milling 
and lumber business at De Pere, but 
afterward moved to Oshkosh, Winnebago 
Co., Wis., where he died; he was buried 
at Neenah, same county. His widow 
still resides at De Pere. 

Archie L. Gowey was educated in the 



194 



COMMEMORATIVE BI06BAPUICAL RECORD. 



schools of De Pere, and when seventeen 
years of age went to Oconto, Wis., and 
was there engaged in scaling lumber for 
the Oconto Compan\', and for England, 
Taylor & Company. About 1871 he 
opened a grocery and general store at 
Oshkosh, Wis., carried it on about two 
years, and then engaged in farming near 
De Pere until 1877. In 1882 he entered 
upon his present plumbing and heating 
business in De Pere. Mr. Gowey was 
most happily married, in 1876, to Miss 
Carrie Lawton, a daughter of Joseph G. 
Lawton, and this union has been blessed 
with the birth of six children, as follows: 
Archie L. , Leila C, Paul E. and Pauline 
E. (twins), Ella \. and Clarence P. Mr. 
Gowey is a member of the Knights of 
Pythias, Lodge No. 107, of De Pere. In 
politics he is a Republican, and he and 
his wife are members of the Episcopal 
Church. Socially the family hold an 
enviable position. 



IVl 



ARTIN VER STRATEN.one of 
the prosperous self-made agri- 
culturists of the township of De- 
Pere, is a native of North Bra- 
bant, Holland, born July 25, 1836, son 
of George and Delia \'er Straten, the 
former of whom was a farmer in but or- 
dinary circumstances. He had a family 
of eight children (three of whom lived to 
adult age), of whom John and Martin 
(twins) were the eldest. 

Martin Ver Straten attended school 
until he was twelve years of age, and then 
commenced to work at farm labor, first 
for his father, and later for others. He 
supported his parents until they died, and 
then he and his brother took care of their 
younger sister, who was then seven years 
old. In 1865 his brother John immi- 
grated to the United States, settling in 
Brown county. Wis., and, having ac- 
quainted Martin with the superior advan- 
tages for advancement offered in the New 
World, our subject concluded to follow. 
Accordingly, in the spring of 1866, he 



bid adieu to his home and friends, and 
proceeded from Rotterdam to Hull, Eng- 
land, thence to Liverpool, where he 
took passage in a vessel bound for New 
York, arriving in the latter city after a 
voyage of eleven days. He was accom- 
panied by Miss Anna Van Den, his 
brother's fiancee, and they proceeded 
directly from New York to Little Chute, 
Brown Co. , Wis. , where the\- found John 
awaiting his bride. Martin \'er Straten 
worked as a farm hand for five or six 
weeks after his arrival, and then came to 
De Pere township, where he found em- 
ployment in a sawmill, and later on a 
boat. His first day's work in this town- 
ship was for John Coenen, and shortly 
afterward he and his brother purchased, 
in partnership, fort}- acres of partly- 
cleared land, which he still owns, on 
which stood a small log house. In 
the fall of 1869 he returned to his 
birthplace, and, in the spring of 1870, 
was there married to Miss Gertrude "Van- 
derwise, a native of the same locality, 
immediately after which event the young 
couple set sail from Rotterdam, landing, 
after a voyage of thirteen days, at Port- 
land, Maine. From that city they came 
over the Grand Trunk railroad to Chi- 
cago, and thence to the home in Brown 
county. Wis. In the fall of 1868 he had 
purchased the interest of his brother John 
in the tract of forty acres, and he and his 
wife lived there in the log house until it 
was destroyed by fire and replaced by a 
better one. This was the home of the 
family until 1885, when the present sub- 
stantial residence was erected. To Mar- 
tin and Gertrude Ver Straten were born 
six children, as follows: George, Leon- 
ard, Annie, and Henry, living, and two 
that died young. The mother of these 
died in 1882, and was buried in the St. 
Marj^'s cemetery, at De Pere, and for his 
second wife Mr. Ver Straten married, in 
18S5, Mrs. Catherine Smit, widow of 
Alexander Smit. She was born in Ba- 
varia, Germany, daughter of John Burk, 
and came to the United States with her 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'95 



parents when five years old. Her father 
had emigrated three years before and lo- 
cated in New York, remaining there until 
he saved enough to bring his family and 
two sisters from the old country. Later 
they removed west to Waukesha, Wis., 
and still later came to Brown county. 

Mr. Ver Straten now has a well cul- 
tivated farm of 1 30 acres, which repre- 
sents years of hard, untiring toil and 
economy. He is a self-made man in 
every respect, having, from a start of 
nothing, accumulated a comfortable prop- 
erty and a snug income, his success being 
the direct result of his own individual 
labor. He is highly respected in his town- 
ship, where he has been elected to various 
offices of trust, serving as supervisor four 
terms with satisfaction to all, and he is 
now clerk of the school board. In his 
political preferences he is a Democrat; in 
religious faith he and his wife are mem- 
bers of St. Mary's Catholic Church, De- 
Pere. When he was nineteen years old 
he was called to serve in the Dutch army 
five years, by Wilhelm III, King of the 
Netherlands, but at the end of one year's 
service he was allowed to return to his 
home by consent of the King. 



JOHN VER STRATEN, who, during 
his lifetime, was one of the best- 
known farmer citizens of De Pere 
township. Brown county, was a na- 
tive of Holland, born July 25, 1836, in 
the Province of North Brabant. He was 
a son of George Ver Straten, a farmer, 
and a twin brother of Martin Ver Straten, 
a sketch of whom precedes this. 

John Ver Straten lived in his native 
country, doing farm work until he was 
twenty-nine years old. He then concluded 
to try his fortune in the United States, 
and in 1865 set sail from Antwerp, taking 
passage in the "Agnace." During the 
first day of the voyage cholera broke out 
on board, and the vessel put back to port, 
where a fort was converted into a pest- 
house; the vessel started again after a few 



days, but three hundred of the seven 
hundred passengers died of the disease. 
Immediately after landing Mr. Ver Straten 
came to Brown county. Wis., and for 
one year worked on a farm. In April, 
1866, he was married, in Little Chute, to 
Miss Anna Van Den, who was born Sep- 
tember I, 1838, in Holland, daughter of 
Martin and Delia Van Den, and came to 
the United States in 1866 with Martin 
Ver Straten, brother of her late husband. 
Immediately after their marriage the 
young couple took up their residence with 
a farmer in Holland township. Brown 
county, where they remained one year; 
but, being anxious to have a home of their 
own, they, in 1867, purchased private 
claim No. 39, a farm of forty acres, for 
the payment of part of which they were 
obliged to go into debt. A small log 
house was the only building on this land, 
fifteen acres of which was cleared, and 
here they resided one year, and then for 
three years lived on a rented farm along 
the Dickinson road, his brother Martin 
locating on the farm they had left. In 
the spring of 1873 they came to the 
farm in De Pere township where the 
family still make their home, and here 
Mr. Ver Straten passed the remainder of 
his life. The year before they had pur- 
chased forty acres, private claim No. 38, 
where they now live, but a small portion 
of which tract had then been cleared, and 
on which there was not even a dwelling; 
but a rude house was soon erected, which 
served as a shelter for the family until 
their present substantial home was built. 
Mr. Ver Straten died on this farm May 
14, 1885, leaving a family of eight chil- 
dren to be provided for, and a home 
encumbered with an indebtedness of seven 
hundred dollars. However, by working 
together and practicing thrift and strict 
economy, the family have paid off every 
cent of the debt, and they now have a fine 
farm of one hundred acres, equipped 
with good out-buildings and a comfortable 
residence. The children are as follows: 
George, Henry, Martin, Delia, John, 



196 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mary, Ellen, and Peter, all living; one 
child, Nellie, died in infancy. The sons 
are all hard working men. and have nobly 
assisted their mother in paying for the 
home. George met with a very serious 
accident in August, 1894, whereby he 
lost an arm. It appears that on the 25th 
of that month, while he was operating the 
threshing machine at the home of his 
mother (an occupation he had been ac- 
customed to for the past eight \ears), he 
unfortunateh' got his arm entangled in the 
pulley through which the belt ran, and it 
was terribly torn, the bone being broken 
as well. The doctors who attended him 
set the bone and did all they could to save 
the arm, but three days afterward the 
patient was sent to the hospital at Green 
Bay, where it was found necessary to 
amputate the arm above the elbow. He 
is now working his mother's farm. Mrs. 
Anna Ver Straten is a thrifty economical 
woman, and has shown no small amount 
of business ability and sagacity in the 
management of the farm. The entire 
family are held in the highest esteem in 
the communitj' in which they reside. Mr. 
Ver Straten was a genial, sociable man, 
and he had many friends. He was a 
member of St. Mary's Catholic Church 
in De Pere, as is also his widow, and in 
politics he was a Democrat, though he 
never took much interest in party affairs, 
and about fifteen years ago served as 
assessor three years. 



ARONDOU, a prominent gardener, 
and now serving his seventh year 
as supervisor of the First ward, 
Fort Howard, came to Fort How- 
ard in 1870, locating where he now lives 
in 1876, and engaging in gardening. He 
has an ex'cellent farm of thirty acres, all 
inside the city limits, and is in the enjoy- 
ment of a prosperous business. He built 
a good barn in 1891, and raises small 
fruit and vegetables. 

Mr. Rondou, who is a son of John and 
Catherine (De 'Vray) Rondou, was born 



in 1853, in Belgium, where his parents 
lived and died. He came to Detroit, 
Mich., in 1868, finding a home with an 
aunt, and from there removed to Fort 
Howard. Here he was married, in 1876, 
to Miss Johanna Carton, a native of Brown 
count} , daughter of Joseph Carton, who 
was born in Belgium, and coming to this 
country located in Pittsfield township, 
Brown Co., Wis., in 1854. Here he 
married MarxCabesen, and, with his wife, 
is now living with Mr. Rondou. Nine 
children came to gladden the home of the 
Rondous: Joseph, Frank, Anton, Mary, 
Katie, Nettie, Lizzie (deceased;, Fred 
and Rosa. Mr. Rondou is a Democrat 
in politics, and the leader of his party in 
the First ward, of which he has been 
supervisor since 1887. He has also 
served as alderman from the same ward. 
He and his wife are members of St.Willi- 
brord's Catholic Church, and Mr. Rondou 
holds membership in the Catholic Order 
of Foresters, the Catholic Knights of 
Wisconsin, and St. Joseph Society, of 
which latter he is treasurer. He is one 
of the progressive, successful men of Fort 
Howard, and always active in furthering 
the best interests of the community in 
which he resides. 



JD. MORAUX, M. D., eminent as a 
physician and surgeon, was born in 
Green Bay, Wis., his present resi- 
dence. May 9, 1864, and is a son of 
Victor and Mary (Collart) Moraux, both 
natives of Belgium. 

Ferdinand Morau.x, father of \'ictor, 
was also a native of Belgium, and came to 
Brown county. Wis., in quite an early 
day, bringing his family and locating in 
Green Bay, where Victor found employ- 
ment in the grain business as foreman, 
being employed later by \'an Dyke, Burr 
& Co., then by John Beth, and finally by 
Weise, Hollman & Co., and here died 
in January, 1894. Mrs. Mary Moraux, 
daughter of Desire Collart, Sr. , still re- 
sides in Green Bay, as does her father. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 



■97 



who once operated a stone quarry at 
Duck Creek. To Victor and Mary Moraux 
were born seven children, as follows: J. 
D. , our subject; Louis, who died of scar- 
let fever; Louis (II), who was drowned; 
Mary, Felix, Julia and Flora. 

Dr. J. D. Moraux was reared in his 
native cit}-, and, after a proper preliminary 
education, read medicine with Dr. J. R. 
Brandt. He then entered the College of 
Physicians and Surgeons, Chicago, where 
he graduated in February, 1887, and the 
same year began practice at Luxembourg, 
Kewaunee Co., Wis., but, before the close 
of the year, came to Green Bay, and 
formed a partnership with Dr. Bartran. 
After a brief practice in this connecticn he 
bought out Dr. Dechesne, at Robinson- 
ville, Brown Co., Wis., but there soon 
lost everything by fire, and returned to 
Green Bay. The Doctor has always met 
with the approbation of his fellow-practi- 
tioners, and has been earnest in his en- 
deavors to maintain the dignity and coher- 
ence of the profession. He is a member 
of the Fox River Valley Medical Society, 
and once filled the office of vice-president 
of the Kewaunee County Medical Society, 
of which, also, he was one of the Censors. 
He has built up a fine reputation as a 
physician, and enjoys quite a lucrative 
patronage for a practitioner of his years. 

Dr. Moraux was married at Green 
Bay, October i. 1888, to Miss Hettie 
Schellenbeck, a native of Green Bay and 
daughter of Jacob and Otilia (Texton) 
Schellenbeck, who came from Germany 
to Green Bay about the year 1855. 
Here Jacob Schellenbeck engaged in tan- 
ning, and later in the leather business; 
he was a Republican in politics, served as 
a member of the school board, and died 
full of honors in July, 1892; his widow is 
still a resident of Green Bay. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Schellenbeck were born five 
children, viz. : Emma, who died at two 
years of age; Emma (2), wife of G. P. 
Kusterman, of Green Bay; Otto, who was 
engaged in the drug trade for some \ ears, 
was a K. of P., and died in 1885, at the 



age of twenty-nine years; Ernest, who 
died when five years old, and Hettie, now 
the wife of Dr. Moraux. To Dr. and Mrs. 
Moraux were born two children: Otto 
Schellenbeck and Hettie, the latter of 
whom died in infancy. 

Dr. Moraux is a Republican in poli- 
tics, is a warm supporter of his party, but 
has never been an office seeker. Being a 
native of the city he has witnessed much 
of its progress, and has naturally taken 
great interest in its advancement, and has- 
willingly lent every aid in his power to- 
ward that desirable end. 



CARLMANTHEY, manufacturer of 
monuments, headstones and cem- 
etery work of all description, and 
dealer in marble, granite, etc., at 
Green Bay, was born May 11, 1851, at 
Coerlin, Province of Pomerania, Prussia, 
Germany, a son of Johanna Petersohn, 
and in 1858 was adopted by Hermann 
and Henrietta Manthey, also natives of 
the Province of Pomerania, and moved to 
Stettin, Prussia. The family came to the 
United States in 1 869, and located on 
Clybourne avenue, Chicago, where they 
were burned out during the great fire, 
losing everything. Here the father worked 
as a laborer until 1874, when he came to 
Brown county, Wis., and opened up a 
farm in Morrison township, which he cul- 
tivated until his death in 1883; the widow- 
ed mother then returned to Chicago, and 
now resides on the North side. 

Carl Manthey, the only child, was 
educated at Stettin, Prussia, and on 
reaching Chicago began an apprenticeship 
at his present trade with the Gowen Mar- 
ble Company of that city. In Morrison, 
Crown Co., Wis., in 1874, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Elizabeth Hansch, a native 
of Prussia, and to this union have been 
born four sons, viz : Hermann, in busi- 
ness with his father; Otto, who works for 
Joannes Bros., and Charles and Ervin. In 
1875 Mr. Manthey worked at his trade in . 
Appleton, Wis., moving from there to 



198 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



Oshkosh, thence to Fond du Lac, where 
he passed four years and, then, in the fall 
•of 1880, came to Green Bay. About 

1881 he formed a partnership with G. 
Kurtz, under the firm name of Kurtz & 
Manthey, but at the end of one year 
bought out Mr. Kurtz's interest, and since 

1882 has been in business for himself. In 
1892 he erected his present substantial 
brick office building at No. 132 South 
Washington street. It is 20 x 50 in dimen- 
sions, and here he contracts for everj- va- 
riety of work in his line, being himself a 
first-class workman, in the busy season 
employing six assistants. Mr. Manthey 
is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of 
the Turnverein, of which latter societ\- he 
was dramatic manager ten years. He has 
seen a great many changes take place in 
Green Bay since coming here, and has al- 
ways taken a strong interest in the welfare 
of both county and town. 



THOMAS H. SCANLAN, justice of 
of the peace and notar\' public, at 
West Ue Pere, Brown county, is 
a native of Askeaton, County 
Limerick, Ireland, and was born July 10, 
1837. His parents, Thomas and Mary 
(Hanley) Scanlan, who were respectable 
farming people, both died in Ireland, the 
latter when our subject was ten years old, 
the former when the boy was twelve years 
of age. 

Having received a fair education in 
the select schools of his native place, our 
subject followed his father's vocation for 
several years, and then decided on emi- 
grating to America. Accordingly, on the 
5th day of May, 1863, he embarked on a 
sailing vessel at Liverpool, and, after a 
voyage of three weeks, landed at New 
York, whence he went to Philadelphia, 
where some relatives resided. There he 
remained until the i ith of the following 
October, at which time he came to Wis- 
consin, and for awhile stopped at Oconto. 
On May 5, 1864, he reached De Pere, 
and for two years lived in East De Pere, 



but on June 8, 1866, he moved into a 
house that he had built on Oneida street, 
between P'ourth and Fifth street, in West 
De Pere, and here has resided ever since. 
On arriving at De Pere, Mr. Scanlan 
began work in a sawmill, remaining thus 
employed for about two years; but No- 
vember 22, 1866, he entered the employ 
of the E. E. Bolles Wooden Ware Com- 
pany as yard foreman, and with this 
company remained twenty-one years, 
quitting their employ March 17, 1888. 

While filling this position Mr. Scanlan 
became quite a favorite with the general 
public. In 1 872 he was elected a mem- 
ber of the board of trustees of West De- 
Pere, and for ten years faithfully per- 
formed the functions of that office; in 
1883, he was elected treasurer of the city 
of West De Pere, in which position he 
gave such satisfaction that he was re- 
elected in 1 884; in i 885 he was nominated 
for the office of mayor of West De Pere. 
but being disinclined to run he voted 
against himself, and having urged his 
friends to the same course, he was conse- 
quently defeated; in 1889 he was elected 
a justice of the peace, an office he has 
ever since held; in that year was also 
elected a supervisor, and was appointed 
city clerk same j'ear by common council; 
in May, 1891, he was commissioned a 
notary public, and is still acting in that 
capacity. It must be here observed, 
however, that 'Squire Scanlan has been 
borne into office solely on his own merits 
and unbounded popularity, and that he 
never was an office-seeker in the. usual 
acceptation of that term. 

The marriage of Mr. Scanlan took 
place at Philadelphia, October 10, 1863, 
to Miss Catherin Dowling, and three 
children were born to this union, all dying 
young. Mr. and Mrs. Scanlan, however, 
have reared to womanhood a niece, Mary 
Ann Loftus. who was left an orphan at 
the age of four years, her mother having 
lost her life by the explosion of a kerosene 
oil can at her home in Green Bav. Miss 
Loftus was married to John Hoks, and 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



199 



became the mother of one child, Pater- 
nella Hoks, now nine years old, who, 
having lost her parents when young, is 
being also reared by the 'Squire and his 
estimable wife. Mr. and Mrs. Scanlan 
are devout members of the Roman 
Catholic Church, and their quiet and un- 
assuming lives have won for them the 
respect of all who know them. 



EUGENE K. ANSORGE. The 
beautiful land of Bohemia, famed 
for its picturesque valleys, silvery 
streams, romantic mountain scenes 
and its handsome, gay and music-loving 
people, has sent to our country some of 
its most industrious, loyal and peaceful 
citizens, among whom is found, in no small 
degree of prominence, the gentleman 
whose name is here recorded. 

Mr. Ansorge was born September 23, 
1843, in the German village of Christofs- 
grund, in the northeastern part of 
Bohemia, a son of Anton and Caroline 
Ansorge, who, in 1855, with their family 
of three children (the eldest son, Kilian, 
serving at that time in the Austrian army, 
followed in 1866), emigrated to the 
United States, where, in Manitowoc 
county, Wis., they cleared up a farm 
from wild woodland they had bought. 
Here the mother died in 1867, the father 
at Green Bay in 1888, aged eighty-six 
years. 

The subject of this sketch was a lad 
of eleven years when the family came to 
Wisconsin, and, not having the oppor- 
tunity to visit a school, he acquired the 
greater part of his education by self in- 
struction in reading, etc. Up to the age 
of twenty-one he worked on his father's 
farm, learning also the trade of carpenter, 
at which time, his two-years-older brother 
returning from the war, he volunteered 
his services to the Union for the suppres- 
sion of the Rebellion, by enlisting in 
Company F, Forty-fifth Wis. V. I. From 
the commencement of his enlistment he 
served as sergeant, chiefly in Tennessee, 



and for the most part on camp and train 
guard duty. In August, same year, the 
war having closed, he was honorably dis- 
charged, and came home. A short time 
afterward he went to Missouri, and for 
over a year worked at carpentry. In 
June, 1867, he started as contractor and 
builder, but being taken sick, had once 
more, in November of that year, to return 
to the parental roof. In the following 
spring, having recovered his health, he 
resumed his trade as builder at home, 
continuing it until the ne.xt fall; but such 
work does not appear to have been the 
primary and great object of his ambition, 
and he began to look around him for some 
occupation more suited to his tastes and 
inclinations. Determined to try his hand 
at insurance work, he, in December, 1868, 
entered the service of the " Dodge County 
Mutual Insurance Company" as solicitor, 
and as such traveled on foot over part of 
Manitowoc county, and near all of Ke- 
waunee county, in the following April 
opening an office in Oconto, where for 
four years he did a thriving business in Fire 
insurance. During all this time, being a 
musician of acknowledged merit, playing 
the violin, he was frequently employed to 
furnish music for entertainments, etc., 
and even now, at times, assists at concerts. 
In March, 1873, he moved to Green Bay, 
transferring his office in toto, and has 
since conducted one of the most reliable 
and flourishing Fire and Life insurance 
businesses in northern Wisconsin. On No- 
vember I, 1892, he received into partner- 
ship E. P. Parish, the firm name being 
Ansorge & Parish, which still continues. 
In 1870 Mr. Ansorge was married to 
Miss Johanna T. Ansorge, and five chil- 
dren were born to them, namely: Herman 
and Walter, both deceased, and Clara, 
Herman and Flora, all three at home. In 
his political associations our subject is a 
Republican, and, although no office seeker, 
has served the city of Green Bay as alder- 
man. He is a member of the K. of P., 
Turnverein, German Singing Societj', 
Green Bay Sharpshooters Society, and G. 



200 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



A. R., in all of which he has taken an 
active interest, and served in various offi- 
cial capacities. A man of enterprise and 
integrity, success has crowned his efforts, 
and he is the owner of considerable 
amount of real estate. He is now a 
director of the Citizens National Bank. 
Although favored with but limited school- 
ing, as alread)' intimated, Mr. Ansorge 
has acquired a more than ordinary practi- 
cal education by extensive reading and 
close observation of men and things. He 
is the owner of an excellent library, in 
which he takes deep interest, realizing 
full well that books "are a substantial 
world, both pure and good, round which 
our pastime and our happiness will grow. " 



AW. JOHNSON, successor to 
Johnson & Havens, is a highly 
reputable dealer in marble and 
granite monuments and tomb- 
stones, his office being at Xo. 310 Cherry 
street. Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

He was born in Black Brook, Clinton 
Co., N. Y. , in 1854, and is a son of 
William and Sarah (Belong) Johnson, 
natives of Essex county, same State. 
William Johnson was a miller and iron 
manufacturer at Black Brook, but later 
moved to Plattsburg, where he was em- 
ployed by a marble firm. He finally 
came to ^^'isconsin, and died at Fort 
Howard, Brown county, in 1S86; his 
widow now resides in Beekmantown, N. 
Y. They were the parents of two chil- 
dren : Ida, wife of A. Rea, of Beekman- 
town, and A. \\'., our subject. The lat- 
ter was reared, educated anti learned 
marble cutting in Plattsburg, and worked 
at his trade in Clinton, Essex, Franklin 
and' St. Lawrence counties, N. Y. , and 
then came to Wisconsin. He began 
business in Hilbert Junction, Calumet 
county, in 1876, remaining there until the 
fall of 1 88 1, when, at Fort Howard, he 
formed a partnership with Mr. Havens. 
In 1882 the firm came to Green Bay, 



where they continued in partnership un- 
til February, 1891, when Mr. Johnson 
bought out the interest of Mr. Havens, 
and is now building up a fine trade on his 
own account, employing, on an a\erage, 
four men. 

Mr. Johnson was married at Fort 
Howard, in 1885, to Miss Anna Klauson, 
a native of that place, and a daughter of 
Henry and Mary (Hintzj Klauson, the 
former a native of Holland, the latter of 
Germany. They were married in Fort 
Howard, and became the parents of 
three children, viz. : Catherine, wife of 
James Faulkner, of Fort Howard; Henry, 
a painter by trade, who died in 1879, and 
Anna (Mrs. Johnson). To Mr. and Mrs. 
Johnson have been born two children, 
W'allace Rea and May Ida. Politically 
our subject is a Republican; social!}' he is 
a member of Hilbert Lodge, No. 56, I. O. 
O. F., and of the A. O. U. W., of Fort 
Howard. Mrs. Johnson is a devout mem- 
ber of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. 



ALEXANDER P. SCHMIDT, a 
prosperous brewer of West De- 
Pere, is a native of New York 
State, born in Tonawanda, Erie 
county, October 3, 1846, a son of Martin 
and Mary Ann (Nagle) Schmidt. 

Martin Schmidt was born near the 
city of Sweibrucken, Bavaria, was a shoe- 
maker, and came to the United States in 
1832. At Buffalo, N. Y., he met and 
married Mar}- Ann Nagle, a native of 
Tonawanda, whose father, Antony Nagle, 
was born in Alsace, but who served in 
the United States army in the war with 
Great Britain in 181 2 (for which he re- 
ceives a small pension); he was killed, at 
the age of ninety-six years, on the 4th of 
July, 1876, by a railway train, being deaf 
and partially blind from old age. 

Alexander P. Schmidt was educated 
until eight years of age at the public 
schools of Tonawanda, when, in 1854, 
his father moved with his family to Mani- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



20I 



towoc, Wis., where our subject completed 
his education. The father purchased a 
farm near the city of Manitowoc, but 
later engaged in mercantile business, and 
since Cleveland's first administration has 
been postmaster at Elverno, Wis., and 
has also served, as a Democrat, on the 
board of supervisors — a portion of the 
time as its chairman. Mrs. Mary Ann 
Schmidt died in the town of Manitowoc 
Rapids in 1855. On June 24, 1864, 
Alexander P. Schmidt enlisted in the 
Union army at Buffalo, N. Y. , and saw 
active service in the department of the 
Mississippi until September, 1865, when 
he was honorably discharged. After be- 
ing mustered out he commenced learning 
the brewing business at Manitowoc, and 
five years later, in partnership with his 
father, Martin Schmidt, built a brewery 
at Silver Lake, Wis. , where a profitable 
business was conducted for sixteen months, 
at the end of which time our subject 
moved to Mazo Manie, Dane Co., Wis., 
and here kept a boarding-house and saloon 
for a year, after which he settled, in May, 
1874, in De Pere, Brown county, where 
he purchased his present site of four lots, 
erecting a fine residence and brewery and 
several commodious barns, granaries, etc. 
Here he turns out about 500 barrels of 
beer annually, the home trade consuming 
the entire product. Mr. Schmidt owns 
one-half of the brewery lands in partner- 
ship with Pauline Zeller, and also owns a 
neat farm of ninety-eight acres, of which 
fifty-eight acres lie within the city limits. 
In politics Mr. Schmidt is a Demo- 
crat, and has served as alderman of West 
De Pere ten or twelve terms at various 
periods. He is a member of Harrison 
Post, G. A. R. , at De Pere, is an upright 
member of the Catholic Church, and en- 
joys the respect of his fellow citizens. In 
1872 Mr. Schmidt married Miss Augusta 
Ya;ller, a native of Calumet, Fond du Lac 
Co. , Wis. , and of Saxon descent. Five 
children have been born to this union, as 
follows: Estella C. S., now filling her 
fourth term as teacher in the high schools 



of De Pere; Edward A. G., attending 
the State University at Madison; Laura, 
attending the Normal School at Milwau- 
kee: and Myrtle and Richard, at home. 



DAVID ZIMDARS, a respected, 
self-made agriculturist of Glen- 
more township. Brown county, 
was born February 22, 1840, in 
Germany, son of Joaquim Ziindars, who 
had a family of eleven children, David 
being the sixth in the order of birth. 

Our subject received a fair education 
at the common schools of his native land, 
but commenced to work at an early age, 
as his parents were only in moderate cir- 
cumstances. At the age of twenty he 
entered the army, and served three years. 
In 1865 he was married to Miss Minnie 
Berkenhagen, who was born in Germany 
in 1842, and shortly afterward the young 
couple went to work for a large farmer. 
The wages were small, but in four years 
Ihey had managed to save enough to 
bring them to America, and, with their 
only child, Hulda, they journeyed to 
Bremen, where they took passage on the 
vessel "Ferdinand," landing at Quebec, 
Canada, after a voyage of eight weeks. 
At this point their funds were exhausted, 
but, receiving money from a brother-in- 
law in Milwaukee to come to that city, 
Mr. Zimdars took his family thither at 
once. There they remained for about 
ten years, during which time he was em- 
ployed as laborer in the manufactories of 
the city, and, by economy and thrift, they 
managed to save a little. In the spring 
of 1878 they removed to Section 10, 
Glenmore township. Brown county, where 
Mr. Zimdars had previously purchased 
eighty acres of wild land, which had been 
lumbered over, but was totally unim- 
proved. He built the first dwelling on 
the place, and all other improvements 
thereon have also been made by him, or 
under his direction; he now has 120 acres, 
the greater part of which is cleared and 
under cultivation. Since coming to this 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGIiAPlIICAL ItECORD. 



farm Mr. Ziindars has done a great deal 
of hard work, for when he first took up 
his home here the land was poor, and af- 
forded but a scanty support, their principal 
re\enue being derived from the sale of 
timber; and his success, in the face of 
all difficulties, shows what may be ac- 
complished by industry and honest toil. 
Though in debt when he landed in the 
United States, he is to-day one of the 
well-to-do farmers of his locality. His 
wife has assisted him nobly in the ac- 
cumulation of their comfortable property, 
and they are highly esteemed in the com- 
munity for their many good qualities; they 
have a wide circle of friends and acquaint- 
ances. They are both members of the 
Lutheran Church. In politics Mr. Zim- 
dars is a Democrat, but, though interested 
in the welfare of the party, he is not a 
strong partisan, in local elections voting 
for the best man regardless of politics. 

Mr. and Mrs. Zimdars had but one 
child, Hulda, who was born in Germany. 
She was married in Glenmore township. 
Brown county, to Henry Goethe, a native 
of southern Germany, and one child, 
William, was born to this marriage. Mrs. 
Goethe died September 23, 1889, in Mil- 
waukee (where she was buried), deeply 
mourned by her family and friends. 



JOHN MURPHY, widely known and 
respected in Brown county, and es- 
peciall}' in Glenmore township, 
where he is justly recognized as a 
public-spirited, progressive citizen, was 
born April 16, 1850, in Roxbury, Massa- 
chusetts. 

Timothy Murphy, his father, was 
born in County Cork, Ireland, son of 
John Murphy, where he received a com- 
mon-school education, and when a young 
man, having decided to seek his fortune 
in the United States, he came to Boston, 
Mass. In that city he wedded Ellen Ma- 
honey, also a native of Ireland, and after 
their marriage they removed to Ro.xbury, 
Mass., where two children — Elnora (now 



a school-teacher of Stephenson, Mich.), 
and John (our subject) — were born to 
them. In the fall of 1850 Mr. Murphy, 
accompanied by his father and his little 
family, migrated westwanl to Wisconsin 
(where a brother had previously located), 
attracted by the cheap homes to be had. 
They proceeded to Buffalo, thence to 
Green Bay, on the steamer "Old Michi- 
gan," and from there to De Pere, where 
for a time the family resided. In the 
same year he purchased 160 acres in 
Section 23, northwest quarter, Glen- 
more township, at ten shillings per acre, 
and immediately commenced the clearing 
of the land, which was still in its primi- 
tive condition. He spent some time pre- 
paring a home for his family, and his 
route from De Pere to his settlement led 
through the woods from a point on the 
Dixon road; no bridges spanned the 
streams, which had to be forded or crossed 
by means of some fallen log. The land 
was heavily timbered, and a space had to 
be cleared for the log cabin, which stood 
a short distance southeast of the present 
residence. Early in 1852 the family re- 
moved to their pioneer home, and at that 
day the township was so wild and so 
sparsely settled that the few families 
grouped together near Mr. Murphy's 
cabin. The farm at first afforded no sup- 
port whatever to the family, and, but for 
the few dollars he had managed to save, 
they would even have wanted the neces- 
saries of life. Such stock as they had 
they were in constant danger of losing, 
for the wild beasts, especially wolves, 
made frequent visits to the farm. But 
gradually the wild animals disappeared 
from the vicinity, the forest was sup- 
planted by beautiful, smiling farms, a 
great work indeed, and one which in- 
volved many years of stern toil. Two 
more children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Murphy on this farm, Cornelius and 
Mary, both now of Chicago. These old 
pioneers passed from earth in 1887, Mr. 
Murphy on June 30, when about seventy- 
three years of age, his wife on March 4, 



COMMEMOIIATIVE BIOGIiAPIIICAL RECORD. 



203 



and they now lie buried in Shantytown 
cemetery. Tiiey were members of the 
Catholic Church. In politics he was a 
stanch Democrat, held many offices of 
honor and trust in his township, and as- 
sisted materially in the improvement of 
his section. 

John Murphy, eldest son of this old 
pioneer, was but a child when he came 
with his parents to Glenmore township, 
and here was reared to manhood. He re- 
ceived his first schooling in District No. 2, 
under Maurice Casey, and later attended 
for about a year in District No. 4, Rock- 
land township. But, being the eldest son 
his help was needed on the farm, where 
he received a thorough training to agri- 
culture under his father, and during his 
younger da3's he also worked at lumber- 
ing, an occupation then very popular 
among young men. But with the excep- 
tion of probably a year, he remained at 
home. On May 13, 1880, Mr. Murphy 
was married in De Pere to Miss Johanna 
Heffernan, a native of Glenmore town- 
ship, born February 11, i860, daughter 
of James and Bridget (Leary) Heffernan, 
who were natives of the Emerald Isle and 
early settlers of Glenmore township. 
This union has been blessed with one 
child, Ellen E. , born April 16, 1881. 
After his marriage our subject settled on 
the old homestead, where he has ever 
since resided, principally engaged in gen- 
eral farming and stock-raising, having 
eighty acres of excellent land, all under 
cultivation. In his political preferences 
Mr. Murphy is a Democrat, and gives 
that party his unfailing support in State 
and National elections; but in township 
and county affairs he selects the best man 
without much regard for party lines. He 
has been called upon to fill various local 
offices of trust; in 1884 he was elected 
township treasurer, and served continu- 
ously until 1889; he has been justice of 
the peace for many years, and in 1 894 
was elected to his present position, chair- 
man of the township; in every capacity 
he has proven himself an efficient officer, 



and his service has invariably been marked 
by a careful, conscientious discharge of 
his duties, which has never failed to give 
satisfaction. He gives a ready and willing 
support to every enterprise of interest or 
benefit to his township, and his many 
years of public service have made him 
well known and infiuential. In religious 
connection he and his wife are members 
of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Glenmore. 



PETER HANSON SCHULTZ, an 
old settler and prominent citizen 
of Fort Howard, Brown county, 
was born in North Schleswig, 
Denmark, in 1S24. His parents, Johan 
and Christina (Hanson) Schultz, were 
also natives of Denmark, in which country 
the former died, his excellent wife, mother 
of Peter, came to Brown county, Wis., 
and settled in the township of New Den- 
mark, where she died about 1879, aged 
ninety-three years and four months. She 
also had two daughters: Christina, wife 
of Christian Hartz, in Denmark; and 
Ureka (widow of Hans Nelson), now a 
resident of New Denmark township, 
Brown county. 

The son, Peter Hanson Schultz, lived 
in his native country twenty-six years. 
He received a good education, and in 
1848 entered the Danish army, which 
during that year engaged in its regular 
drill, and in 1849-50 he saw active ser- 
vice in a war against the Germans. He 
learned the trades of carpenter, plasterer, 
and cabinet-maker while yet a resident of 
Denmark, and found employment in those 
lines until he concluded to come to 
America. In 1852 he set out on the sail- 
ing vessel "Alter Peter," from Hamburg, 
landing six weeks later at New York, 
from which city he proceeded directly to 
to Fort Howard, Wis., finding employ- 
ment at the carpenter's trade, which he 
followed for years. In the course of time 
he acquired considerable property, and 
now owns three houses besides the one in 
which he lives. As a Republican he takes 



304 



COMMEMORAriVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a lively interest in political affairs, and 
was for one year a member of the town 
council. Both he and his wife belonf^j to 
the Lutheran Church. 

Mr. Schultz was married in 1869, at 
Fort Howard, to Anna Maria Hanson, 
daughter of Hans Jorgen and Hannah 
Marguerita (Hendrickson) Hanson, all 
natives of Denmark. The family located 
in New Denmark township in 1868, set- 
tling on a farm. The senior Hanson died 
in 1878; his widow, now over eighty-four 
years of age, yet resides on the old farm. 
Their children were: Fredericka, wife of 
Jens Anderson, of Denmark; Carrie, wife 
of Jacob Klausen, of New Denmark 
township; Hans Henry, married and re- 
siding in the same township; Anna Maria, 
now Mrs. Schultz; Martha, wife of Hans 
Rasmussen, of Denmark; Julia, wife of 
Louie Larsen, of New Denmark, Brown 
county. When Mr. Schult/ first came to 
Fort Howard, he settled in what was 
known as Tanktown, working at the 
carpenter's trade for Schwar^, Kemnitz 
& Voight, and at contracting and building. 



SIMON JONES MURPHY, JR. 
In the human race there is ever 
progressive change, and it becomes 
the part of biography, which is 
the essence of history, to record and ac- 
celerate it. It shows us how far weha\'e 
advanced beyond the past, and it treas- 
ures up the experience of that past for 
still further advance in the future. 

Without history we would constantly 
require to begin the march of improve- 
ment or progress anew, and society would 
be moving in a narrow ever-returning 
circle, instead of in one straight and for- 
ward line. While this is true of history 
in general, that of ourselves, our relatives, 
our people — crystallized into the form of 
biography, whereby are perpetuated the 
lives of the fittest — has special, even first, 
claims upon us; and it becomes a duty to 
both the present and coming generations 



to include in this biographical work 
records of the lives of such representative 
men of our time as the gentleman of whom 
it is our privilege to now write, whose 
success in business is due to the practical 
and sensible constitution of his mind, 
and to the thoroughness of his business 
training. 

Mr. Murphy is a nati\e of the State 
of Maine, born March 27, 1851, in the 
town of Bradley, a grandson of Charles 
Murphy, who was born in the Kennebec 
Valley, in that State, and was a farmer 
of fair education, possessed withal of 
strong characteristics. His son, Simon 
Jones Murphy, Sr. , who is a native of 
the same locality, born in April, 181 5, 
was reared by his uncle, George Jones, a 
farmer on Jones Hill, remaining under his 
care till he was eighteen years old. At 
the age of eighteen he left the farm, going 
to Bangor, on the Penobscot river, where 
he became a lumberman, exploring the 
river and its tributaries for lumbering pur- 
poses. After making himself acquainted 
with all the details of the business, he 
embarked in the industry for his own 
account, and, by energy, sagacity and 
prudence, became a successful lumber- 
man. He was a hard worker, but 
was endowed by nature with a rug- 
ged and strong constitution that carried 
him through many severe hardships. In 
all his ventures he met with success, and 
is to-day, in his declining years, a typical 
representative of a New England pioneer 
lumberman. Soon after getting well 
started in business he married in the 
State of Maine, and in 1866 removed to 
Detroit, Mich., where he has since had 
his home, although for the past several 
winters he has lived in Los Angeles 
county, Cal. His wife, Ann Montgomery, 
was a daughter of Charles M. Dorr, a 
citizen of prominence in the East, and 
she was educated in Boston while living 
with an aunt. Twelve children were 
born of this union, of whom but six lived 
to maturit}', as follows: Charles E., 
Simon J. Jr., Albert M., \\'illiam H., 



UOMMEMOHATIVE DIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



207 



Anna D., and Frank E. Of these, 
Simon J. Jr., the subject proper of these 
lines, received his primary education in 
Bangor, Maine, finishing at the high 
school, Detroit, Mich. , after which he 
prepared himself for college, in 1870 
entering Harvard University, where he 
graduated in the class of 1873, in the 
Lawrence Scientific School. The object 
of his ambition at this time appears to 
have been railroading, and he was 
promised a position on the Northern Pa- 
cific railroad, but the financial crash of 
that year intervened, frustrating his in- 
tentions, and he was fain to enter the 
employ of his father in the lumber busi- 
ness. In order to become thoroughly 
acquainted with all the details from the 
very commencement, he began at the 
bottom round of the ladder, driving 
teams, etc., and doing all other offices of 
the laboring man, in the end thoroughly 
mastering the business. There is some- 
thing to admire in the conduct of the 
young Harvard graduate working in the 
ranks, as it were, and receiving no ad- 
vantage over the common laborer. As 
soon as practicable, he was put in charge 
of a camp, and, later, he had control of 
drivers, in a few years becoming a mana- 
ger in his father's vast lumber business on 
the Saginaw river, Michigan. In 1878 
he became also interested in the White 
River lumber operations, controlled by 
his father, and in 1882 the style of the 
firm became Crepin, Murphy & Sons. In 
1883, after the election of officers, our 
subject became one of the directoi's, and 
was made president of the White River 
Boom Co., remaining as such until 1885, 
by which time the timber owned by his 
firm had been all cut. 

In February, i 886, Mr. Murphy came 
to Green Bay, and at once set to work to 
build a sawmill at the mouth of Fox river, 
on what was known as the "Whitney 
slough," which mill is now one of the 
largest in northern Wisconsin, its ca- 
pacity being twenty-five million feet per 
annum, running daytime only. In April, 



1886, his brother Frank E. joined him, 
becoming a partner in the business, and 
he is a director and secretary-treasurer of 
the Murphy Lumber Co. , their father 
being president, and their brother Will- 
iam H. vice-president. From the very- 
commencement this vast industry has 
been a pronounced success, giving em- 
ployment to some 250 men in the woods 
and in the mill, the product of which 
latter is shipped by water and rail to 
Chicago, Milwaukee and eastern points. 

On October 17, 1877, Mr. Murphy 
was married to Miss Helena Bogardus 
Piatt, a lady of much refinement, culture 
and rare grace in entertaining. She is a 
daughter of James Piatt, of Boston, an 
Englishman by birth and education; her 
mother was a Miss Bogardus, of the old 
Dutch family of that name in New York, 
who are related to the Van Rensselaers. 
To this union were born five children, 
named as follows: Elsie L. , Florence L. , 
Lorraine A. , Yvonne Dorr, and C. Temple. 

Politically Mr. Murphy is a Republi- 
can, and, in 1890 and 1894, he was a 
candidate on that ticket for member of 
the Assembly from Democratic Brown 
county, but was defeated by a small ma- 
jority. Socially he is a member of the 
F. & A. M., thirty-second degree, A. A. 
S. Rite, of Tripoli Temple, A. A. O. N. O. 
M. S., E. C. of Palestine Commandery, 
No. 20, and Gr. J. W. of the Grand 
Commandery of the State; he is exalted 
ruler of Green Bay Lodge, No. 259, B. 
P. O. E., and is a member of the Order 
of Hoo-Hoo. He was president of the 
Business Association of Green Bay two 
terms. Since becoming a resident of the 
city of his adoption Mr. Murphy has con- 
spicuously and effectively contributed to 
its rapid development, and he is justly 
honored as one of its most useful, most 
substantial and most enterprising citizens. 

The valuable lessons, a young and 
thinking generation can glean from such a 
sterling character as our subject presents, 
are briefly these: that natural ability with 
a good education, coupled with tact and 



JoS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



restless energ;y, are sure roads to success 
in business, as well as in the social and 
political fields. Only a man of the right 
material could readily doff the student's 
gown for the woodman's jacket, and learn 
the details of a vast business, and in a 
short time place himself practically at the 
head of a vast lumbering concern, be- 
sides finding time to look after the in- 
terest of his city and watch every op- 
portunity which might bring a benefit to 
his town and county; and also to be all 
that a fond father and husband should be 
to his famil)' in the home where the inner 
life, which is the real life of any man, is 
lived. There in the home circle, where 
presides with tact and grace a true Amer- 
ican lady, Mr. Murphy gains much of that 
good cheer for which he is so well known, 
and which is so highly appreciated by his 
numerous friends. 

Mr. Murphy's youth was passed with 
a keen intelligence and much out-door 
life that built up a healthy and robust 
physique, which soon won for him recog- 
nition and respect at the hands of those 
with whom he was thrown in contact; 
thus gradually but surely placing him in 
an enviable position as a prominent citi- 
zen and business man. 

He is of sanguine temperament, though 
cool and deliberate, even when absorbed 
in the most momentous and intricate 
business proposition; in fact, he is pos- 
sessed of what might not improperly be 
styled a judicial cast of mind, which has en- 
abled him to conduct and regulate his large 
business with that perfect order which in- 
sures success; also to maintain discipline 
in, and guarantee honest service at the 
hands of, his small army of employes in 
the mill orforests, which, through the same 
potent agency, are kept in perfect accord 
and under thorough control. 

The casual observer may not always 
recognize, in his often careless attire and 
unostentatious mien, the college graduate 
or polished sympathetic speaker, for as 
such he is fast beginning to be known in 
this part of the State, because he is a 



man that hates cant and empty ceremony, 
and at all times is more than he seems to 
appear. 



ABEL D. NEWTON (deceased) 
was, in his lifetime, a conspicuous 
landmark in the part of the coun- 
try in which for so many years the 
cheerful ring of his anvil was heard for 
miles around. He was a native of North 
Leverett, Franklin Co. , Mass., born Sep- 
tember 2, 1806, being of the seventh gen- 
eration from Richard Newton, who came 
from England to the American Colonies 
before 1640, the heads of the family from 
him down to our subject being as follows: 
Moses, Jonathan, Nathan, Paul, Edward 
and Abel D. Richard Newton, the im- 
migrant, located in Sudbury, Mass., and 
was one of the original proprietors of 
that town. 

Abel D. Newton, the subject proper 
of this sketch, was reared by his grand- 
father, Paul Newton, attending the public 
schools of his early day to the age of 
fifteen years, at which time he commenced 
a six-years' apprenticeship to the trade of 
blacksmith at Deerfield, Mass., and, at 
the age of twenty-one, worked at his trade 
in Ashfield, same State and county. Sub- 
sequently he took a one-year's course of 
study at an academy in Ipswich, Mass., 
at which town he became interested in 
mission work. He united with the Con- 
gregational Church of Ashfield in 1828, 
in 1830 joined the American Board of 
Home Missions, and same year was sent 
out to Mackinaw in the capacity of mis- 
sionary among the Indians in that region, 
continuing cheerfully and faithfully in his 
arduous duties for three or fouryears; but, 
his health becoming impaired, he had to 
abandon mission work. His work was to- 
teach the Indian boys blacksmithing and 
other trades, reading and the customs of 
civilized life. 

On April 29, 1834, Mr. Newton was 
married, in Ashfield, Mass. fwhither he 
had returned for the purpose), to Mi.ss 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



209 



Betsey Leonard, a native of that town, 
born December 6, 1809, a daughter of 
Ziba Leonard, of Ashfield, who was of 
the seventh generation from Solomon 
Leonard, who came from England to the 
American Colonies in 1630, locating in 
Duxbury, Mass., and whose descendants 
by generations were: Jacob, Joseph, 
Joseph, Dan, and Ziba. After marriage 
Mr. and Mrs. Abel D. Newton came to 
Wisconsin, he having entered into an en- 
gagement as blacksmith for the American 
Fur Company, at La Pointe; this was in 
.1834, and for about four years he re- 
mained in this employ, at the same time 
giving some attention to missionary work. 
In October, 1839, he came to Green 
Bay, about which time he and his family 
were prostrated with fever and ague, but 
all recovered. During the ensuing winter 
he worked at blacksmithing for Daniel 
Whitney, and in the following summer 
carried on a blacksmith shop he had built 
on Adams street, between Croaks and 
Stuart, so continuing until 185 1, the year 
of his coming to De Pere, where he built 
him a shop, becoming the leading black- 
smith of the locality. For edge tools, a 
branch of the trade at which he was an 
expert, his services were waited on from 
far and near, his reputation as an all- 
round artisan being widely recognized. 
In De Pere he bought four lots, built a 
house and lived there until i860. He 
had, in 1849, bought a farm of 120 acres 
in Section 32, De Pere township, for 
which he paid $200 in gold, and hither he 
moved in i860, having built a log house 
on his property, which stands a short dis- 
tance north of his present dwelling, the 
latter having been erected in 1875. Here 
Mr. Newton, by unremitting toil and tire- 
less energy, cleared a fine farm, and passed 
in peace the rest of his life, dying January 
7, 1889, full of years and honor. His re- 
mains rest in Greenwood cemetery. In 
Church matters he was an active leader, a 
ruling elder and a prominent member of 
the Presbyterian Congregation, of which 
Mrs. Newton has also been a member for 



sixty-seven years. Now, in her eighty- 
sixth year, she is calmly awaiting the 
summons that shall call her hence, to join 
those gone before to the Better Land. 
The children, nine in number, born to this 
honored couple, were as follows: Mercena 
L. , widow of Charles T. Dickinson, of 
St. John's, Ore.; Martha, Mrs. R. F. 
Wilson, of Portland, Ore.; Edward D., 
who died on the home farm from disease 
contracted in the army, he having served 
three years as a member of Company G, 
First Wisconsin Cavalry; Zebina Leonard, 
deceased at the age of three years; James 
K. , who died in California, June 26, 1892 
(he had studied abroad, and for sixteen 
years was professor of modern languages 
at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio; dur- 
ing the Civil war he served four years, 
and was second lieutenant in Company F, 
Fourteenth Wis. V. I.); Samuel, now re- 
siding in De Pere, who is clerk for Jack- 
son & Sons (he served one year in Com- 
pany G, First Wisconsin Cavalry); Er- 
mina E., married, June 2, 1888, to B. A. 
Leonard (sketch of whom follows), and 
living on the home farm in De Pere town- 
ship; Sarah A., Mrs. I. S. Clifford, of 
Manston, Wis., and Marion A., who died 
at the age of twenty-two years. 

BERNARD A. LEONARD, who is now 
living on the home farm of the late Abel 
D. Newton, in De Pere township. Brown 
county, is a native of Massachusetts, born 
July 25, 1844, in Southbridge, second son 
of Manning Leonard, who was of the 
seventh generation from Solomon Leon- 
ard, who came from England to the 
Colonies in 1630, as already recorded in 
the sketch of Abel D, Newton. He at- 
tended both common and high school, and 
when of age began life for himself. In 
Iosco county, Mich., he bought some land, 
after a visit to Oconto, Wis,, which, ad- 
vancing in price, he sold, thus furn shing 
himself with sufficient capital to embark 
in regular business. For three years he 
was a successful dealer in hardwood lum- 
ber in Detroit, and from there moving to 
Cincinnati, Ohio, became a leading mem- 



COMMEMORATIVK BIUCHAPUICAL RECORD. 



ber of the Greenwood Stove Company, 
but at the end of three years, his health 
failing, he returned to Detroit and com- 
menced the manufacture of carriage 
wheels, also conducting a dental supply 
store. His health, however, not improv- 
ing, Mr. Leonard returned to his native 
State in order to recuperate, and, after a 
stay of two years, removetl to Jackson, 
Mich., and here entered the retail grocery 
and wholesale spice mills of Ford, Dela- 
niater & Company, tlicn returned to 
Massachusetts, where, from 1879 to 1888, 
he remained. 

Mr. Leonard first married. May 31, 
1 87 1, Miss Nellie T. Burr. For his sec- 
ond wife he married, June 2, 1888, Miss 
Ermina E. Newton, of De Pere, Wis., 
since when he has lived a retired life on 
the old Newton homestead. In genealogy 
he takes great interest, and he has latelj' 
taken up a partly completed work (left so 
by his father) treating on the Leonard 
family genealogy, to the completion of 
which he devotes much of his time. 



DANIEL H. DAVIS, a thriving 
farmer of Pittsfield township, 
Brown county, was born in Par- 
ishville, St. Lawrence Co., N. 
Y. , November 24, 1842, a son of Darwin 
and Emeline (Steel) Davis, who were the 
parents of four children, viz. : Alonzo D., 
deceased at the age of twenty-six; Daniel 
H., our subject; Emeory, now the wife of 
George Jenkins, of Wrightstown ; and 
William Henry, of Cato, Manitowoc Co., 
Wis. The family came to Wisconsin in 
1846, and for five years lived in Wal- 
worth county; then moved to Manitowoc 
county, where Darwin Da\is bought eighty 
acres of hard-timber land, from which he 
cleared up a farm; in 185S he sold twenty 
acres, and in 1869 sold the balance and 
bought a house and lot in Cato, where he 
and his wife lived until May 7, 1885, when 
he died in the Presbyterian faith. His 
widow passed away at the home of her 



son, Daniel H., December 4, 1894, at the 
advanced age of eighty-two years, seven 
months, two da\s, and was buried at Cato, 
Manitowoc Co., Wisconsin. 

On August II, 1862, Daniel H. Davis 
enlisted in Company K, Twenty-first 
Wis. v. I., and served until December 
29, when, having been shot through the 
arm at the battle of Perryville, he was 
discharged at Louisville, Ky. , and re- 
turned to his home, where he was laid up 
a year. Early in 1864 he began driving 
team for S. A. Benjamin, and remained 
with him four years. In the meantime, 
November 12, 1865, he married Mrs. Edna 
M. (Warfield) Branch, daughter of John 
and Caroline (Post) Warfield, and widow 
of Nelson Branch. Mr. Warfield was a 
butcher and farmer, and was twice mar- 
ried; his first wife was Caroline Post, who 
bore him three children, viz. : Mary, 
Edna M. and John M. Mrs. Caroline 
Warfield died when Edna M. (Mrs. Davis) 
was but eight years of age, and Mr. War- 
field married a widow — Caroline Howard 
— who had by her first marriage two 
children, Spencer and Eli; to her marriage 
with Mr. Warfield were born four chil- 
dren, viz. : Augustus, Caroline, William 
and Julia. Edna M. Warfield (Mrs. Davis) 
was first married April 11, 1855, to Nel- 
son Branch, a school-teacher and specu- 
lator, to whom she bore one child, Rosa, 
now Mrs. Frank Hubbard, of Maple Val- 
ley, Oconto Co., Wis. Mr. Branch had 
been married about eight years when he 
became insane, and died in an asylum. 
No children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Davis. 

After his marriage, and after leaving 
the employ of S. A. Benjamin, Mr. Davis 
came with his wife, in 1868, to Mills Cen- 
ter, Pittsfield township, and for three 
years kept a boarding house. During this 
period he bought forty acres of land. He 
got rid of the standing timber by giving it 
to charcoal burners for the clearing of it 
away, built a frame house on the cleared 
land, and a year later took possession of 
it and still lives thereon, having been en- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



21 I 



gaged in farming ever since his removal 
hither. 

In politics Mr. Davis is a Republican, 
and has been school clerk two terms, also 
justice of the peace six years, offices he 
has filled with great credit to himself, and 
to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. 



GEORGE GEURTS, one of the 
well-known farmer citizents of 
De Pere township. Brown coun- 
ty, is a native of Holland, born 
March 4, 1845, son of Arnold Geurts, 
who was also a farmer. In the spring of 
1866 Arnold Geurts came to the United 
States, bringing his family, consisting of 
five children, all of whom are yet living. 
They sailed form Antwerp, landing in 
New York after a voyage of !orty-five 
days, and, in three months from the time 
they leftt heir native land, arrived at their 
final destination. Brown county. Wis. They 
first went to Little Chute, where some rela- 
tives had previously located, and there 
remained four months, working at an}'- 
thing they could find to do. The family 
then came to De Pere township and pur- 
chased the forty acres where Martin Ver 
Straten now resides, and which at that 
time had no improvements whatever but 
a small log house. There they made 
their home for eight or nine years, all 
working together to clear and improve the 
land, which at the end of that time was 
divided. 

In July, 1872, George Geurts was 
united in marriage with Miss Harriet Van- 
derVoort, who was born February 20, 
1852, in Holland, daughter of Arnold and 
Mary (Barten) VanderVoort, who came 
to the United States in 1856. They made 
the voyage from Antwerp to New York in 
thirty-five days, and then proceeded by 
water to Green Bay, Wis. At that time 
Arnold VanderVoort was a poor man, and 
for a while supported his family by work- 
ing as mason's assistant. He died in De- 
Pere township in 1871 on the farm now 
owned by our subject, with whom his 



widow, now aged seventy-two years, yet 
resides. After marriage Mr. Geurts im- 
mediately commenced farming on the 
place he now owns and resides upon, and 
which, at the present time, comprises 114 
acres of excellent farming land, all taken 
from the woods. To Mr. and Mrs. Geurts 
were born children as follows: Mary, Ar- 
nold, Annie, John, Nellie, Delia, and Cor- 
nelius, all living, and four that died young. 
Mr. Geurts has resided on his present 
farm for over twenty yerrs, during which 
time, by industry and assiduous toil he 
has done much toward its improvement 
and made for himself a comfortable home. 
He is well known and highly respected 
in his township, where he is recognized 
as a thorough, hard working agriculturist 
and a kind-hearted neighbor. In politics 
he is a Democrat, and, though not an 
office-seeker, he is at present serving as 
school treasurer in his district. He and 
his wife are members of St. Mary's Cath- 
olic Church at De Pere. 



JOHN CODY, assessor of Fort 
Howard, city and township, has 
held this responsible position for 
eighteen years, evidence sufficient 
in itself of the esteem in which this gentle- 
man is held by his fellow citizens and of 
the trust imposed in him. 

Mr. Cody was born in 1820, in Coun- 
ty Kilkenny, Ireland, in which land of 
the Shamrock his parents, James and 
Bridget (McCarty) Cody, passed their 
lives. Of their children, Ann died in Ire- 
land; Alice came to Philadelphia; Michael; 
a baker by trade, immigrated to Oswe- 
go, N. Y., removing thence to Ohio. 
John, who had received an education in 
the schools of the locality of his birth, 
set out at the age of eighteen years for 
America, and in Greene county, N. Y. , 
was employed for seven summers at brick 
making. He was married, in 1841, at 
Albany, N. Y., to Miss Catherine Ken- 
nedy, also a native of Ireland, whence her 
father came in the early days to New 



212 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



York, finally locating at New Orleans, 
where his death occurred. Eleven chil- 
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cod), of 
whom eight are living : James Henrj', 
who enlisted in a Massachusetts regiment 
during the war of the Rebellion, served 
one year, and now resides in the Lake 
Superior region; John Edward and Will- 
iam, both also residents of the Lake 
Superior countrj'; Maria, married and 
residing in New York City; Frank, a 
resident of Quincy, 111. ; Robert, who has 
his home in Dubuque, Iowa; R. D., a resi- 
dent of Winona, Minn. ; and Delia, at home 
with her parents; Michael, who comes 
between Maria and Frank, died in 1874. 
About 1847 Mr. Cody removed to Oswe- 
go county, N. Y. , where he continued to 
reside eighteen years, owning a sawmill 
and 1 30 acres of land. He came to Fort 
Howard in 1865 and settled where he 
now resides, engaging in sawmilling for 
the Howard Mill Company, and a portion 
of the time for the Astor Mill Company; 
he was also, for a few years, engaged in 
the grocery business. He has always 
taken an active interest in public affairs, 
and enjoys the esteem and confidence of 
all who know him. In politics he is a 
Democrat, and he and his wife are mem- 
bers of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. 



JOHN BECHER is one of the indus- 
trious young farmer citizens of 
Preble township, Brown county, a 
son of Joseph Becher, who was born 
in Austria, where he followed farming un- 
til 1854, in which year he came to the 
United States. In his native country 
Joseph Becher had married Anna Rosena 
Fisher, and four children were born to 
them in Europe, Annie, who is now Mrs. 
Leopold Kelner, of New Denmark town- 
ship, Brown county, being the only sur- 
vivor. The others were: Theresa, died in 
Europe; Matilda, died on the ocean and 
there buried; Karl, died in New York and 
buried there. On their arrival in America 
the Becher family came at once to Wis- 



consin, making their first location at 
Waukesha, then in Manitowoc county, 
and later in Brown count}', settling on a 
farm in New Denmark township, near the 
eastern township line. The country was 
new, and they endured many hardships and 
privations in the clearing and cultivating 
of the land; but being diligent and perse- 
vering Mr. Becher succeeded in convert- 
ing it into a fertile, productive farm. In 
1870 he removed to Pine Grove in De- 
Pere township, where he peacefully passed 
the remainder of his days, dying Novem- 
ber 18, 1882, a respected member of his 
community. He was a Democrat in poli- 
tics, and in religion a member of the 
Catholic Church. Since his decease his 
widow has made her home with her son, 
John. Her husband was enrolled during 
the Civil war, October 4, 1864, in Com- 
pany D, Seventeenth Wis. V. I., for one 
year's service, and was discharged July 
14, 1865, at Madison, Wis. On Febru- 
ary 12, 1 89 1, she received $2,200 pension 
as back pay for her husband, and twelve 
dollars per month up to date, which 
latter she receives as pension as long as 
she remains a widow. The children born 
to her in America, besides our subject 
were: Frank, born in Manitowoc county. 
Wis., in 1857, died in Duluth, Minn., 
November 18, 1892; Lizzie, born, also in 
Manitowoc county, in i860, married to 
Zachary Goffard, and living in the city of 
De Pere; Mary, born in New Denmark, 
Brown Co., Wis., in May, 1862, now a 
Sister of Charity; and Clara, born also 
in New Denmark, in May, 1867, married 
to Samuel Boggs, and living in Preble 
township. 

John Becher first saw the light Febru- 
ary 27, 1864, on the farm of his parents 
in New Denmark township. He received 
his education in the common schools of 
his time, and remained on the home farm 
until he reached the age of fifteen. From 
that time until 1884 he engaged in vari- 
ous pursuits, working a year and a half 
for the Van Dycke Brewing Co., nine 
months for the Menominee Brewing Co., 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



-'3 



three winters for Ramsey & Jones in the 
lumber woods, etc. , and part of the time 
with his parents at home. In 1884 he 
opened out a saloon and dance hall in 
Preble, conducting the business for his 
mother until 1 889, when he purchased it for 
himself, and continued as proprietor until 
May, 1894, when he sold it back to his 
mother. He then removed to his present 
beautiful home in Preble, near the Belle- 
vue township line, the location being one of 
the most delightful in the vicinity; the resi- 
dence is situated on a knoll. Here he 
owns a small tract of excellent land, to 
the cultivation of which he now devotes 
himself; also owns one dwelling house in 
Fort Howard, one dwelling house in the 
city of Green Bay, which he has to rent 
out; also forty acres of timber and farm 
land in Glenmore township, Brown 
county. Mr. Becher is everywhere known 
as a hard-working young man, and, being 
possessed of good common sense and 
sound judgment, he has made his busi- 
ness a success. He has a wide acquaint- 
ance in his township, in which he is at 
present serving as supervisor and member 
of the board of health, having been 
elected to the latter office in 1893. In 
his political preferences he is a Democrat. 
On February 7, 1889, Mr. Becher 
was married to Miss Thersa Matcke, who 
was born in De Pere, Wis., daughter of 
Frederick Matcke, a native of Germany, 
and to this marriage have come three chil- 
dren, namely: Frederick J., born Octo- 
ber 10, 1890; Joseph W. , born October 
26, 1 89 1; and John Frank, born October 
6, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Becher are mem- 
bers of the Cathedral Catholic Church at 
Green Bay. 



JOHN WALLACE ARNDT (origin- 
ally John B. Wallace Arndt), of De- 
Pere,Wis., was, born September 15, 
181 5, at Wilkes-Barre, Penn., son 
of John P. and Elizabeth (Carpenter) 
Arndt. 

The family is a very old one in this 



country, the first to reach here having 
been John Philip and Ernest Arndt, who 
had lived on a farm at Frankfort-on-the- 
Main, Germany, until about 1684, when, 
being taxed beyond endurance, they, with 
many friends, sold their property, came 
to America, and bought land of William 
Penn on the Delaware river. John, the 
elder of the two brothers above men- 
tioned, was the ancestor of our subject. 
He erected his dwelling one mile above 
Durham Cove, and this he and his de- 
scendants occupied until 1 700, when the 
grandfather of John W. sold out and 
moved to Easton, Penn., taking with him 
a son, J. P. Arndt. The latter married 
Elizabeth Carpenter, whose ancestors 
came over in the same ship with the 
Arndts, and to this union was born the 
subject of this sketch and several other 
children. J. P. Arndt met with consider- 
able losses at Wilkes-Barre, Penn. , dur- 
ing the war of 18 12, and in 1818 he con- 
cluded to "go west," and after a horse- 
back tour as far as Michigan and Illinois, 
selected Buffalo, N. Y., as his future 
home. In the fall of 1819, therefore, 
with his wife and four chidren and such 
household goods as could be transported 
in three wagons, he migrated to that 
city and there engaged in the fish and fur 
trade with the settlements on the great 
lakes until 1822, when he changed his 
headquarters to Mackinac, Mich., and, in 
1824, to Green Bay, Wis. — a distance of 
200 miles, which was made in a sailing 
vessel in a tempestuous voyage of two 
weeks' duration. John W. was then a 
lad of nine years, but he still vividly re- 
members the hardships of this voyage and 
the loss of a part of the cargo. 

The life of John P. Arndt was an act- 
ive and successful one, and he filled many 
public offices — among others that of mem- 
ber of the Territorial Legislature several 
times. He died June 10, 1861, in his 
eighty-first year, just one year after the 
death of his wife. His eldest son, Alex- 
ander Hamilton, died ai Point Isabel dur- 
ing the Mexican war; his second son, 



214 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



Charles C. P., a graduate of Rutgers Col- 
lege, and an attorney \>y profession, was 
elected to the Territorial Senate of Wis- 
consin in 1 840, and was shot and killed 
in the Senate Chamber in i<S4i by James 
K. \'inyard. The eldest daughter, Mary 
Arndt, was married to Capt. J. W. 
Cotton, of the United States army; Eliza- 
beth, the other daughter, was married to 
H. E. Eastman, an attorney and colonel 
of cavalry in the Civil war. 

J. \\allace Arndt, at the age of nine- 
teen, had received but little schooling, but 
in 1S34 he entered the academy of Rev. 
Dr. John Vandavers at Ea.ston, Penn., 
studied two years, then entered Yale Col- 
lege, where he remained until 1839, after 
which he taught school one year. He 
then read law a jear with his brother; but 
on the death of the latter dropped this 
study and assisted his father in the lum- 
ber business until 1856, later working in 
the gold mines of Colorado, and also at 
the oil wells of Pennsylvania. Mr. Arndt 
was united in marriage, September 25, 
1842, with Miss Mary C. Wilcox, who 
was his affectionate companion and faith- 
ful helpmeet until her death from pneu- 
monia, April 13, 1 89 1. She was a 
daughter of Randall Wilcox, for many 
years a member of the Wisconsin State 
Legislature. Randall Wilcox was born 
at Lee, Mass., was of English descent, 
and settled in Ue Pere in 1836. He here 
became president of the De Pere Hy- 
draulic Co., ha\ing had much previous 
experience in hydraulics as a builder of 
many bridges and dams in Pennsylvania 
and Maryland. The mother of Mrs. Arndt 
bore the maiden name of Lydia Field; her 
ancestors were early settlers near Pom- 
fret, Conn., and their old home is still 
known as Field's Point, where a branch 
of the family still lives. The children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Arndt were as fol- 
lows: Edward W., born February 8, 
1845, a resident of Superior, Wis.; Elcey 
M., born November 27, 1846, who mar- 
ried Charles A. Lawton September 5, 
1866; Emily, born March 26, 1848, mar- 



ried to Peter S. Loy September 7, 1869; 
Mary, born November 28, 1849, and mar- 
ried to James R. Shepard; Lizzie V., 
born June 17, 1851, died October 24, 
1870; Alice, born May 8, 1854, married 
to Thomas D. Bowring; Randall, born 
March 9, 1855, married to Annie C. Ash, 
September 26, 1878; Lydia, born Sept- 
ember 13, 1857, died November 7, 1879, 
and Martha Ann, born May 20, 1859, 
married to John F. Byers August 2, 1882. 
John Wallace Arndt has been actively 
identified with the business interests and 
public impro\einents of De Pere nearly 
all his life, and the interests of the entire 
territory comprising Brown county have 
received his close attention. He has 
given his aid to every enterprise that 
could in any way benefit the people at 
large, especially toward promoting the 
incoming and outgoing of railroads and 
their construction throughout the county 
as connecting links for traffic between 
local and distant points of trade. Fra- 
ternally he is a Freemason; politically a 
Republican, and in religious belief a Prot- 
estant. Socially he and his family stand 
as high as any in the county or State. 



JAMES PALMER WETER, dentist, 
of De Pere, is a native of Floyd, 
Oneida Co., N. Y. , and was born 
May 2, 1844. His parents were 
Mahlon Palmer Weter and Jane G. (Pal- 
mer) Weter, of whom the latter died 
when our subject was but a year old. 
The father again married, and in 1846 
carrte with his family to Wisconsin, lo- 
cating in Linn township, Walworth coun- 
ty, and he now resides in Sharon township, 
in the same county. 

James P. Weter resided with his father 
in Walworth county until just past eight- 
een years of age, when he enlisted, in 
August, 1862, in Company C, Twenty- 
second Wis. V. I., and served in Ken- 
tucky until June, 1863, when he was hon- 
orably discharged on account of having 
contracted typhoid pneumonia, by which 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPBICAL RECORD. 



215 



he was invalided for two years after his 
return home. When sufficiently recov- 
ered, he attended a private seminary at 
Hebron, 111., for six months, and next an 
academy of sciences at Elmira, N. Y. , 
for a year, and this training was supple- 
mented with a course in a commercial 
college, followed by a six-months' study 
of the law in the office of Smith, Robert- 
son & Fasset, Elmira; but his health 
proved to be too frail for the continuance 
of the latter, and he therefore became a 
student of dentistry in the office of Ur. 
E. C. Terry, of Elmira, N. Y., ,with 
whom he remained for two years, later 
forming a partnership for one year with 
Dr. E. O. Beers, of the same city. In 
the spring of 1870 he married Miss Sarah 
A. Nichols, of Windsor, Berkshire Co., 
Mass. , and immediately located in Sharon, 
Wis., where he practiced his profession 
until 1874, when he came to De Pere, 
and has here built up a fine professional 
reputation. In 1889 he took a post- 
graduate course in the College of Dental 
Surgery at Chicago, 111., thus adding 
largely to his already extensi\'e knowledge 
of his art. 

In politics the Doctor is a stanch Pro- 
hibitionist, and has served the city of De- 
Pere three times as alderman in a most 
satisfactory manner — once by appoint- 
ment to vacancy and twice by election. 
He has also taken a most active interest 
in educational matters, and has served as 
secretary to the West De Pere board of 
of education for ten j-ears. In the sum- 
mer of 1870 he was appointed United 
States marshal for taking census statis- 
tics. He is a member of the G. A. R. , 
of the Temple of H(inor, and of the I. O. 
O. F. In religion he is a devout member 
of the M. E. Church, having joined that 
denomination in 1867. He has taken an 
active interest in church work, has served 
as superintendent of Sunday-school for 
the past twenty-four years consecutively, 
and has also filled the positions of stew- 
ard, trustee and treasurer, as well as 
minor offices. 



On the Doctor's start in life his father 
gave him one thousand dollars; but, 
meeting with an accident, he was laid up 
so long with an abscess, fever and other 
ills, that his funds were exhausted, so 
that he was compelled to work his way 
up to an education, and was virtually five 
hundred dollars in debt when he began 
practice. Since his residence in De Pere, 
however, he has paid off all his indebted- 
ness, and has accumulated a comfortable 
property. The children born to his mar- 
riage were three in number, namely: 
Mary O., who died in January, 1888; 
Winifred A., now attending Lawrence 
University at Appleton, Wis.; James P., 
Jr., a student in the State University at 
Madison, Wis. The Weters are descended 
from one of the very early settled families 
of the United States, and on the paternal 
side are of undoubted German origin, 
while on the maternal side they are of 
Holland descent. 



EDMUND F. LIEBMANN, a well- 
known prosperous young farmer, 
of Preble township, Brown county, 
is the eldest son of Louis and 
Christina (Opstfelder) Liebmann, both of 
whom are natives of Germany. 

Louis Liebmann was born May 29, 
1828, and was reared in his native coun- 
try, receiving a common-school education. 
In 1853 he set out with his parents for 
the United States, landing, after a voyage 
of several weeks, in New York, and thence 
proceeding westward, their destination 
being Green Bay, Wis., where a brother 
of Louis, Frank Liebmann, had located 
two years previously. They made their 
home in Brown count}', and, some time 
later, Louis, his father and brother, Frank, 
commenced the fishing business at Wash- 
ington Harbor, Door Co., Wis., in which 
they prospered. In i860 Louis Liebmann 
removed with his parents to the farm 
where he passed the remainder of his life 
(the same on which our subject now re- 
sides). On June 26, 1861, he was united 



2l6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in marriage with Miss Christina Opstfelder, 
and theyhad three children, viz.: Edmund 
F. , subject of sketch; Ida, now Mrs. 
Aup;ust Fontain, of Humboldt township; 
and Emma, Mrs. Louis Dudeau, of Merrill, 
Wis. His widow now makes her home 
with her son, Edmund F. 

The land was entirely new at the time 
of Louis' location, and had to be cleared, 
but his was an energetic nature, and, going 
to work with characteristic German in- 
dustry, he soon transformed the forest 
into a productive farm. At the time of 
his death he was in comfortable circum- 
stances, the result of years of stern labor 
and strict economy. A quiet, unassuming 
man, he was universally respected. Po- 
litically he was a Republican, but took 
little or no interest in party affairs, and in 
church connection he was a Lutheran. 
He died on the farm February 5, 1886, 
and now lies buried in Woodlawn ceme- 
tery. Green Bay. 

Our subject was born October 11, 
1862, in Preble township. Brown county, 
on the farm where he yet resides, re- 
ceived in his youth a common-school edu- 
cation, and has followed farming all his 
life. On May 10, 1887, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Elizabeth Larchied, 
who was born July 29, 1868, in Preble 
township, daughter of Anton and Ger- 
trude (Basten) Larchied, and to this union 
have come two children, Christina E. and 
Julia L. In his political preferences Mr. 
Liebmann is a Republican, and in 1890 
he was elected township overseer. He is 
a systematic agriculturist, and, possessing 
the industry so characteristic of the fam- 
ily, has a prosperous career before him. 



WM. WORKMAN, the well-known 
and popular druggist, of West 
De Pere, was born in Ripon, 
Wis., December 13, 1850, and 
is a son of William and Margaret (Miller) 
Workman. 

Our subject was educated in the city 
schools, also at Brockway College, Ripon, 



and was also highly trained in vocal and 
instrumental music. At the age of 
twenty he was proficient on many instru- 
ments, including nearly all the pieces 
used in a brass band. Although troubled 
with pulmonary ailments, he accepted a 
lucrative position with the Blakely Con- 
cert and Oratorio Companj-, as tenor 
singer, and, later, made an engagement 
with the Harry Robinson Minstrel Com- 
pany, also as tenor singer, traveling with 
the same for about four 3'ears. His 
versatility as a musician was so great that 
he could at any time be relied on to take 
the place and instrument of almost any 
member of the company who might be 
absent from a performance on account of 
illness or for other cause. Mr. Work- 
man was also a most excellent book- 
keeper, and, when he came to De Pere, 
April 4, 1874, was employed in that 
capacity by the De Pere Car Works, of 
which his father was superintendent, but, 
at the end of the year the business was 
discontinued, and he then became book- 
keeper for the Menomonee Furnace Com- 
pany, at Menomonee, with which he re- 
mained until 1877, when he accepted a 
position with the De Pere Agricultural 
Works, contracting to do all its painting 
for a year. He then became bookkeeper 
for the same company, then its secretary, 
filling the latter position until February 
24, 1885, when he resigned and engaged 
in breeding trotting horses on a farm six 
and a half miles south of Ripon, in part- 
nership with D. Thomas. Among the 
trotters here bred, one, "Barney F. ," 
made a record of 2:29.^ when five years 
old. Mr. Workman also brought to 
Brown county, " Achilles," No. 2535 in 
Wallace's Trotting Register — the first 
registered, trotting-bred stallion brought 
to the county. At Ripon, in 1892-93, 
Mr. Workman was secretary of the 
Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 
pany, which company carried risks aver- 
aging $1,500,000 annually. In 1893 he 
settled in West De Pere, and, on Novem- 
ber I, began his present drug business. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



217 



He carries a full line of drugs, paints, oils, 
wall paper, stationery, etc., and is doing 
a thriving business. Mr. Workman is a 
member of the Masonic Lodge at De- 
Pere, in which he has passed all the sub- 
ordinate chairs, and has served as wor- 
shipful master; he has also filled the 
position of chief templar of the Temple of 
Honor at De Pere, and for eight years, 
all told, was a member of the West De- 
Pere fire department, serving four years 
as chief. 

Mr. Workman was married October 
24, 1878, to Harriet S. Stewart, who has 
borne him four children, viz. : Jean (de- 
ceased), William Stewart (deceased). Dean 
and Nannie. Mr. Workman and family 
stand very high socially, and he is looked 
upon as one of the most enterprising and 
substantial residents of West De Pere. 



AUGUST GREILING, a respected, 
self-made farmer of Preble town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native of 
the Fatherland, born August 5, 
1836, son of Nicholas Greiling, a stone- 
mason, who had three children : Fred- 
erick, who died in Germany; Caroline, 
yet residing in her native land; and 
August. 

Our subject received his education in 
the common schools of the time, attend- 
ing until his fourteenth year. He learned 
the cabinet-maker's trade, serving an ap- 
prenticeship of three and a half years at 
same, after which according to the rules 
of that time, he traveled for three years, 
then followed the business on his own 
account, later employing three or four 
men. On August 23, 1864, he married 
Miss Amelia C. Overlander, who was 
born September 21, 1840, in Germany, 
six miles from the birthplace of her hus- 
band, daughter of Christopher Over- 
lander, an ironworker employed at the 
furnaces there. Two children were born 
to this marriage in Germany, namely: 
Hugo H. and Louis L. , both of whom 
are now farmers in Preble township. Mr. 



Greiling managed to save some money 
from his hard-earned wages, and in 1866 
concluded to try his fortune in America. 
Accordingly, on October 13, that year, 
he and his family sailed from Hamburg 
on the steamer •■ Allmonia," of the Ham- 
burg-American line, bound for New York, 
where they landed after a voyage of fif- 
teen days. Having friends in Green Bay, 
Wis., they proceeded thither at once, 
traveling by rail via Chicago, and arriving 
November 13. Mr. Greiling secured 
work with Bender & Phal, furniture 
manufacturers, of Green Bay, remaining 
with them one year, and then remaining 
another year and a half with Mrs. Phal, 
who continued the business after Mr. 
Bender's death. By strict economy dur- 
ing this time he had saved a hundred dol- 
lars, which in part paid for the forty acres he 
had purchased in Section 33, Preble town- 
ship, the present homestead, where he buiit 
a small house and took up his residence 
thereon in April, 1868. Here for a year 
he continued to follow his trade, making 
furniture and hauling it to town for Anton 
Burkhard, and then abandoned cabinet 
making, and for twelve to fifteen years 
engaged in contracting at various places 
in the township, building houses, barns, 
etc., and doing anything else in that line. 
He has never discontinued carpentry alto- 
gether, and still does odd jobs for others 
besides such work as he requires for him- 
self. When he first settled on the farm 
it was covered with timber and brush, 
and the task of clearing was an arduous 
one; but he has succeeded by industry in 
converting it into a fertile, productive 
tract, and has also added another forty 
acres, now having a well-improved farm 
of eighty acres. Mrs. Greiling, by her 
economical management has been no 
small factor in her husband's success, and 
the children have also assisted faithfully. 
Much credit is due her for bringing up 
and caring for so large a family as was 
their's, of whom she takes, in her later 
days, so much pride. 

In this country Mr. and Mrs. Greiling 



2lS 



COMMEMOUATIVK BIOdliAl'IIICAL ItECOHD. 



have had the followinj^ children born to 
them: Charles and Herman, contrac- 
tors, now the firm of (ireiliiif; Bros., 
in Green Ba\-; Fred C, Frank, Caroline, 
Albert L. and Henry, all living at home; 
John, deceased in infancy; and Emma, at 
home. Mr. Greiling and his sons arc 
stanch Republicans, and, though not by 
any means an active partisan, he is an 
ardent supporter of the principles of his 
party, and is a strong advocate of protec- 
tive tariff. His friends credit him with 
being a strong advocate of more liberal edu- 
cational facilities and stringent laws gov- 
erning same. Mr. Greiling has won the 
respect of his fellow citizens for his fair 
dealings and honest methods; arid is self- 
made in the full sense of the term, having, 
from a start of nothing, accumulated the 
comfortable property he now enjoys and 
richl}' deser\es. At present he is enjoy- 
ing his daily papers. 



FRED MATZKE, an upright, ener- 
getic citi/en and farmer of De- 
Pere township, is a native of the 
village of Gross-Pogul, Wohlau, 
Prussia, born March 2, 1S26, son of 
Anton Mat;ike, a farmer in ordinary cir- 
cumstances, who died when his son Fred 
was six years of age, leaving six children, 
four sons and two daughters. 

Fred Mat;;ke received his education in 
the common schools of his native place, 
attending until he was fourteen years of 
age. When sixteen years old he hired 
out as a farm hand, and thereafter worked 
as a farmer and sliepherd. In it^55 he 
married Mary Herda, a native of the vil- 
lage of Gleinau, Wohlau, Prussia, and 
shortly afterward he and his young wife 
emigrated to the United States, sailing 
from Bremen to Quebec, where they 
landed after a voyage of seven weeks. 
From Quebec they came to Green Bay 
Wis., and here resided a short time, Mr. 
Matzke also working in sawmills at 
Oconto, his wife remaining in Green Bay. 
Subsequently, having a let in Green Bay, 



he traded half of it for a farm of thirteen 
acres in Bellevue township. Brown county, 
and forty-five dollars in cash; the other 
half of the lot he sold for $250. On 
this farm in Bellevue township the family 
resided in a log house, Mr. Matzke labor- 
ing in the harvest fields for others, and at 
first they endured many hardships. The 
land was uncleared, and Mr. Matzke 
chopped wood on the farm at six shillings 
a cord. On March 1, 1864, he rented a 
farm of eighty acres of culti\atcdland one 
mile from his own farm in Belle\ue town- 
ship, and here worked hard and indus- 
triously, doing well. On October 7, 1864, 
while on his way to visit his brother-in- 
law in Minnesota, he enlisted at LaCrosse, 
Wis., in Company D, Forty-fourth Wis. 
V. I., and was sent to Nashville, where, 
under Gen. George H. Thomas (who was 
his commander during his entire service), 
he participateil in his first active engage- 
ment, a three-days' battle. He served 
until the close of the war, and on August 
28, 1865, was honorably discharged at 
Paducah, Ky., immediately returning to 
his home in Brown county, WMs. In the 
meantime, during his absence, his wife 
sold all the personal property and grain, 
and moved back to their own log house in 
Bellevue township, where she remained 
with her five children; and to add to the 
general unpleasantness of the situation 
the family were considerably annoyed by 
thieving Intlians in the neighborhooci. Mr. 
Matzke takes this opportunity to return 
many thanks to the good neighbors who 
assisted his wife during his absence in 
the war. 

In the fall of 1 865 he purchased eighty 
acres of partly improved timber land in 
De Pere township, going into debt for 
same to the extent of seven hundred dol- 
lars, and here he has e\er since made his 
home. To our subject and wife have 
been born children as follows : August 
and Mathias, farmers of Glenmore town- 
ship; Annie, now Mrs. Victor Fonder, of 
Glenwood Springs, Colo. ; Mary, now 
Mrs. Albert Radke, of Milwaukee, Wis. ; 



COMMEMORAriVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Rosa, Mrs. Joseph Raster, of De Pere 
township; Paul, a farmer, of Wrights- 
town, \Vis. ; Theresa, Mrs. John Becher, 
of Preble; Sylvester, residing in Millbank. 
S. Dak. ; and Elizabeth and Philip, at 
home. In politics Mr. Matzke was 
originally a Democrat, but he is now in- 
dependent, voting as his conscience and 
judgment dictate; he has served nine 
years as supervisor of De Pere township, 
and school treasurer fourteen years; the 
first school building ever erected in his 
district he bought, and is now using as 
his granary on the farm. He and his 
wife are members of the St. Mary's 
Catholic Church of De Pere. Mr. Matzke 
has been one of the most industrious men 
in his township, and his noble wife has 
also done her share of work in the rearing 
of their large family and the careful 
management of the household. He is 
straightforward and honest in all his 
dealings, and has won the respect of the 
community by his fair methods and sterl- 
ing worth. Though he was not wounded 
during his service in the Civil war, his 
general health was seriously impaired, 
and he has never been a robust man since 
before the three-days' battle referred to 
above, when he was taken sick. During 
that fight he was so unwell that he had 
to lie down on the wet ground in the 
rain, which increased his illness. When 
he and his faithful wife first arrived in 
Green Bay about forty years ago, he had 
only about $150 in cash, and everything 
they now possess has been accumulated 
by honest industry and judicious econ- 
omy. As good Christian people they are 
deservedly honored and respected by the 
entire community. 



T 



land. 



IMOTHY RYAN (deceased), who 
was known during his lifetime as 
an industrious farmer, was a na- 
tive of County Tipperary, Ire- 
where he grew to manhood. Timo- 
thy was but a young boy when his father 



died, and consequently he was obliged to 
commence work when still very young. 

In early manhood, having saved 
enough to bring him to America, Mr. 
Ryan emigrated from his native country, 
to try his fortune in the New World, 
locating first in New York State. In 
Cooperstown, N. Y., he was united in 
marriage to Miss Bridget R\an, who was 
born in County Limerick, Ireland, daugh- 
ter of Timothy Ryan, and came to the 
United States in her girlhood. After 
their marriage the young couple concluded 
to go west where work was plenty and 
land was cheap, and, coming to Wiscon- 
sin, spent the first winter in Green Bay, 
Mr. Ryan finding employment in the 
lumber woods. The following spring he 
purchased a totally unimproved tract of 
land in Rockland township. Brown county, 
and while waiting for their dwelling to 
be built they lived at the home of An- 
thony Dwyer. The surrounding country 
was all new and very wild, but Mr. Ryan 
bravely set about the task of clearing 
away the forest; and being a diligent 
worker and anxious to make a comfort- 
able home for himself and family, he soon 
had a fine farm. He died on this place 
April 12, 1S74, and was buried in De- 
Pere cemetery. In politics he was a stanch 
Democrat. During the Civil war he was 
a soldier in the Union army, and he never 
fully recovered from the hardships en- 
dured in the service. He left a family of 
eight children (the eldest then but sixteen 
years of age), viz.: Nora, now a resi- 
dent of Chicago; Joanna, Mrs. John 
Underwood; Patrick, of Ashland, Wis., 
Timothy, on the home farm; Mary, Mrs. 
Fred Bettinger; Simon, a lumberman; 
and Morris and Katy, at home. At the 
time of the father's death the home had 
not been fully paid for, and a portion of 
the land was allowed to go to pay the 
balance. Mrs. Ryan has since managed 
the affairs of the place with ability and 
success, and has been faithfully assisted 
by her children. The agricultural work 
is now attended to by the son Timothy, 



220 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



and the farm yields a comfortable sup- 
port to the family, being a fertile, well- 
cultivated piece of land. Mrs. Ryan has 
seen her home transformed from the 
dense forest, taking no small part in this 
work herself. She is a member of St. 
Francis Catholic Church, De Pere, and 
is highly respected in the community 
where he has resided for so many years. 



JOHN F. WATERMOLEN, attor- 
ney at law in his native city of 
Green Bay, was born in 1862, and 
for three years has been actively en- 
gaged in the practice of his profession, at 
first under the hrni name of Waterrnolen 
& Wavrunek. His parents were natives 
of Belgium, and in 1857 came to America, 
settling in Bellevue township, Brown Co., 
Wis., where the father engaged in farm- 
ing, and where he and his wife still re- 
side. Of their eight children, seven are 
still living, viz.: Joseph P., William, 
Henry, Mary, Philip, John F. , and 
John B. 

J. F. Waterrnolen was reared and ed- 
ucated in the township of Bellevue until 
the age of twenty-three, and then at- 
tended the business college managed by 
Murch & Hills, at Green Bay; he next 
taught in the district schools of Brown 
county, reading law in the meanwhile, 
and finally entered the law office of 
Wigman & Martin, studying until Decem- 
ber 29, 1 891, when he was admitted to 
the bar with highest honors at Milwau- 
kee, Wis., since when he has enjoyed a 
lucrative practice. He is United States Cir- 
cuit Court Commissioner for the Eastern 
District of Wisconsin. He was married, 
April 18, 1893, in Green Bay, to Miss 
Ella M. Wigman, daughter of J. H. M. 
Wigman, a prominent attorney at law. 
One child, James J., is the fruit of this 
congenial union. Mr. and Mrs. Water- 
rnolen are devoted members of St. Willi- 
brord's Catholic Church, and socially are 
held in high esteem by a large circle of 
personal friends, as well as by the com- 



munity at large. Mr. Waterrnolen is a 
member of the Catholic Order of Fores- 
ters and of Navarino Camp, No. 534, 
Modern Woodmen. His business is daily 
increasing, and his abilities as a law\er 
are fully recognized as being far beyond 
those of any practitioner of his age in 
the county. He is one of the many young 
men, self-educated and self-made, who 
have made the most of the golden op- 
portunities open to the ambitious Ameri- 
can youth. 



CONSTANT DE JONGHE, the 
leading baker of De Pere, was 
born in 1831, in Belgium, a son 
of Frank De Jonghe, who was a 
butcher by trade, and had a numerous 
family. 

Constant was but three j'ears old when 
he lost his parents, and, until he reached 
the age of twenty years, was reared by his 
maternal step-grandfather, at the end of 
which time he commenced learning the 
baker's trade, and worked at same in the 
old country until he was twenty-four 
years of age. He then, on July 5, 1856, 
set sail from Antwerp for the United 
States on the "American Alexander," 
which should have sailed the previous 
day, but was detained in port one day in 
order to give the crew an opportunity of 
celebrating the "Fourth" onshore. On 
September 25, Mr. De Jonghe landed at 
New York, whence he came directly to 
Wisconsin, landing in Green Bay with 
but twenty-nine cents in his pocket. He 
soon found work, however, in sawmills, 
in the woods and on the lakes, all along 
saving some money; and, as he was always 
faithful in his service to his employers, he 
never had to ask for work a second time 
from any employer. Fourteen years of 
his life were passed in the lumber woods 
of Wisconsin, but he lost his earnings; he 
was also for some fifteen or sixteen years 
in Menominee, Mich. In 1873 he came 
to West De Pere, and with what capital 
he had managed to save from the time 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 



221 



he lost everything, as above referred to, 
he started a bakery which he carried on 
there until 1887, when he moved into 
De Pere and opened his present business, 
on the corner of Broadway and Charles 
street. Here he has built a very substan- 
tial brick block, two and a half stories 
high, and containing two business rooms. 
His bakery is now the leading one in the 
city, and his success is the result of his 
own hard work and indomitable perse- 
verance. 

In July, 1882, Mr. De Jonghe was 
married in West De Pere to Miss Romaine 
Van De Walle, a native of Belgium, and a 
resident of Wisconsin since 1881. They 
have one child, Mary, who is a natural 
musician, and, for her age, quite awonder 
as a piano player. In his religious faith 
Mr. De Jonghe is a devout Catholic, and 
he enjoys the respect and esteem of all 
who know him. 



OTTOMAN GEORGI. As a living 
example of what resolute work- 
ing, earnest endeavor and indom- 
itable perseverance will accom- 
plish, this gentleman stands prominent 
among the worthy citizens of Brown 
county. He is a native of Prussia, Ger- 
many, born February 24, 1837, in the 
village of Blankenburg, son of Philip 
Georgi, a tanner by occupation, who 
passed his entire life in the Fatherland, 
dying there in 1859. 

The boyhood experiences of Ottoman 
were not different from those of other 
lads in his rank of life — attending school 
with regularity for a few years, and then 
learning a trade. This latter part of his 
education cur subject received under his 
father's tuition, he serving a three-years' 
apprenticeship in the tannery, after which 
he did journeyman work at various places. 
In 1853 he was nearing the age when he 
should enter the army, according to the 
law of his country, but through his father's 
personal intercession with the King of 
Bavaria he was given exemption. His 



father having now presented him with one 
hundred Prussian dollars to commence 
the world with, young Ottoman concluded 
to try his fortune in the Western World. 
Accordingly, securing passage on board 
the ship "George Corning," from Ham- 
burg to New York, he set sail with a 
light heart and bright prospects, and, 
after a six-weeks' voyage, landed at the 
port of debarkation. From New York 
he at once proceeded in the direction of 
his destination. Green Bay, Wis., but on 
his arrival in Detroit found his money all 
gone. Assistance, however, coming from 
friends in Green Bay, he was enabled to 
pursue his way, but, through some mis- 
take, landed in the town of Madison, a 
total stranger, and penniless. Here he 
could find no employment, and, de- 
ciding to make his way to Portage 
City, where he hoped to be more suc- 
cessful, he set out on foot, getting an 
occasional meal from farmers c/i route. 
In Portage he succeeded in securing work 
at eight dollars per month; but, never 
losing sight of his proper detination, he 
left there after saving little money, and, 
traveling by way of Madison, Milwaukee, 
Sheboygan and Manitowoc, finally reached 
Green Bay, arriving August 26, 1854, 
after many adverse experiences. Here he 
readily secured work in F. B. Gardner's 
sawmill, remaining there over five years, 
or until early in the spring of 1859, when, 
having received news of his father's death 
in Germany, he set out in the month of 
April for his old home, taking passage at 
New York for Bremen, the voyage occupy- 
ing fourteen days. At his old home he 
spent about one month, and then returned 
by the same boat, from Hamburg to New 
York, bringing with him to Green Bay his 
sister, Sophia, and brother, August, the 
latter party arriving in August, 1859. 
Our subject then returned to his work in 
Gardner's sawmill, continuing there until 
1862, at which time he went to Onton- 
agon, Mich. , and there worked in a 
tannery a couple of months, and also in 
the mines. Returnine: to Green Bay, 



222 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Georjifi secured einployinent in Fred 
Schellers' Cedar Crcuk Gristmill, in Preble 
township, but in October, 1864, he had to 
leave, having been drafted into Company 
E, Seventeenth Wis. \'. I., which was 
mustered in at Camp Randall, Madison, 
Wis. From there the regiment was sent 
to Louisville, thence to Kingston, Chatta- 
nooga and linally to Atlanta, where they 
experienced their first battle. They then 
participated in Sherman's inarch to the 
sea, and followed the fortunes of the army 
till the Grand Review at Washington in 
1865. At Louisville, Ky., our subject 
was honorably discharged July 14, 1865, 
and was mustered out at Madison, 
Wis., whence he at once proceeded to 
Green Bay thence to Preble township, 
where his wife and infant son were, 
and at once resumed the pursuits of 
peace. In 1867 he purchased twenty 
acres of land in Preble township, on which 
his present residence stands, and to this 
he from time to time added until he found 
himself the owner of over 230 acres — part 
of which he has given to his children — -all 
the result of his own individual hard work, 
untiring energy and sound judgment. 

On January i, 1864, Mr. Georgi was 
married to Miss Maria Barbara Basten, 
born .April 24, 1835, in the village of 
Kosen, Prussia, who came to the United 
States in 1852, along with her parents. 
The children of this union are Fred and 
Philip, both of whom are farmers in Preble 
township; Lena and Charles, at home; 
and August, who died May 22, 1876, aged 
eight years. The mother of these died 
January 14, 1890, and sleeps her last 
sleep in the cemetery at Green Bay, since 
when the daughter, Lena, has presided 
over her father's house with becoming 
grace. In i 870 our subject revisited Ger- 
many, and on his return brought with him 
his aged mother, who passed the rest of 
her life at his home, dying November 
9, 1892. 

In politics our subject is a Republi- 
can, and for some eight or ten years 
served his township as supervisor, ha\'ing 



been elected on that ticket; but he is no 
partisan, in county and township affairs 
invariably supporting such men and 
measures as he deems best for the com- 
munity at large. Socially he is a member of 
Herman Lodge, No. iii, I. O. O. F. ; of 
the Germania Society, and of T. O. Howe 
Post, No. 124, G. A.' R., all of Green Bay. 
Taken all in all, Mr. Georgi is a thoroughly 
representative citizen, universally respect- 
ed, and is a typical self-made man. 



DON F. SMITH, one of the most 
prominent and active citizens of 
Suamico village. Brown county, 
was born July 28, 1836, in Onon- 
daga county, N. Y., a son of Hiram J. 
and Elsie H. (Adams) Smith, also natives 
of New Ycrk. Hiram J. Smith was born 
March 6, 1800, was a shoemaker by trade, 
and died May 26, 1845, in Erie county, 
N. Y. ; Mrs. Elsie H. Smith, whose par- 
ents came from Rhode Island, was born 
September 4, 1802, and died October 13, 
1872. Of the six children born to them 
but two are still living, Don F. and Ho- 
ratio, the latter a resident of Michigan. 

Don F. Smith was reared on the farm 
of an uncle from the time he was fifteen 
until he reached the age of twenty-one, 
when, in 1857, he came to Wisconsin with 
his brother-in-law, H. J. Ayres, and locat- 
ing in Duck Creek, Brown county, worked 
here two years in a sawmill. Then for a 
time he taught school in Howard town- 
ship, and later engaged by the month in a 
saw and shingle mill in Suamico town- 
ship, being thus emploj-ed at the time of 
his marriage. On August 25, 1863, he 
wedded Miss Julia A. Woodruff, who was 
born at Norton, Summit Co. , Ohio, but 
was reared and educated in Akron, same 
State, and when quite young came west 
for the benefit of her health, teaching 
school until her marriage, when she re- 
linquished that vocation. The union of 
Don F. and Julia A. Smith has been 
blessed. with six children, as follows: (i) 
Hattie M., born August 29, 1864; was 



fl 



"r^ 





M 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPUWAL RECORD. 



first married to C. O. Stevens, who died 
leaving one son, now also deceased; her 
second marriage was to D. W. Burns, and 
to them has come one daughter, Esther 
C. , born August 12, 1893. (2; Estella, 
born April 12, 1866, was married to F. 
B. Stevens, and to this union were born 
three children — Hiram D. , October 4, 
1890, Ethel, November — , 1891, and El- 
sie, February 21, 1893. (3) Frank A. 
was born April 30, 1868. (4) Don D. was 
born July 21, 1870. (5) Lloyd was born 
April 30, 1 88 1. (6) Cora was born Octo- 
ber 9, 1883. Mrs. Julia A. Smith is a 
daughter of Giles and Esther (Wetmore) 
Woodruff, natives, respectively, of Massa- 
chusetts and Connecticut. Giles Wood- 
ruff, who is a farmer, was a pioneer of 
Ohio, and served as colonel of a regiment 
of home guards. He died in Akron, Ohio, 
at the age of seventy-six years, leaving 
two children, Mrs. Julia A. Smith and 
Mrs. Lucia E. Vosburg. 

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Don F. 
Smith located in Suamico village, where 
for a year and a half he worked in a 
sawmill, and then went to Akron, Ohio, 
at which place he bought a meat market, 
and conducted same one summer. He 
then returned to Suamico, where he had 
charge of the shipping interests of several 
large firms for two or three years. When 
the Chicago & Northwestern railway was 
built through the town of Suamico he was 
appointed, on July i, 1872, agent forthe 
company, a position he has held ever 
since, giving the utmost satisfaction. He 
has also served as postmaster for the last 
thirty years; township treasurer for over 
three years, and has filled several other 
local offices with great credit and accepta- 
bility. His first vote was cast for Abraham 
Lincoln in i860, and he has been a faith- 
ful member of the Republican party ever 
since. He is a notary public, acts as 
agent for the American Express Company, 
and has always manifested marked busi- 
ness ability, industry and activity. He is 
treasurer of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Suamico. Mr. and Mrs. Smith 

13 



were both school teachers, and fully com- 
petent to rear their family. No man in 
the county is more capable of filling the 
responsible positions to which he has been 
called than Mr. Smith, and Mrs. Smith is 
a lady of fine intellect, highly accomplished 
and much loved by all. The family have 
a delightful home in the town, and also 
own a small farm, which is rented out. 
Mr. Smith has, assisted by his amiable 
wife, made his comfortable property 
through industry, and backed by a deter- 
mination to succeed. By his unswerving 
integrit}' he first gained the confidence of 
his fellow citizens, and by his faithful at- 
tention to the duties of the various posi- 
tions he has filled as a public officer, and 
as an employe, he has won the approba- 
tion of all parties concerned. Socially, no 
family in the township occupies a more 
enviable position. 



JACOB KETTENHOFEN, a wide- 
awake, progressive citizen, and the 
leading blacksmith of Wrightstown, 
Brown county, of which city he has 
been a resident some twenty years, is a 
native of Rhein-Province, Germany, born 
July 16, 1854, in Irsch, Kreis Saarbruck, 
Regierungsbezirk Trier. For ten genera- 
tions his ancestors were blacksmiths before 
him, some serving in the armies of Europe, 
and they were, for the most part, educated 
above their station, many members of the 
families being educators. Grandfather 
Mathias Kettenhofen followed blacksmith- 
ing in Orsholtz, Germany, and also his 
sons. 

Peter Kettenhofen, father of Jacob, 
our subject, carried on that trade in Irsch 
till 1862, when he was induced to come 
to America by his sisters, who had pre- 
ceded him to the Western World. Com- 
ing with his family to Wisconsin, Peter 
located in Holland township. Brown 
county, where he followed his trade in 
connection with farming till 1872, in 
which year he removed to Wrightstown 
and established the blacksmith shop now 



226 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



occupied by his son Jacob. He died 
October 21, 1887, af:;ed about sixty years, 
esteemed and respected by all who knew 
him as a brij^ht, intelligent, active and 
honorable man. In Europe he had been 
educated for the profession of teacher; 
but the ruling trait of the family was so 
strong in him that he preferred the trade 
he followed throughout life, and he had 
five brothers, all also blacksmiths. He 
was considered a first-class mechanic, 
making a success of his business, and 
much of his work is still to be seen in 
various parts of the county. In his native 
land he had married Miss Anna Fish, who 
was also born in Irsch, near Trier, Rhein 
Province, Germany, and nine children 
were born to them, six of whom are yet 
living. The mother was called from 
earth August 27, 1892. Peter Ketten- 
hofen was a consistent member of the 
Catholic Church; in politics he was a 
stanch Democrat, and served as delegate 
to county conventions. 

The subject proper of these lines, 
whose name opens the sketch, was eight 
years old when his parents brought him to 
this country, and in Holland township. 
Brown county, he received a good com- 
mon-school education. In 1871, when 
seventeen years old, he commenced to 
learn blacksmithing in Menasha, with 
Philip Sensenbrenner, a master mechanic, 
and at the end of two years came to 
Wrightstown, where he entered his 
father's shop, and has remained there 
continuously to the present time, a period 
of over twenty years, in which connection 
it were superfluous to add that he is a 
master of the business in every detail, 
and a thoroughly expert horse-shoer. On 
June 29, 1880. he was married to Miss Liz- 
zie Brenzel. who has borne him nine chil- 
dren: Catharina. Annie, John, Helena, 
Jacob, Mary, Clara, Eva and Peter. Mr. 
and Mrs. Kettenhofen are members of the 
Catholic Church. Politically he is identi- 
fied with the Democratic party, has con- 
siderable influence in local and county 
politics, being well known all over the 



southern part of Brown county and the 
northern part of Outagamie, and generally 
serves as delegate to conventions. So- 
cially he is an active member of the Cath- 
olic Knights of Wisconsin, is president of 
the local order, was elected a delegate to 
the State convention at Oshkosh in 1 894. 
He has taken an interest in educational 
matters, and is trustee of the Sisters' 
school at Wrightstown. 

On March 28, 1894, he was chosen 
chairman of the caucus, being the first 
caucus held in the new town hall at 
Greenleaf, to nominate officers for the 
town election. 



JAMES McKONE, a popular livery- 
man and horse breeder, of Green 
Bay, was born in County Cavan, 
Ireland, April 15, 1854, and is a 
son of James and Ann (McCabe) McKone. 
The father, who was a prosperous farmer, 
died in 1858, leaving a widow and six 
children, viz. : Patrick, Catherine, John, 
James L. , Terrence and Ann — all living 
with the exception of Ann, who died in 
Minneapolis, Minn., leaving one child, 
also named Ann. In 1868 the mother of 
our subject sold her property in Ireland, 
and with three children came to America, 
her other children having preceded her. 
She bought a place in Oshkosh, Wis., 
where her three brothers, Cornelius, John 
and Frank, then lived, and where John 
still has his residence. Here Mrs. Mc- 
Kone passed away December 5, 1885. 

The subject of this sketch, after pass- 
ing six weeks in New York, was employed 
in a sawmill at Oshkosh, Wis., until 
December, 1879, when he went to Wau- 
sau, Wis., and for four years profitably 
carried on a dairy; he then moved to 
Clintonville, Wis., and bought a livery 
stock, which he transferred to Fort 
Howard, where he remained fourteen 
months, and then settled in Green Bay, 
and here he rented the barn which he 
now owns. He has had his business mis- 
fortunes, but, on the whole, has been re- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



227 



markably successful. His stables con- 
tain thirty-four horses, some of which 
are very valuable, among them being a 
two-year-old mare, "Bourbon Break," 
with a record, as a two-year-old, of 2:31!^; 
for this animal Mr. McKone has refused 
$3,000. Among other promising animals 
in this stud are "Anna May," "Wilkes," 
"J. C," "Skylark," "Ben Crosier," 
"Fancher, "and " Daisy H." While a resi- 
dent of Oshkosh, Mr. Mclvone married 
Julia Helpen, daughter of Patrick and Jen- 
nie (Mallon) Helpen. She bore her hus- 
band two children — James L. and Mamie, 
the former of whom resides with his father, 
the latter dying in infancy. Mrs. Mc- 
Kone died May 15, 1881, and her re- 
mains were interred at Wausau. The 
second marriage of Mr. McKone took 
place at Clintonville, Wis., to Miss Mary 
Geary, a native of Hazleton, Penn., and 
daughter of Patrick and Catherine (Mulli- 
gan) Geary, the former of whom died in 
Chicago in 1876, while on his way home 
to Clintonville from a trip to Texas; the 
latter is now a resident of Philadelphia, 
Penn. The second marriage of Mr. Mc- 
Kone has been blessed with three chil- 
dren : Frank, John and Alvin, the last 
named dying in infancy. Mr. McKone is 
a member of the Royal Arcanum, and, 
with his wife, attends St. John's (Catho- 
lic) Church. He is a gentleman of great 
native energy, has made himself what he 
is, in a financial point of view, notwith- 
standing some severe business reverses, 
and, through his affability and straightfor- 
ward dealing, has won hosts of friends. 



M 



ICHAEL PATTON. This gen- 
tleman, who is now living semi- 
retired on his farm in Glenmore 
township. Brown county, en- 
joys the distinction of being its oldest liv- 
ing settler. 

He is a native of the Emerald Isle, 
born about 18 14, in County Waterford, 
son of Martin and Mary (Powers) Patton, 
farmingpeople in moderate circumstances. 



They had a family of si.\ children — four 
sons and two daughters — of whom 
Michael was the eldest, and consequently 
his educational opportunities were some- 
what limited. When a mere boy he com- 
menced to work in the copper mines, con- 
tinuing thus while in his native country. 
In young manhood he was married to 
Miss Mary Hayes, who was also a native 
of County Waterford, and three children 
were born to them in Ireland, namely: 
William, who is now a resident of Fort 
Howard, Brown county; Martin, of Glen- 
more township; and Mary, who married 
Leonard Miller, and died in Marinette, 
Wis. Having by economy managed to 
save a few dollars from his meager earn- 
ings, Mr. Patton concluded to emigrate 
and try his fortune in the New World, 
and, bidding their early home farewell, he 
and his family sailed on the "Admiral," 
in the spring of 1844, and landed in Que- 
bec after a voyage of five weeks and three 
days. Mr. Patton had intended to go to 
the Lake Superior copper region ; but 
learning that work was scarce there, he 
went instead to Lowell, Ohio, where he 
found employment at a furnace. Later 
he worked at other towns in the Mahon- 
ing Valley, and also in the coal and iron 
mines of that country, remaining in the 
vicinity of Youngstown until 1848, when 
he came to Wisconsin to look over the 
land. In Section 8, Glenmore township. 
Brown county, he purchased a half-section 
of wild land, and then went back to Ohio 
for his family, returning to Wisconsin in 
the fall. There were no roads laid out 
at this time, the path to his farm led 
through the forest, and their neighbors 
were the Whitmores, who lived two miles 
away, along the Dixon road. The trees 
were so thick that a spot large enough 
for the dwelling had to be cleared, and 
Mr. Patton put up a log cabin, into which 
the family moved. Wild animals were 
numerous, but they gradually passed away 
with the clearing and settling of the conn- 
try. The settlers labored under many 
disadvantages in the improving and culti- 



328 



COMMEMOHATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



vating of the land, for almost the only 
tools Xhey had were an axe and a grub- 
hoe, and oxen were the only beasts of 
burden. But the prospect of having a 
comfortable property of his own cheered 
Mr. Patton through the first few j-ears of 
hard work, and encouraged him to prese- 
vere until the land became productive and 
yielded a good income. As his sons grew 
up they proved a great assistance to 
him, and in turn he has given them a 
comfortable start in life; he, at one time, 
owned between 400 and 500 acres of good 
land, but he has given the greater part 
of it to his sons. In 1 892 a new resi- 
dence was erected on the farm. 

After coming to the United States Mr. 
and Mrs. Patton had the following chil- 
dren: Kate, Mrs. Richard Gorman, of 
Marinette, Wis. ; Morris, who died in 
Youngstown, Ohio, where he was buried; 
Patrick, a resident of Glenmore town- 
ship, Brown county; Edward, who died 
in Glenmore township in 1893; John, 
who is mentioned farther on; Michael, 
who died in Glenmore township; and 
Morris, of Green Bay. Mr. Patton is 
now retired from active farm work, en- 
joying the fruits of his early toil, for the 
past twelve years having made his home 
with his son John. He is a typical self- 
made man, for, landing in this country 
with no capital save health and energy, 
he rose by his own efforts to an enviable 
position among the leading farmers of 
Glenmore township. In his political af- 
filiations he is a stanch Democrat, and in 
his earlier years he served as supervisor 
and school treasurer in his township, but 
he was never an office-seeker, always pre- 
ferring to give his undivided attention to 
his business. In religious faith he is a 
member of St. Francis Church De Pere. 
His estimable wife was called from earth 
January i, 1888, when aged seventy-two 
years, and her remains now rest in Al- 
louez cemetery. 

John Patton was born March 25, 1856, 
on the farm where he is yet living, and 
here obtained a thorough knowledge of 



agriculture under his father, at the same 
time receiving his literary education in 
the common schools. On May 2, 1882, 
he was married in St. Francis Church, 
De Pere, to Miss Frances A. Lawlor, who 
was born in April, 1865, in Glenmore 
township, daughter of Thomas and Mary 
(Connors) Lawkjr. To this union came 
children as follows: Mary, Lizzie, Fran- 
ces, and Pearl, living; Lucy, deceased; 
and James Rhaman, living. Mr. Patton 
is a hard-working, prosperous farmer, and 
one of the substantial, public-spirited 
citizens of his township. He devotes his 
time exclusively to the cultivation of his 
farm, which comprises i 20 acres of excel- 
lent land. In his political preferences 
he is a Democrat, and in religious connec- 
tion a member of St. Francis Church, 
De Pere. 



WD. RICE, of Pittsfield town- 
ship. Brown county, was born 
February 14, 1838. in F'itz- 
william, N. H., the eldest of 
the four children born to John and Caro- 
line (Hayden) Rice. The other three 
were Eliza, who died leaving three chil- 
dren, Lizzie, Ellsworth and Fred; Wins- 
low, who was killed in the Civil war; and 
Sarah, who died leaving a husband and 
two children — Eva and Nellie. 

W. D. Rice, since the age of fifteen, 
has earned his living through his own ex- 
ertions. From his native State he came 
directly to Wisconsin, and was one of the 
early settlers of Pittsfield (then Suamico) 
township. Brown count}', where he 
bought eighty acres of land which he 
still owns, having first earned the money 
by hard work in the lumber woods — a 
business he followed thirty-nine years be- 
fore he ceased active work, having al- 
ways had charge of a camp from the age 
of eighteen. He cleared off the timber 
from his farm at odd intervals, ridding it 
of trees, Indians, bears and wolves, until 
it became one of the model farms of the 
township. Having commenced the prep- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



aration of a home, he was married, on 
April 23, 1859, to Miss Hannah E., 
daughter of Cornehus and Ivfargaret 
(Leonard) Keefe, put up the house they 
at present occupy, and in i860 moved 
into the new home. ft was in this year 
that the town was set off, the poll at that 
time being 13; in 1894 it had reached 
230. To Mr. and Mrs. Rice were born 
five children, as follows: Lizzie, John, 
James (who died in infancy), Clara and 
Leonard. 

In politics Mr. Rice is a stanch Re- 
publican; in 1885 he was elected chair- 
man of the town, and has held the posi- 
tion for several years. He has been true 
to his party from the time he cast his 
first Presidential vote, for Abraham Lin- 
coln, and this circumstance has been 
fully recognized by his political friends. 



HM. I3ECK, M. D. This esteemed 
citizen of Green 13ay, and well- 
known physician and surgeon, is 
a native of Bavaria, Germany, 
born November i, 1855, a son of Leon- 
ard and Eva (Gesner) Beck, also of Ba- 
varian birth, the former of whom died in 
1892 in his native land, where his widow 
is yet living. They were the parents of 
six children, viz. : Valentine, in Bavaria; 
H. M. , subject of sketch; Barbara, wife 
of John Schenck, of Brown county, Wis. , 
Velp P. O. ; Johanna, Iska, and Anna. 
Of these, two came to Green Bay, and 
are here now residing, to wit: H. M. and 
Barbara. 

H. M. Beck received his primary edu- 
cation at the public and preparatory 
schools of Bavaria, after which he at- 
tended the Polytechnic High-shool at 
Munich. In 1876 he immigrated to the 
United States, arriving in Green Bay, 
Wis., in December of that year. Here 
for about one year he gave music lessons, 
after which he engaged in the drug busi- 
ness, carrying same on for several years. 
In 1879 he commenced the study of 
medicine with Dr. B. C. Brett, in 



1 88 1 entering Rush Medical College, 
Chicago, where he graduated in March, 
1883, thereafter at once commencing 
the general practice of his profession 
in Green Bay, in which he has met 
with well-merited success. In 1879 
Dr. Beck married Miss Mary Fox, daugh- 
ter of Paul Fox, an early settler of Brown 
county. This wife died in 1886, leaving 
one son. Otto, and in 1888 the Doctor 
was united in marriage with Miss Irma C. 
Van Dyke, daughter of Louis Van Dyke, 
and two children have come to brighten 
their home, viz. : Irma and Florence. 

Dr. Beck is a member of Fox River 
Valley Medical Society, and of the State 
Medical Society. He is examining sur- 
geon for the Northwestern Mutual Life 
Insurance Company; for the ^Etna, Equi- 
table, Connecticut Mutual, the National 
Life Insurance Company of Montpelier, 
Metropolitan of New York, Mutual Life 
of New York, etc., besides for three or 
four societies. He has been local sur- 
geon for the Chicago, Minneapolis cS: St. 
Paul Railroad Company for over ten 
years. Socially he is a member of the 
K. of P., Pochequette Lodge, No. 26(0! 
which he is Keeper of Records and Seals), 
and of the Uniform Rank; also a mem- 
ber of the Elks, No. 229, Green Bay. In 
his political associations he is a Repub- 
lican; served as county commissioner two 
years; as member of the school board also 
two years. Taken all in all, the Doctor 
is a thorough representative of the best 
citizenship of Green Bay. 



ADAM DOHN, a prosperous agri- 
culturist, and one of the most 
highly respected citizens, of De- 
Pere township. Brown county, 
was born February 4, 1835, in Bavaria, 
Germany, son of John G. Dohn, a shoe- 
maker, who had three children, Adam 
being the eldest. 

Our subject attended the common 
schools of his birthplace until he reached 
the age of fourteen years, when he began 



230 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to assist in the support of the family. 
When he was seventeen years old his 
father died, leaving a home unpaid for, 
and the property was thus lost. In the 
fall of 1852 the widowed mother and her 
three children set out from Germany for 
Havre, France, where they took passage 
on the vessel "Lindy" for the United 
States, landing in New York after a voy- 
age of forty-two days. From there they 
proceeded by rail to Dunkirk, N. Y. , 
thence by boat to Detroit, Mich. , by rail 
to Chicago, 111., and from there by boat 
to Milwaukee, Wis. Their destination 
was Waukesha, Wis. , and, their funds hav- 
mg been exhausted by the time they 
reached Milwaukee, they walked the re- 
mainder of the way, twenty miles, arriv- 
ing in Waukesha seven days after landing 
in New York City. Mrs. Dohn made her 
home in Waukesha with her brother, Philip 
Filer, who had loaned them mone}- to 
help pay the e.xpenses of their journey to 
the United States; and Adam, who being 
the eldest was looked to for support, hired 
out as a farm hand, receiving sixty dollars 
for his first year's work. He not only as- 
sisted in the support of his mother, but 
also paid back the money, one hundred 
and twenty dollars, which they had bor- 
rowed from his uncle, and for the first few 
years his life in the New World was one of 
constant toil and hardship. Of the other 
two children, his brother William received 
a liberal education in the common schools, 
and later engaged in business in Gibson- 
burg, Ohio, first in merchandising, and 
afterward in the lime business; he died in 
Gibsonburg. The sister, Catherine, died 
in Waukesha at the age of thirteen years. 
Mrs. Dohn died in Ohio at the home of 
her son William. 

On May 6, 18 58, Adam Dohn was 
married, in Milwaukee, Wis., to Margaret 
Miller, who was born, August 28, 1833, 
in Hesse-Darmstadt, a daughter of John 
and Anna Miller, the former of whom died 
in Germany when his daughter, Margaret, 
was three years old. She set out with 
her mother for the United States in 1853, 



sailing from Bremen on the " Elizabeth," 
and, after a voyage of forty-two days, 
landed in New York, from which city 
they came at once to Milwaukee, Wis., 
the journey occupying one week. After 
his marriage Mr. Dohn purchased four 
acres of land in Waukesha, taking up his 
residence thereon, and, in addition to 
culti\ating his own land, worked at farm- 
ing for others and also at railroading. In 
1 870 he removed to Brown county, locat- 
ing on the farm where he has ever since 
resided. Private Claim, No. 40, De Pere 
township, containing eighty acres of highly 
cultivated, productive land. When he 
came here, however, it was still in a 
primitive condition, and he set to work 
at once to clear and improve it, giving 
his attention exclusively to general 
farming and stock-raising. The first 
house Mr. Dohn erected on the place was 
built of logs, and the family lived in it 
until 1 89 1, when the present comfortable 
residence was erected. From a start of 
nothing, and without assistance from any 
one, our subject has accumulated a com- 
fortable competence, and his life furnishes 
an example of what may be accomplished 
by determination and energy and indus- 
trious habits. He has won the esteem of 
his fellow citizens for honesty and ster- 
ling worth, and he and his family are 
highly respected in their community. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Dohn have been born seven 
children, viz. : George, John, William, 
Minnie (Mrs. William Delzer, of Wood- 
ville township, Calumet county), Anna (of 
De Pere), and Maggie and Herbert E., 
both deceased. 

On February 18, 1864, Mr. Dohn en- 
listed, at Milwaukee, in Company D, 
Forty-eighth Wis. V. I., and was sent to 
St. Louis, Mo., thence to Fort Scott, 
Kans. , on patrol duty, remaining in the 
service until April, 1866, when he re- 
ceived an honorable discharge at Madison, 
Wis. ; he was mustered out at Fort Leaven- 
worth, Kans. He had served in the In- 
dian campaigns, during which the men 
suffered greatly from exposure and lack 



COMMEMOBAl'lVia BiOGRAPUWAL RECORD. 



231 



of provisions. From Colorado they 
marched 600 miles over the plains to Fort 
Leavenworth, Kans., and, for thirty-two 
nights, they had to sleep on the ground, 
although it was covered with snow. For 
300 miles of this long march each com- 
pany had but one load of firewood, and 
the men were allowed to make coffee but 
once a day; on the remaining 300-mile 
march they had no wood at all. Mr. 
Doha's health was so seriously impaired 
by the hardships he endured that he has 
never fully recovered. In his political 
affiliations he was originally a Democrat, 
but he is now an advocate of protection 
and a member of the Republican party. 
He has served his township as supervisor, 
and for eight years as member of the 
township board, but his ill-health com- 
pelled him to resign this position. He 
and his wife are members of the Presby- 
terian Church of De Pere. 



FRANK KOZLOWSKY, a worthy 
citizen of New Denmark town- 
ship, Brown county, where he has 
been actively engaged in farming 
for over thirty years, and of which he is 
one of the oldest and most highly honored 
residents, was born March 14, 1834, in 
Bohemia, Austria. His parents, John and 
Anna (Horene) Kozlowsky, the former 
of whom was engaged in farming, had a 
family of three children, namely: Joseph, 
Frank (our subject), ahd Philip, now a 
resident of Coopers.own, Wis., who is 
married and has seven children. The 
mother died when her son Frank was 
eight years old. 

At the age of twelve Frank I\ozlowsky 
commenced to learn the tailor's trade, 
continuing to follow same in his native 
country for six years. When eighteen 
years old he set sail from Bremen, Ger- 
many, and landed in New York after a 
nine-weeks' voyage, thence continuing 
his journey to Chicago, 111., where his 
funds were exhausted, and he had to wait 
for his baggage. He waited in that city 



until his goods came after him, then he 
started for Wisconsin, coming across Af- 
ton to Milwaukee, thence by wagon to 
Port Washington, from which place he 
proceeded on foot to Manitowoc, a dis- 
tance of sixty-five miles, whence he walked 
to Kossuth township, Manitowoc county, 
where his uncle resided. Here he engaged 
in clearing land for about a year and a 
half, and then invested in a tract of eighty 
acres in Cooperstown township, in part- 
nership with a Mr. Nejedlo. They erected 
a small shanty and commenced clearing 
the place, continuing together for about a 
year, when Mr. Nejedlo sold his share, 
our subject becoming sole owner of the 
tract. On January 19, 1856, Mr. Koz- 
lowsky was married to Miss Anna Pivonka, 
and walked afoot, along with two wit- 
nesses, to the justice of the peace, Charles 
Rieter, at Manitowoc, about fourteen 
miles, and back the same day, along a 
good snow road. They lived in the shanty 
four years, when it was supplanted by a 
comfortable log dwelling. Besides at- 
tending to the work of clearing, Mr. Koz- 
lowsky engaged in the manufacture of 
shingles, an occupation that brought him 
a small revenue until the farm afforded 
a comfortable support. All the provisions 
had to be carried by him from Kossuth, on 
his back or in his hands, and on one oc- 
casion, having lost his way, he wandered 
about for several hours before he found 
the path. After living on that farm six 
years they sold it and come to New Den- 
mark township. Brown count}', here buy- 
ing 120 acres, which forms part of the 
present homestead. This was also new 
land, totally unimproved, like all the sur- 
rounding country, and there were no roads 
in the township, only Indian trails, over 
which they brought their supplies from 
De Pere and Green Bay. The work of 
clearing was commenced in earnest, and 
besides reducing the first purchase to a 
condition of fertility, he purchased and 
improved forty acres additional. When 
he first started to cultivate his land he 
had no team with which to plow, and all 



232 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 



the {ground for planting or sowing of grain 
was made ready with a grub hoe. Mr. 
Kozlowsky is a Democrat in politics, and 
has served his township two years as super- 
visor and four years as clerk of the school 
board. In religious faith he and his 
family are devout members of the Catho- 
lic Church, and he donated the land for 
the Catholic Church situated near his resi- 
dence. In 1862 he was drafted into the 
army, and was sent to Madison, whence 
in four days ho proceeded to Fond du 
Lac, and then was sent home. Being 
drafted a second time, he was sent to 
Green Bay. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Kozlowsky have been 
born eight children, namely : Antone, 
Catherine, Anna, Mary, Frank, Joseph, 
Adolph and Ennna, of whom Frank has 
alwa\s resided on the farm; the others re- 
mained at home up to the time of their 
marriage. Mr. Ko/lowsk}' is now retired 
from active farm work, he and his wife 
living with their son Frank, ^\•ho now 
owns the farm and carries on the agricul- 
tural work, and in 188S, besides attending 
to all his work on the homestead, he 
(Frank, Jr. ) cleared five acres. 

On January 31, 1888, Frank Koz- 
lowsky, Jr.. was united in marriage with 
Miss Anna Kc)nop. bringing his wife at 
once to the home farm. Their union has 
been blessed with four children, namely : 
Joseph, Mary, Emma and Annie. 



WILLIAM LARSEN, mayor of 
F"ort Howard, and one of the 
most extensive shipping mer- 
chants and traders of north- 
eastern Wisconsin, was born May 29, 
1850, in Buffalo, New York. 

His father, Ole Larsen, who was a native 
of Norway, with his first wife, a son and 
four daughters, came to the United States 
in 1844, and first embarked in the groc- 
cery business at Buffalo, remaining there 
until 1852, when he came to Wisconsin. 
For a short time he resided in Fort How- 
ard, then removed to Door county, and 



was engaged in fanning until his death, 
which occurred when he was sixty-five 
years of age. Before leaving Buffalo his 
first wife had died, and he married, for his 
second, Miss Rachel Weisenberg, also a 
native of Norway, who came to the 
United States with her friends when 
about thirty years of age ; she now lives 
at the home of our subject. To this 
marriage were born four children : A 
daughter that died in infancy; William, 
whose name introduces this article; Otis, 
a merchant of Chicago ; and Henry, who 
is associated with \\'illiam. 

William Larsen attended the district 
schools of this State until about fifteen 
years of age, then passed a year at Ap- 
pleton College, after which he entered the 
general store of M. E. Tremble & Co., 
at Suamico, as head clerk, having charge 
of the store and books for the firm. 
This position he held four years, when, 
at the age of twenty, he married Miss 
Sarah Krouse. He at once settled in 
Fort Howard, and, with $700 he had 
saved during his clerking days, engaged in 
the grocery business with M. C. Johnson, 
conducting same . most prosperously for 
seven years, when both partners sold out. 
Mr. Larsen then established a general 
shipping business, handling principally 
fruits, produce, hay, etc., and this has 
reached enormous proportions, the vol- 
ume of his trade at present representing 
half a million dollars per annum at alow 
estimate. His pay-roll is in excess of 
three thousand five hundred dollars per 
month, and his payments for produce in 
the season exceed ten thousand dollars 
per month; during the same part of the 
year his transactions in hay are pro- 
digious. Mr. Larsen is also a stock-hold- 
er in and vice-president of McCartney's 
National Bank, and holds a large interest 
in the Columbia Bakery Co., a very ex- 
tensive, popular and prosperous establish- 
ment. Besides attending to his immense 
mercantile and financial interests, he finds 
time to devote to the care of a forty-acre 
garden plat, from which he also derives 




-j^'^ &t^II7 £^-PVgr&ftms &-^-- 




J OiA<^^y\/J 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



235 



a considerable profit. Public duties, 
moreover, have claimed and still claim 
much of his time and attention ; for 
three years he was alderman from the 
Second ward of Fort Howard, and he is 
now serving his third term as mayor of 
the city. 

Mrs. Sarah Larsen was born in Suam- 
ico, Brown Co., Wis., and is a daughter 
of Ferdinand and Sarah Krouse, who 
had a family of five children. To her 
marriage have been born ten children, of 
whom one died when but a year old ; the 
names of the others are Mabel, Austin, 
Leslie, Edith, Grace, Charles Sumner, 
Marie, Milton, and Warren. The eldest 
of these is proficient in music, and is 
still taking lessons at the Auditorium in 
Chicago, while several of the others are 
being educated at the best colleges of 
Wisconsin. Mr. Larsen and his wife at 
first lived in a rented house, for which 
they paid $8 or $10 per month, and con- 
tinued to reside there until about 1888, 
when he completed his present magnifi- 
cent home at a cost of nearly fifteen 
thousand dollars. It is the most mod- 
ern, handsome and complete house in 
this section of the country, and the fur- 
niture and grounds are in appropriate har- 
mony with the residence. His business is 
now one of themost extensive commercial 
enterprises of the entire State, and Green 
Bay, as well as Fort Howard, is especially 
benefited through its dealings in country 
produce. He is endowed, in a remarkable 
degree, with the characteristics possessed 
by his hardy, brave and adventurous an- 
cestors — traits of character which enabled 
them to secure a more than prominent 
place in the history of the world. These 
" Norsemen " were old-time heroes, whose 
indomitable spirit made them the most 
adventurous navigators of their time, and 
who undoubtedh' viewed the shores of 
the New World at a period long antedating 
its "discovery" by Columbus, the Geno- 
ese mariner. And not only as navigators 
were they supreme, but as warriors in the 
field, also; for, in all western and northern 



Europe, they came to be known and 
dreaded as redoubtable and fearless 
fighters; in later days admired and re- 
spected as an enlightened and Christian 
people. Mr. Larsen may be justly termed 
a representative self-made man, one who 
in his early life received little, if any, 
financial aid. His youth was passed 
with a keen intelligence, and a healthy, 
robust physique that soon won for him 
recognition and respect at the hands of 
those with whom he was thrown in con- 
tact, thus gradually, but surely, placing 
him in an enviable position as a citizen 
and business man. He is of a sanguine 
temperament, though cool and deliberate 
even when absorbed in the most mo- 
mentous and intricate business proposi- 
tion; in fact, he is possessed of what 
might not improperly be styled a thor- 
oughly judicial cast of mind — a quality 
that has stood him in good stead, placing^ 
him in the front rank of the strong array 
of merchants in his adopted city, and 
enabling him to conduct and regulate his 
large and varied business with that per- 
fect order which insures success; also to 
maintain discipline in, and guarantee 
honest service at the hands of, his army 
of employes, either at home or attending 
to his affairs elsewhere. The minutest 
as well as the most extensive details of 
his intricate business are supervised by 
the master mind, and kept in perfect ac- 
cord and under thorough control through 
the same potent agency. In all his deal- 
ings he is recognized as one of the most 
fair and honorable of merchants, and, as 
a citizen, he is held in such a high degree 
of regard as to be honored with election 
to many positions of honor and trust — 
including the highest in municipal affairs 
— all which he has filled faithfully and 
well, ever giving his best endeavors for 
the benefit of the city, and using the 
same sound judgment and shrewd sagacity 
that have so successfully militated in 
building up his own business — now the 
largest of the kind in northern Wisconsin. 
No man is more highly honored than 



:236 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Larsen, regardless of politics, re- 
ligion or nationality, his talents as a busi- 
ness man having won for him the un- 
grudged esteem of his fellow citizens at 
home and abroad, who have ever had 
communication with him, either in person 
or in the channels of trade. He and his 
wife are both members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and both are active 
in the extension of the good work car- 
ried on by their church, while their 
private works of charity, which are multi- 
tudinous, go without record. 



AUGUST BAUMGART, who for 
more than twenty years has been 
identified with the farming inter- 
ests of Glenmore township. Brown 
county, is a native of the Fatherland, 
born November 28, 1848, son of August 
Baumgart. 

Our subject received his education in 
his native land, and after leaving school 
commenced work in a brickyard, continu- 
ing in that vocation until about twent}' 
years of age, when he came with his par- 
ents to America, and to Brown county, 
Wis. On September 29, 1874, he was 
married, in Green Bay, Wis., to Miss 
Honora Murphy, born in that city May 
19, 1856, daughter of Dennis Murphy, 
who came from Cork, Ireland. After com- 
ing to Brown county August Baumgart 
remained with his parents four years, 
helping them to pay for their farm, and 
one year prior to his marriage purchased, 
on his own account, eighty acres of land 
in Section 14, Glenmore township. A 
few acres had been partially cleared, but 
otherwise there were no improvements 
except an old log shanty, in which he 
made his home until the comfortable 
house now occupied by the family was 
built. To Mr. and Mrs. Baumgart were 
born ten children, as follows: Charles, 
Gertrude, Joseph, Edward. John, and 
Anton, all living, and four that died young. 
By industry and assiduous toil Mr. Baum- 
gart has succeeded in clearing all his land. 



and now has a well-cultivated, improved 
farm, the result of years of energy and 
persevering labor, his wife having assisted 
him greatly in the accumulation of their 
comfortable propert}'. They are respected 
by all who know them as kind-hearted, 
hospitable neighbors, and as members of 
St. Mary's Catholic Church, of which he 
has served as trustee the past three years, 
and he is at present a member of the 
board of education. In politics Mr. Baum- 
gart is a Democrat, and at present he is 
serving as assessor of his township, but 
has refused other ofifices, as he prefers to 
give his principal attention to his farm. 
In connection with his other agricultural 
interests he has for the past fifteen years 
operated a threshing-machine. Mr. Baum- 
gart has always been ready to listen to 
the distressed and unfortunate, and has 
ever been willing to extend pecuniary aid 
and give wise counsel. 



M 



ATTHIAS LINSSEN. the pop- 
ular treasurer of Bellevue town- 
ship. Brown county, in which 
incumbency he has served since 
1 89 1, is one of the leading young farmers 
in his township. 

He was born February 19, 1859, in 
Holland, son of Henry Linssen, a car- 
penter, who, in 1871, came with his wife 
and ten children to America, sailing from 
Liverpool, England. They landed at 
Quebec, Canada, thence coming to Wis- 
consin on May 24,^871, arriving in Green 
Baj- with just seventy dollars to com- 
mence life in their new home. They 
made a temporary location on a farm in 
Bellevue township. Brown county, where 
Mr. Linssen shortly afterward purchased 
and removed to a new farm, and there 
made his home until 1890, in which year 
he removed to Preble township, where he 
has since resided, highly respected by all 
who know him. After coming to Amer- 
ica he abandoned his trade and turned his 
attention exclusively to farming. His 
first wife died in Holland, and before 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



237 



coming to the United States he there 
married his present wife; four children 
have been born to them in Wisconsin. 
Matthias Linssen is the second son and 
fourth child born to the first marriage. 

Our subject received the greater part 
of his education in Holland, and when 
eleven years old came with his parents 
to America. He commenced to work 
early in life, being thoroughly instructed 
in the duties of the farm on the home 
place, where he remained until his mar- 
riage. In 1880 he wedded Miss Annie 
Wald, a native of Scott township, Brown 
county, daughter of Michael Wald, at 
which time he had one winter's earnings 
with which to commence life for himself. 
The first winter they resided with Mrs. 
Linssen's parents, and soon afterward he 
purchased a piece of timber land, which 
he cleared, realising good returns for his 
labor; subsequently he bought forty acres 
of new land in Bellevue township, which 
he afterward sold, the investment proving 
a good one, and then purchased the place 
in Preble township where he lived until 
1 89 1. In that year he came to the farm 
where his home now is, a beautiful tract 
of eighty-four acres, highl}' cultivated, 
well improved and systematically con- 
ducted, everything about the place evi- 
dencing the owner's thrift, good manage- 
ment, and prosperity. Mr. Linssen has 
no superior in his township as an agricul- 
turist, and he is a striking example of a 
successful, self-made man. For six years 
he was employed at the National furnace, 
in De Pere — one year in the stock-house 
and five years in the casting-house, and 
thus obtained capital to start with. In 
addition to his general farming interests 
he has a part ownership in a modern 
threshing outfit. In his political prefer- 
ences Mr. Linssen is a stanch Democrat, 
and in 1891 was, without solicitation, 
elected treasurer of his township, in which 
office he has since served; and, though the 
youngest man who has ever held that 
office in the township, he has given com- 
plete satisfaction to all. In church rela- 



tion he and his wife are members of the 
Holland Catholic Church at Green Bay. 
To them were born eight children, viz. : An- 
nie, Nellie, Mary, Elizabeth, Catharine, Jo- 
seph, and Gertrude, all living; and Michael, 
who died in infancv. 



GEORGE HUISENFELDT, one 
of the substantial farmer citizens 
of Rockland township, Brown 
county, is a native of same, born 
October 28, 1856, son of Stephen and 
Wilhelmina (Sultan) Huisenfeldt. 

Stephen Huisenfeldt was born in Hol- 
land, and in 1847 came to the United 
States, landing in New York City. Having 
heard of the superior advantages offered 
to settlers in the great West, he came to 
Green Bay, Brown Co., Wis., and thence, 
after a short stay, to Bay Settlement, where 
for two years he made his home with his 
brother, Reinhard, after which he came 
to De Pere township, where he was em- 
ployed three years on the farm of James 
Boyd, and then for two years following 
rented and worked a farm along the Dixon 
road. Mr. Huisenfeldt was married in 
Green Bay to a Miss Hazacher, who 
passed away eighteen months afterward, 
the mother of one child, who also died. 
He subsequently married Miss Wilhelmina 
Sultan, a native of Holland, and, after 
living on the rented farm a short time, 
they came to the place in Rockland town- 
ship, now owned by our subject, on which 
they passed the remainder of their lives. 
He first purchased forty acres in Section 
10, at $2. 50 per acre, and, after clearing a 
small space erected a I2x 14 log shanty, 
in which they lived five years. The task 
of clearing was commenced at once; but, 
owing to the lack of necessary farming 
implements, the work was slow and labo- 
rious, several years of hard labor being ex- 
pended on the place before it yielded any 
return. For seven years after their settle- 
ment they had no team, and either had to 
hire one or exchange work with others. 
When the ground had been cleared and 



23S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



prepared for the first crop, Mr. Huisen- 
feldt found himself without money to bu\' 
seed, and accordingly he exchanged an 
acre of ground for four bushels of wheat 
seed, thus obtaining a start. In 1870 he 
purchased thirty-six acres more (which 
also needed clearing and improving), the 
home farm now containing seventy-five 
acres of highly cultivated land. Mr. and 
Mrs. Huisenfeldt had four children, as 
follows: Cornelius, who resides in Mar- 
shall, Minn. ;George, subject of this sketch; 
Johanna, who died at the age of eighteen 
3'ears; and one that died in infancy. 
Stephen Huisenfeldt passed from earth 
November 9, 1S89, at the age of seventy- 
nine years, and was followed to the grave 
by his wife Februarj' 4, 1893. 

Our subject was reared to farm life, in 
early boyhood commencing to assist his 
father in the work on the pioneer farm, 
taking no small share in transforming the 
wilderness into a pleasant farm. He 
always remained at home assisting his 
parents, and on the death of his father 
the home place came into his possession, 
his mother residing there with him until 
her decease. On April 19, 1889, Mr. 
Huisenfeldt was united in marriage with 
Miss Christine Alliers, daughter of Gerard 
and Johanna Albers, who emigrated from 
Germany to America in 1882, coming west 
to De Pere, Wis., where Mr. Albers fol- 
lowed his trade, that of a carpenter. Mr. 
and Mrs. Albers had thirteen children, 
seven of whom are living, viz. : Mary, 
Henry, Johanna, Nellie, Dora, Christine 
and Peter. After their marriage our sub- 
ject and wife came at once to the home 
farm, which he conducts in a systematic 
manner, engaging successfully in general 
farming. Their union has been blessed 
with two children, namely : Anna Minnie, 
born April 17, 1 890, and Stephen G. , born 
May 24, 1 893. Mr. and Mrs. Huisenfeldt are 
members of the Holland Catholic Church 
of De Pere. Politically he is independ- 
ent, and though not an active politician 
has served his township as supervisor, 
discharging the duties of his office in a 



conscientious, business-like way. He 
stands in the front rank of the progres- 
sive farmers of his section; and commands 
the respect of all who know him for his 
integrity and uprightness. 



,AUL BAUMGART. who ranks 



among the industrious, rising 



P 

I young farmers of his section, is a 

native of the Fatherland, born 
August 9, 1858, in I^reslau, Prussia. 

His father, August Baumgart, was a 
farmer and land-owner in Prussia, and for 
several years also engaged in the manu- 
facture of bricks. He and his wife had 
seven children, namely: Charles (who died 
in Germany), Joseph, Caroline, August, 
Edward, John and Paul. Deciding to 
bring his family to America, Mr. Baum- 
gart sold his property, and in the spring 
of 1868 they sailed on the "Schiller," 
which vessel was bound for Baltimore, at 
which port they arrived after a stormy 
passage of eight weeks and three days. 
They then came west over the I^altimore 
& Ohio railway, via Columbus (Ohio) and 
Chicago (111.), and on July 6, same year, 
landed in Green Bay, Wis., locating 
eventually in Bellevue township. Brown 
county, where, shortly after their arrival, 
Mr. Baumgart purchased seventy-two 
acres of new land, all of which was still 
in the woods, not even space enough for 
a house having been cleared. But they 
set to work at once, and soon had a 
dwelling 16x20, near the site of their 
present home. The farm was gradually 
cleared and cultivated, and there Mr. 
Baumgart made his home until 1882, in 
which year he removed to another farm 
in Bellevue township, where he and his 
wife yet reside. They are members of 
the Catholic Church, and in politics he is 
a Democrat. 

Paul Baumgart was nine years of age 
when he came with his parents to Wis- 
consin. He had attended school for three 
years in Germany, and the rest of his edu- 
cation was received in the district schools 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



-39 



of the period in the \icinity of his new 
home. He was reared a farmer boy, 
thorouf;hly trained to agricultural pursuits 
on the farm he now owns and resides on, 
which he has seen transformed from the 
dense forest to a fertile tract. On April 
17, 1883, he was married, at Francis 
Creek, Manitowoc Co., Wis., to Miss 
Lizzie Auntholtz, a native of that county, 
born May 31, 1861, daughter of Henry 
Auntholtz, who came to Wisconsin from 
Prussia in an early day. The 3'oung couple 
immediately settled on their present farm, 
and in 1888 Mr. Baumgart erected the 
substantial, comfortable dwelling where 
they now make their home. They have 
had children as follows: Nettie, Theresa, 
Sylvester, Paul, Peter and William, all 
living. Our subject is a self-made man, 
and by hard work and thrift has acquired 
the comfortable property he now owns; 
the farm is an excellent one, and he con- 
ducts a profitable general farming busi- 
ness, in which he can not fail to prosper. 
Politically he is a Democrat, and though 
not an office-seeker, he has served his 
township as road master. The family are 
all members of St. Francis Catholic 
Church, De Pere. 



HERRMAN EHLE, one of the 
early pioneers of Brown county, 
was born in the village of Bari- 
gau, Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt, 
Germany, January 6, 1830. 

His father, Nicholas Ehle, a farmer, 
died in that country about 1853, and his 
mother, who afterward came to Brown 
county, Wis., died about 1878. Of their 
seven children, four came to Brown coun- 
ty: Herrman in 1855; August in 1856 (he 
was a blacksmith by trade and removed 
to Texas, dying at Houston in 1861 or 
1862); Caroline in 1857 (she was the wife 
wife of Gottfried Undehaun, and died at 
Green Bay about 1888); Henrietta in 
1857 (she married Theodore Mahn, and 
now resides at Green Bay, her children 
were seven in number, as follows: Albert, 



who was accidentl)- killed while on a 
hunting trip; Lena, wife of Herman Kapp, 
of Green Bay; William, a tailor, residing 
at Green Bay, who is married to Mamme 
Vandenhubel; Mary, wife of Conrad Beth, 
also of Green Bay; Theodore, a tailor, of 
Fort Howard; Anna, wife of Frank Miller, 
of Green Bay, and Herman Mahn). 

Herrman Ehle, the subject proper of 
this sketch, was reared and educated in 
Germany, and was engaged in farming 
previous to coming to the United 
States. After locating at Fort Howard, 
on August 12, 1855, he learned the car- 
penter's trade, and followed that vocation 
many years. On arriving at Wisconsin 
he first located at McKane, near Milwau- 
kee, remaining there ten weeks before 
coming to Fort Howard. He was en- 
gaged in building in Fort Howard, and for 
five years was connected with Mr. C. 
Schwarz in contracting and building, con- 
tinuing in the same business for himself a 
long period following. He erected a large 
number of residences in Fort Howard and 
Green Bay, building the first brick resi- 
dence in the city of Green Bay in 1866; 
in 1870 he erected a brick building in Fort 
Howard, and another in 1871. He is the 
owner of thirteen dwellings in the Fifth 
ward of Fort Howard, five of the num- 
ber being constructed of brick, and it will 
be seen that Mr. Ehle has done much 
personally toward building up and im- 
proving the city. He has, in addition, 
been prominently connected with affairs 
generally incident to the development of 
Brown county, and is recognized as a 
substantial citizen and representative bus- 
iness man, with progressive ideas and 
vigorous methods. Politically he is a 
Republican, and has served for twelve 
years as alderman from the Fifth ward of 
Fort Howard. Industrious and careful, 
he has in the nearly forty years of his 
residence here been fortunate in business, 
and has a record and a reputation justly 
the source of pride. He has never mar- 
ried. Mr. Ehle was reared under the 
influence of the Lutheran Church, and has 



240 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



always been considered one of the most 
straifjhtforward business men and upright 
citizens of Fort Howard. 



BARTHOLOMEW DOOLAN, a 
thrifty and wealthy young farmer, 
of Morrison township. Brown 
county, is a native of Massachu- 
setts, born September 7, 1846. 

John and Julia (Noonan) Doolan, his 
parents, natives of Ireland, were the 
parents of five children, namely: Mary, 
Michael, Bartholomew, Ellen, and John. 
The father was a farmer, and, with his 
wife and his eldest (then his only) child, 
came to the United States in 1832, land- 
ing at New York after having passed seven 
long weeks on the ocean. From New 
York the family went to New England, 
and lived there for a period of eleven 
years, principally in Rhode Island, also 
residing for a few years in Massachusetts. 
In 1849 John and his family reached Wis- 
consin, and settled in Franklin township, 
Manitowoc county, where he bought 304 
acres of land in its primitive condition, 
from which he, in due course of time, 
hewed out a farm that was the pride of 
the township. Their first dwelling was a 
log cabin, 16x24 fe^t in size, in which 
they lived twelve years, after which they 
erected a comfortable frame dwelling. 
The first schoolhouse was erected after 
the family had been in the township five 
years, and in this Bartholomew received 
his education. The father died May i s, 
1877, the mother in 1882, and the re- 
mains of both were interred in Franklin. 
Bartholomew Doolan did good and 
faithful service in assisting his father in 
clearing up and tilling the home farm un- 
til he was twenty-one years of age, with 
the exception of a short time passed in 
working in the woods. Employing his 
time thereafter on his own account until 
he had reached the age of twenty-five, he 
married, September 19, 1871, Miss Sarah 
Watt, a daughter of Thomas and Sarah 
(O'Connell) Watt, natives of Ireland who 



came to America in 1845, ''"^ after their 
marriage here settled in Maple Grove, 
Manitowoc county. Wis., and reared six 
children — Anna, Sarah, Michael, Thomas, 
Mary, and John. After his marriage Bar- 
tholomew and his wife came to Morrison 
township. Brown county, and here Mr. 
Doolan bought eighty acres of wild land, 
on which they erected their present home, 
with Indians, wohes, bear and deer for 
their companions and neighbors. Here 
was begun that life of toil and hardship 
developed only in pioneer life, but which 
resulted in after years in the possession of 
all the comforts and conveniences of civili- 
zation. The eighty-acre tract was in- 
creased to a farm of 200 acres, and the 
old log house, which is still standing, was 
their habitation fully twelve years, but 
their present residence, erected about 
1884, is a modern frame, with every de- 
sirable convenience and comfort. But the 
acquirement of all this has required toil, 
economy, and the willing efforts of man 
and wife and the cheerful aid of the elder 
children. The children, eleven in num- 
ber, were born in the following order: 
John, July 4, 1872; Thomas, July 27, 1874; 
Mary, October 4, 1876; Agnes J., Janu- 
ary 21, 1879; Sarah E., May 28, 1881; 
Helen A., May 14, 1883; Frances B., 
September 11, 1884; Catherine G., No- 
vember 17, 1S85; Margaret, March 19, 
1888; Lucy'L. , November 17, 1890; and 
Theresa, October 3, 1892. Of these, 
Frances B. died September 15, 1884; the 
others are all living at home, with the ex- 
ception of Thomas, who is attending a 
business college at Manitowoc. The 
family are all strict members of the 
Catholic Church, with the exception, of 
course, of the younger members, who 
have been baptized in that faith. Mr. 
Doolan has served as trustee of his Church, 
and, as a Democrat, is serving as school 
clerk of his township, but he takes no 
special itjterest in politics. 

Mr. Doolan and his family rank among 
the best and most respectable citizens of 
Morrison township, and it is such as he. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPHWAL RECORD. 



241 



with strong muscles, willing disposition, 
industrious habits and law-abiding princi- 
ples, that have made the township and 
county what they are. 



FERDINAND SMET, one of the 
highly respected citizens of De- 
Pere township. Brown county, 
where he owns a well-improved 
farm, is a native of Belgium, born Jan- 
uary 12, 1832. His father, Albert Bene- 
dictus Smet, was a life-long farmer, in 
comfortable circumstances, owning a good 
farm, and he passed his entire life in his 
native country. I-Ie had a family of seven 
children — four sons and three daughters — 
of whom Ferdinand is the eldest. 

Ferdinand Smet attended the schools 
of his birthplace until he was thirteen 
years old, and then commenced to work 
on the home farm, where he remained 
over thirty years. They lived but a short 
distance from Antwerp. He was married 
in Belgium to Constance Boart, and they 
had three children born to them there, 
viz. : Ozarine, now Mrs. August Johnson, 
of De Pere township; Emma, Mrs. John 
Van Vedron, of Rockland township; and 
Martin, of Washington. About 1868 Mr. 
Smet disposed of his business and prop- 
erty, he being a merchant and store- 
keeper, and set out with his family for 
the United States, where he thought to 
find better opportunities for his family. 
He journeyed from Antwerp to Hull, 
England, thence to Liverpool, from 
which port he sailed for New York on 
the "Colorado," making the voyage 
in twelve days. Their destination was 
Green Bay, Wis., whither they traveled 
by rail, arriving six days later, on Satur- 
day, and spent the first night with John 
Martin. A few days afterward Ferdinand 
Smet secured work«in the hub factory at 
De Pere, and here he continued to work 
for two and a half years, until, in 1872, 
he purchased his present farm in De Pere 
township. It then consisted of forty acres 
of new land, upon which stood only a log 



house and a small barn, and all but ten 
or twelve acres was in the woods. He 
had saved enough to pay for the land, 
but was obliged to go into debt for the 
farm implements, etc., which he needed 
to clear and cultivate the place. Hcnv- 
ever, he set to work with a determination 
to make a comfortable home for himself 
and family, and after much hard work 
they succeeded in reducing the land to a 
cultivated condition. He now owns a 
good farm of eighty acres, the accumula- 
tion of which had involved no small 
amount of hard work. But he has been 
greatly assisted by his family, and they 
have cleared and improved the place un- 
til it is now a fertile, well-equipped tract, 
with a good residence and outbuildings, 
and all free from debt. In this country Mr. 
and Mrs. Smet had children as follows: 
Louis, now a farmer of De Pere town- 
ship; Mary, Alice, and Henry J. at home, 
and Edward, who died in infancy. On 
April II, 1877, the mother died, since 
which time the daughters have had charge 
of the household work. The entire family 
are highly respected for their industry 
and sterhng worth, and Mr. Smet is 
everywhere known as an honest, upright 
citizen. In politics he is a Democrat, but 
takes little active interest in party affairs. 
Religiously he is a member of St. Mary's 
Catholic Church, De Pere. 



ALPHONSE MARIA KERSTEN, 
M. D. , of De Pere, Brown coun- 
ty is of German origin, and was 
born in 1848, at Rees-on-the- 
Rhine, in Rhenish Prussia, the oldest of 
five brothers, one of whom, the Very 
Rev. Norbert U. Kersten was, for many 
years, Vicar-General of Bishop F. X. 
Katzer, of Green Bay, and Chancellor of 
that diocese, and its administrator when 
Bishop Katzer was promoted to the Arch- 
bishopric of Milwaukee. 

His parents, Edward and Anna (Rutjes) 
Kersten, were residents of the city of Rees- 
on-the-Rhine, in Rhenish Prussia, where 



242 



COMMEMORATIVK BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



the father was a dry-goods merchant, dying 
there January 31, 1S91, and where the 
mother still lives. The Doctor was edu- 
cated, classically, at the Jesuit collcfje at 
Feldkirch, in the Province of \'orarlbcrg, 
Austria; the college of Gaesdoiik, in 
Khenish Prussia; and the Gymnasium of 
Muenster, in Westphalia. Coming to 
America in 1868, he conducted a drug 
store in several Wisconsin cities up to the 
year 1879. He then attended two courses 
of lectures at the Medical Department of 
the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 
and then became a student at the Detroit 
Medical College, from which he graduated 
in 1883. He then began practice at 
Petoskey, Mich., whence he removed to 
De Pere, Wis., in 1885, and has here been 
in active practice ever since, being recog- 
nized as one of the most skillful physicians 
of northeastern Wisconsin, On first 
coming to the United States, the Doctor 
located at Fredonia, Ozaukee Co., Wis., 
where he operated a drug store, in part- 
nership with a physician; in 1878 he 
moved to Kaukauna, built a new store, 
and from there moved to Ann Arbor, 
Mich., for the purpose of pursuing his 
medical studies, as above narrated. In 
politics the Doctor is a Democrat, and. 
while a resident of Ozaukee county, tilled 
various minor offices; in 1887 he was ap- 
pointed, under President Cleveland, as 
pension examiner, and was re-appointed 
under President Harrison, but resigned 
after one month under the latter appoint- 
ment. In 1 89 1 he was appointed, by 
Governor Peck, State Superintendent of 
Inspectors of Illuminating Oils for Wis- 
consin, was re-appointed in 1892, and 
again on April i, 1894, and is still serving 
in that office. 

The marriage of the Doctor took place 
in 1 87 1, at Barton, Washington Co., 
Wis., to Miss Mary Vandeboom, a native 
of the city of Calcar, Rhenish I^russia, 
and this felicitious union has been blessed 
with nine children, named as follows: 
Annie M., Clara M., Edward M., Norbert 
M., Sylvan M., Theresa M., Leo M., 



Paul Ernest M. and Hugo Henry Louis 
M., all living at home in De Pere. The 
Doctor is a member of the Catholic 
Knights of Wisconsin, and vice-president 
of the local branch of that order. He has 
achieved a fine professional reputation, and 
his social standing is a most enviable one. 



BISHOP SEBASTIAN GEBHARD 
MESSMEK was born August 29, 
1847, at Goldach, Canton of St. 
Gall, Switzerland. The ancestors 
of Bishop Messmer were Swiss Catholics, 
and resided in Thai, Canton of St. Gall, 
Switzerland. At the time of the Refor- 
mation one branch of the family became 
adherents of the Protestant faith. Grand- 
father Messmer also resided in the above 
place. His son, Sebastian G. Messmer, 
Sr. , moved to Goldach, and there resided 
till his death in 1873, when he was aged 
si.\ty-si.\ years. He was a man of con- 
siderable wealth and education, and a 
farmer by occupation. He held offices in 
the Canton, by representing his district in 
the General .Assembly, and in the Catholic 
Administrative Council, and was a useful 
and conscientious legislator. He was 
greatly beloved in his town, and was a man 
of influence and importance there, making 
himself useful and beloved among his 
friends and fellow citizens. He was a 
strong character, noted for his rugged 
independence and honorable social and 
business career. A stanch Catholic, he 
was active in church work, and was presi- 
dent of the town council and of the board 
of church trustees for many years. The 
great-grandmother of our subject, on the 
father's side, was a Miss Kalb, an Aus- 
trian from Bregenz. The mother of 
Bishop Messmer was Rosa Baumgartner, 
a native of Moerschwyl, Canton of St. 
Gall. Switzerland. Shf died in the prime 
of life, highly esteemed for her many good 
qualities of head and heart. 

Bishop Messmer is the eldest in a 
family of six children. He received his 
primary education in the common schools 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUIUAL RECORD. 



245 



of his native town, and tiien attended 
the High School (or Real School) in 
Rorschach, on Lake Constance, for three 
years, or till 1861. There he first met 
Otto Zardetti, his life-long friend, who 
later became Bishop of St. Cloud, Minn. 
Following the clerical vocation, he en- 
tered the diocesan College of St. George's, 
near St. Gall, where he became known 
for his devotion and close application to 
his studies, and obedience to his superiors. 
At that school he remained till 1866, and 
then entered the University of Innsbruck, 
in the Tyrol, in Austria, where he studied 
philosophy and theology, remaining there 
five years. Those were years of hard 
work, yet full of pleasant recollections. 
On July 23, 1871, he was ordained to the 
priesthood for the American mission. 
He remained at home only a short time, 
and came to America, landing in New 
York October 4, 1871. Previous to this 
he had applied for and received an ap- 
pointment by Bishop Bailej', of Newark, 
N. J., as professor of theology at the 
Seton Hall College, South Orange, N. 
J., which is also a diocesan seminary. 
There he remained till August, 1889, dur- 
ing which time he made himself general- 
ly beloved by the thoughtful and kindly 
interest he manifested to all with whom 
he came in contact. As teacher, chap- 
Iain and friend, he bound many hearts to 
him, and led them into a brighter thought 
world and closer communion with the 
Creator, the Savior and the Church. 
During those eighteen years he also did a 
great deal of pastoral work in St. Peter's 
Church, 'Newark, N. J., which is a Ger- 
man congregation with the largest paro- 
chial school in the diocese, containing at 
present fifteen hundred children. It was 
in this church, that, at his own request, 
he was consecrated by Bishop Zardetti, 
March 27, 1892, because he was so well 
known and beloved there, and because of 
the many pleasant recollections which 
■clustered around St. Peter's. While act- 
ing at the college as professor, he had 
also charge of St. Mary's Orphan Asylum 

14 



as chaplain, besides doing a great deal of 
pastoral work. He also had charge of 
St. Leo's congregation, at Irvington, N. 
J., for two years. 

Having been called in 1889 to the 
chair of Canon Law in the University of 
Washington, D. C, he went to Rome to 
prepare more fulh' for the special work 
assigned to him. As Canon Law had 
been one of his classes when professor at 
Seton Hall, he now devoted himself to 
the study of the old Roman civil law, and 
graduated with the degree of D. C. L. 
(Doctor of Canon Law), at the CoUegio 
Apollinare. In September, 1890, he en- 
tered upon his duties at the university, 
where he taught with great credit to him- 
self till he came to Green Bay, Wis. 
While at Seton Hall he was selected as 
one of eight theologians to prepare the 
matter or decrees for the Baltimore Plen- 
ary Council in 1 884. He was also one 
of the Secretaries of the Council at its 
sessions, and afterward with Dr. O'Con- 
nell, now rector of the American College 
at Rome. Bishop Messmer prepared for 
publication the proceedings of that fam- 
ous Council, which work was published 
in 1886, and is a model of scholarship. 
After the publication of the book he re- 
ceived the title of Doctor of Divinity 
from the Pope, which was remarkable 
when we consider the rarity of such be- 
stowal. Bishop Messmer has written a 
few works of merit, displaying both 
scholarship and talent as a practical 
writer on topics concerning his noble pro- 
fession. He was assistant secretary of 
the Provincial council of New York in 
1883, and wrote a little work in Latin 
called "Praxis Synodalis," which was 
later used at the Council of Baltimore. 
In 1886 he edited for the American 
clergy, an English translation of a Ger- 
man work, entitled " Canonical Procedure 
in Criminal Cases of Clerics, " which is 
still an authority in clerical law. He has 
also written articles for a German monthly 
clerical paper published at St. Louis, Mo., 
called "The Pastoral Blatt," and for the 



246 



COMMEMORATIVE lilOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



"American Ecclesiastical Review," of 
Philadelphia. 

Bishop Messmer was appointed Bishop 
of Green Bay, December 14, 1891, but 
did not arrive here till April 7, 1892. 
Here a wide and useful, but also hard 
field of labor awaited him, which for the 
time seemed to check his literary efforts. 
But the strong mind that brou<(ht order 
out of the manifold accumulations of a 
great literary council has already made 
him fully acquainted with work in the 
Diocese of Green Baj'. Here his influ- 
ence, always for good, is felt in every 
nook and corner. The respect which he 
inspired on his arrival has not abated, 
but is increased as time goes on. To 
the talents of a pastor and bishop is added 
the learning of a scholar and literateur, 
which (united with rare business tact and 
ability to govern) has made him already 
a conspicuous figure in the Church and 
State, and has gained him the confidence, 
good will and love of all classes, denomi- 
nations and nationalities. 



JOHN L. LAMARRE (deceased), who, 
in his lifetime, was one of the most 
intelligent and prosperous agricul- 
turists of Preble township. Brown 
county, was a native of Belgium, born 
August 4, 1822. 

He was a lifelong farmer, having been 
reared to the plough from early life, his 
education at the same time not being 
neglected; and, as his parents were well- 
to-do, they were able to give him some 
assistance when he first commenced farm- 
ing for his own account. In Belgium he 
owned about five acres of land, which was 
then considered quite a comfortable little 
farm, and by careful cultivation he had 
good average returns from it. He was 
married in his native place to Miss Vir- 
ginia Merrick, who was born in Belgium 
in 1832, and children as follows blessed 
their union: Joseph E., Victor, Alphonse 
and Mary, all of Belgian birth, and all 
yet living. In 1871, the sons growing up 



around the little home, Mr. Lamarre de- 
cided to emigrate with his family to 
America, where he knew there was room 
f(jr all, with plenty to spare; and on April 
I , that year, they took passage on a ves- 
sel bound for New York, the father having 
previously sold all his property, goods and 
chattels, which brought him a consider- 
able sum. From New York they at once 
traveled westward to Wisconsin, and in 
Green Bay township. Brown countv, Mr. 
Lamarre purchased some land, on which 
the family resided until 1 884, when they 
removed to Preble township, settling on 
160 acres of land bought by Mr. La- 
marre, having sold his place in Green Bay 
township. Here he passed the rest of his 
life, dying April 18, 1885, his remains be- 
ing interred in Shantytown cemeter)-. 

A Democrat from the time of his be- 
coming an American citizen, he always 
voted that ticket, but was in no sense a 
politician, attending sedulously to his bus- 
iness on the farm. He was a quiet, unas- 
suming man, very domestic in his habits, 
one who strictly minded his own business, 
and he was respected by all. Having 
died somewhat suddenly he left no will, 
and no provision having been made for 
the disposal of the property, his widow 
and children have since conducted the 
farm conjointly. Mrs. Lamarre, though 
now sixty-three years old, is remarkably 
active, and performs her share of work at 
the homestead more like a woman of half 
her age. The sons are a trio of indus- 
trious, hard-working young men, whose 
equal, it is said, is not to be found in any 
one family in the township for progres- 
siveness and enterprise, worthy sons of 
worthy parents. In April, 1893. they 
purchased the Cedar Creek Flouring Mills 
from George B. Hess and H. A. Walter, 
and, by the latter part of 1 894, expect to 
have the concern in full operation. The 
home place, now comprising 1 20 acres of 
well-improved land, is well managed, re- 
flecting great credit on the family, and on 
the sons in particular, for their industry 
and energy. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



247 



JOHN LEBAL, who for the past 
quarter of a century has been a well- 
known farmer of Glenmore town- 
ship, Brown county, is a native of 
Bohemia, born April 28, 1837, son of 
Wencel Lebal, who was a farmer in com- 
fortable circumstances. 

Wencel Lebal had four children, viz. : 
Wencel, who is a farmer of Glenmore 
township; John, whose name introduces 
these lines; Joseph, of Allouez township; 
and Mary, Mrs. Wencel Vilda, of Ne- 
braska. In the fall of 1852 this family 
left their native land, and crossing from 
Hamburg to Hull, England, journeyed by 
rail to Liverpool, where they took pas- 
sage for New York, landing after a voy- 
age of four weeks and three days. They 
pushed westward at once to Milwaukee, 
Wis. ; thence, after a halt of three days, 
coming to Kossuth township, Manitowoc 
county, where a friend from their town in 
Bohemia was living, and they remained 
with him three weeks. In the same fall 
they came to Cooperstown, same county, 
taking up 160 acres of government land 
in Section 28, for which they paid seventy- 
five cents per acre, and which at that 
time was heavily timbered and entirely 
unimproved. A rude shant}' was erected 
on the place, in which the family lived 
for ten years, and, before the land yielded 
a support, those able to work earned a 
small income making shingles bj' hand, 
selling them in Manitowoc, some eighteen 
miles distant. The mother died on this 
farm, and was laid to rest in Kossuth 
township; the father subsequently passed 
from earth in Allouez township. Brown 
county, at the home of his son Joseph, 
and he was buried in Green Bay ceme- 
tery. Both were members of the Reform 
Church. 

John Lebal received a fair education 
in the common schools of his native land, 
and was reared from boyhood to agricul- 
tural life. He came to the United States 
with his parents, and remained with them 
in Manitowoc county until his enlistment, 
August 21, 1862, in Company F, Twenty- 



sixth Regiment, Wis. V. I. The com- 
mand was sent to Milwaukee, thence, 
after being drilled, to Washington. Their 
first engagement was a Fredericksburg, 
following which came the battles of Chan- 
cellorsville and Gettysburg, where, on the 
afternoon of July i, 1863, our subject 
was wounded in the right knee by a 
musket-ball. He was first taken to the 
field hospital, and thence conveyed to 
Baltimore, where he lay twenty-one days, 
after which he was removed to the general 
hospital at Washington, and here re- 
mained until early in January, 1864. 
Joining the Veteran Reserve Corps at 
Alexandria, Va. , he remained there some 
time, and then returned to Washington, 
doing guard duty about that city. He 
was next transferred to Syracuse, N. Y. , 
and thence to Elmira, same State, where 
he received an honorable discharge July 
13, 1865, having served continuously 
since his enlistment without furlough, and 
he saved two hundred dollars while in the 
service. Returning to his old home in 
Wisconsin, he continued to work for his 
parents three years, receiving a piece of 
land in Cooperstown township for his 
services. 

In the fall of 1869 Mr. Lebal married, 
in Cooperstown township. Miss Rosa 
Rudolf, a native of Bohemia, who died 
one year later, and was buried in Coop- 
erstown. About 1 87 1 he was married, 
in Kossuth township, for his second wife, 
to Miss Eliza Krieneck, a native of Bohe- 
mia, to which marriage came six children, 
of whom a son and two daughters died 
young; Emma, Annie and Joseph are liv- 
ing at home. The mother of these passed 
from earth April 3, 1881, and was buried 
at Francis Creek, Manitowoc county. In 
January, 1882, Mr. Lebal wedded in Gib- 
son township, Manitowoc county, for his 
third spouse. Miss Mary Holub, a native 
of Carlton, Kewaunee Co., Wis., and 
this union has been blessed with children 
as follows : Wencel, Christina, Edward, 
Helen and John, living, and Edward (i), 
who died young. The mother of these 



248 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was called from earth May 17, 1894, and 
is buried in the Lutheran fjraveyard at 
Glenmore. 

About the jear 1869 Mr. Lebal came 
to Glenmore township, and in Section 20 
purchased forty acres of new land, on 
which the timber was still standing. He 
erected a dweilinj,' on the place, at once set 
about the work uf clearing, and, after 
years of labor, found himself possessed 
of a fertile farm. From time to time he 
has added to the original tract, and owns 
200 acres in Glenmore and Rockland 
townships. He has been the architect of 
his own fortune, for he started in life a 
poor boy, and he has won the respect of 
all who know him for his industry and 
integrity. In political affiliation he is a 
Republican, but not active in party- 
affairs, and in religious connection he and 
his family are members of the Protestant 
Cluirch, at Francis Creek, in Kossuth 
township, Manitowoc county. 



JOHN MICHELSON, of Pittsfield 
township. Brown county, was born 
August 28, 1838, in Denmark, and 
is one of a family of nine children 
born to Michel Peterson and his wife, 
Carrie Peterson. The father was a cabi- 
net maker, and with him our subject re- 
mained until fifteen years old. He then 
worked out as a day laborer for one j'ear, 
for sixteen dollars; then as a coachman 
four years, at sixty-fi\e dollars per year. 
In June, 1862, he entered the army and 
served three years; in 1865 he sailed for 
America, landing in New York, whence 
he came directly to Wisconsin. For three 
months he worked on a farm near Racine, 
thence going to Manistee, Mich., where 
he worked three weeks in a sawmill, and 
then worked in the woods for twent}-si.\ 
dollars per month during the winter. Re- 
turning to the mill in the spring, he in the 
fall went into the woods again, at thirty- 
five dollars per month, and remained 
about eighteen months. 

On January 8, 1869, he married Mary 



Nelson, one of a family of eleven children 
born to Nels and Keirsten (Fredericks) 
Anderson. Mrs. Michelson was twenty- 
four years of age when she came to Amer- 
ica. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Michel- 
son remained five months in Manistee, 
and then removed to Fort Howard, Brown 
Co., Wis., lived there a year and a half, 
and then settled in Pittsfield township, 
where Mr. Michelson bought a forty-acre 
farm, of which about twelve acres were 
cleared, and on which stood the house in 
which they now live. To this farm have 
been added twenty-three acres, all cleared, 
and in good condition. To the marriage 
of Mr. and Mrs. Michelson have been born 
seven children, in the following order: 
Constance, November 8, 1869; Nellie, 
August 3, 1871; Lena, July 12, 1873; 
Frederick, August 7, 1875; Meta, April 
7, 1877; Alvin, July 15, 1879, and Andy, 
September 20, 1882. All the children 
are living, and five still make their home 
with their parents. Lena, who attended 
college at Battle Creek, Mich., has been 
a teacher since sixteen )ears of age, and 
is still in the profession. In religious con- 
nection the family are Seventh-Da\' Ad- 
ventists, and in politics Mr. Michelson is 
a Republican. He is a self-made man in 
the full sense of the term, and well de- 
serves the high esteem in which he is held 
by his fellow citizens. 



ELBRIDGE G. BOYDEN, a pros- 
perous merchant and agriculturist 
of Mills Center, Brown county, is 
a native of the State of Wiscon- 
sin, born December 2, 1853, in Manito- 
woc count}'. 

His father, Charles Boyden, was one 
of five children born to Amos and Abigail 
(Wood) Boyden, at Orange, Mass. Amos 
was a mill-man, and died in his native 
State at the age of seventy, preceded to 
the grave by his wife, who onl)- reached 
middle age. . Charles Bo3den passed his 
early years in his father's mill, later made 
a whaling \oyage, and afterward became 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



H9 



a boatman on the Erie canal, where he 
met his future wife, Augusta Dunham, 
whom he married June 15, 1850. She 
was born July 4, 1825. in Windsor coun- 
ty, Vt. , a daughter of William and Sarah 
(Metcalf) Dunham. Both the paternal 
and maternal grandfathers of Mr. Boyden 
were heroes in the war of the Revolution, 
and did valiant service. Charles Boyden 
was born November 14, 1804, came to 
Wisconsin in Ma\', 1852, via the lakes to 
Detroit, Mich., by railroad to Chicago, 
111., and thence by lake to Manitowoc 
county, where he was employed for some 
years in manufacturing shingles in the 
old-fashioned way. He died in Brown 
county when nearly eight}-si.\ j'ears of age. 

Elbridge G. Boyden is one of a family 
of eight children, six of whom are still 
living, for the most part engaged in busi- 
ness. He remained with his father until 
his marriage, April 29, 1875, to Miss 
Henrietta Hollom, a nati\-e of Sebec, 
Piscataquis Co., Maine, born February 
14, 1 85 1, and a daughter of Charles F. 
and Dorothea A. (Judkins) Hollom. 
Charles F. Hollom was born in Sebec, 
Maine, in 181 5, a son of Charles and 
Lydia (Crockett) Hollom, the former of 
whom was a native of Sweden, the latter 
of New England. Charles F. "rounded 
the Horn" in 1853, and died in Cali- 
fornia at the age of sixty-one. Mrs. 
Henrietta Boyden's mother, Dorothea 
A. (Judkins), was born November 22, 
18 18, in Fayette, Kennebec Co., Maine, 
a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Bache- 
lor) Judkins, the latter a native of Fay- 
ette, Maine, the former of Scotland; they 
both died in Bangor, Maine, the father at 
the advanced age of ninety-five; the 
mother at the comparatively early age of 
thirty-seven. 

Mrs. Elbridge G. Bojden at the age 
of fourteen began teaching school in 
Berwick, Maine, and for two years was 
very successful in that vocation. She 
then entered the composing room of the 
Portland Transcript, held cases six weeks, 
and went thence to Biddeford, Maine, 



where she held cases in the Democrat 
office a year and a half, thence going to 
Boston, Mass., where she set type in a 
book office for over eighteen months. Re- 
turning to Biddeford she worked in the 
Journal office on Butler's "Bible Com- 
mentaries," thence to Great Falls, N. H., 
and worked as a compositor in the Journal 
office a few months; then taught school in 
Berwick a \ear, after which she came 
alone to Wisconsin, and, settling where 
she now lives, taught school one year. In 
the following year she was married to Mr. 
Boyden, and they have had five children, 
namely: Nettie Aimena, born February 
II, 1876; Grace F., born August 21, 
1877; Allen L. , born September 7, 1881; 
Jesse, born February 12, 1884; and one 
son that died at the age of nineteen 
months. 

After his marriage Mr. Boyden settled 
in Mill Center, working in the woods, 
making staves, etc., for about five and a 
half \ears, when he opened a general 
store, of which his wife has since had full 
charge. He also owns one hundred acres 
of good land, from which he reaps a fair 
income. His first dwelling here was a 
log structure, and he now occupies a com- 
fortable brick dwelling erected by him at 
a cost of five thousand dollars. The total 
capital of Mr. and Mrs. Boyden was, on 
starting, two hundred dollars, which, 
through their united energies, they have so 
increased that they can claim rank with 
the most wealthy residents of the county. 
In politics Mr. Boyden is a Republican, 
and cast his fir.st Presidential vote for U. S. 
Grant, when a candidate for the second 
term. 



NIELS ERICKSON is a native of 
Denmark, born May 8, 1833, son 
of Erik and Lettie (Andersen) 
Peterson, who reared a family of 
children as follows: Rasnms, Niels, Peter, 
Anna, Christian, Hans, and Lena. 

Niels was obliged to commence assist- 
ing his parents at an early age, and ac- 



250 



COMMKMOIIATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



cordingly had little opportunity to obtain 
an education. He was employed princi- 
pally by the fanners in the neighborhood 
of his home, turning his wages over to 
his parents until he reached his majority, 
after which he commenced to save, in 
order to get a start in life. In 1859 he 
was united in marriage with Caroline 
Christison, daughter of Christ and Martha 
(Johnson) Oleson, all natives of Denmark, 
and to this union were born five children 
in Denmark, namely: Laura C Chris- 
tian. Christ. Emil and Martha. Nine 
3'ears after his marriage, in 1868, Mr. 
Erickson set out with his family for 
America, and, after landing in New York, 
immediately proceeded westward to Brown 
county. Wis., and took up his residence 
in New Denmark township. He worked 
in a sawmill for about one month, and 
was then engaged for a few weeks peeling 
hemlock bark, after which he entered the 
employ of Casper Hansen, for whom he 
worked about two years. At the expira- 
tion of that time he invested in eighty 
acres of land in New Denmark township, 
which at that time was all in the woods, 
and was still inhabited by wild animals. A 
log house was erected on the place, in which 
the family lived for several years, and the 
work of transforming the wilderness into 
a fertile farm was commenced, a task in 
which he met with well-deserved success, 
as his present beautiful farm well shows. 
Their trading had to be done at Manito- 
woc or Green Bay, and, as they had no 
team, the journey had to be made on foot. 
Some years later other eighty acres, ad- 
joining the original tract, was purchased, 
making the fine farm of 160 acres now 
owned by our subject, which has been 
highly improved and carefully cultivated. 
Four children were here born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Erickson, viz. : Peter, Hans, Lettie, 
and Edith, two of whom, Peter and Edith, 
are still at home. Politically Mr. Erick- 
son is a stanch Republican. At the age 
of seventeen Peter Erickson commenced 
to work on the railroad, and continued in 
that vocation some years, becoming a 



section foreman; but he abandoned rail- 
roading several years ago in order to assist 
in taking charge of the affairs of the home 
farm. He was a stanch member of the 
Democratic party until recently, when he 
changed his views, and is now supporting 
the principles of the Republicans. 



TERRENCE DORAN, an energetic 
citizen of Pittsfield township. 
Brown county, was born in Belle- 
ville, Canada. November 20. 1838. 
and is the second in the family of seven 
children of Patrick A. and Ann (Hickey) 
Doran. the other six being named as fol- 
lows: Mary. James. John. Hugh, Matilda 
and Rose. 

Our subject was but a year and a half 
old when the family moved to New York 
State, where Terrence received his edu- 
cation. In 1855 he came west, stopping 
for a time at Chicago, thence proceeding 
to Dubuque, Iowa, in order to view the 
country, returning to Chicago shortly 
afterward. His eldest sister and her hus- 
band, Michael Kirbey, who had been his 
companions as far west as Chicago, con- 
tinued their journey to Wisconsin, and 
landed at Suamico, Brown county. On 
returning from Dubuque to Chicago Mr. 
Doran took passage, via the lake, for 
Green Bay, whence he, also, came to 
Suamico. After working here about fifteen 
months, making shingle-bolts, etc., he 
made a trip to Dunkirk, N. Y. , remained 
six weeks, and then returned to Suamico, 
Wis., and bought forty acres of land, 
where now stands Tremble Station. In 
the meantime his father and mother had 
come to Wisconsin, and on this farm thej' 
found a welcome until their decease. Mr. 
Doran, however, only made his home 
there until October 31, 1861, when he 
married Margaret Page, daughter of David 
and Margaret (Prue) Page. He then came 
to Pittsfield township, which has since 
been his horne. He has speculated largely 
here in real estate, and for twenty-five 
winters ran a lumber camp; at one time 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



he owned 460 acres, and now has 220 
acres of good land, well improved. 

Mr. and Mrs. Uoran have two chil- 
dren: Mary Ann, at home with her parents, 
and Andrew, married and living near by. 
The family are Catholic in their religious 
faith, and in politics Mr. Doran is a Dem- 
ocrat. In his Church he is treasurer of 
the building committee; he has served as 
supervisor of his township twelve years, 
and was school clerk fourteen years. He 
has also served three terms as justice of 
the peace, and no citizen in Pittsfield 
township is more highly respected. 



received a good 



FERDINAND WITTIG, a pros- 
perous general merchant of New 
Denmark township. Brown coun- 
ty, was born October 20, 1851, in 
Denmark, son of Henry C. and Maren 
(Peterson) Wittig, the former of whom 
was a farmer, and also followed his trade, 
that of cooper, to some extent. His 
family consisted of seven children, name- 
ly: Henry C, Mary, Peter F. , Ferdinand, 
Anna, Jacobine, and Jacob. 

Ferdinand Witti 
common-school education in his native 
land, and lived with his parents until he 
reached his majority, at which time he 
decided to emigrate to and try his fortune 
in America. Proceeding to Liverpool, 
England, he embarked from that port in 
an American-bound vessel and landed in 
New York after a voyage of thirteen da3's, 
immediately continuing his journey west- 
ward to Wisconsin, his destination being 
in New Denmark township, Brown coun- 
ty, where his aunt, Mrs. Hans Olsen, was 
living. He reached New Denmark by 
way of Green Bay, and commenced work- 
ing on his aunt's farm, remaining there, 
however, but six months, at the end of 
which time he migrated to Negaunee, 
Mich., where he remained two months. 
From there he went to Marquette, Mich., 
thence to Minneapolis, Minn., whence, 
after a sojourn of two months, he re- 
turned to New Denmark, and here con- 



tinued a year. He next worked six 
months in the lumber regions of Manis- 
tee, Mich., and then again returned to 
New Denmark township, where he has 
ever since resided. 

On -June 28, 1877, Mr. Wittig was 
united in marriage with Mrs. Catherine 
(Buckman) Lange, a widow, daughter of 
Ahrend S. and Henrietta (Bartels) Buck- 
man, residents of New Denmark town- 
ship. She was born June 28, 1844, in 
Germany, and came to America with her 
parents, remaining at home until her mar- 
riage. May 17, 1862, with August Lange. 
At the time of his marriage Mr. Lange 
owned eighty acres of wild land (on which 
there were about four acres cleared), 
whereon they moved, living in a one- 
room log house until a more comfortable 
dwelling could be built. They were hard- 
working and industrious, and by their 
united efforts succeeded in clearing and 
improving their tract, converting it from 
a wilderness to a productive farm. Their 
marriage was blessed with five children, 
viz. : Herman, Ahrend, Bernard, Henri- 
etta, and Frederick, all of whom are liv- 
ing but Ahrend. Mr. Lange was called 
from earth September 14, 1872, and his 
widow continued to manage the affairs of 
the place alone for five years, or until her 
marriage to Mr. Wittig. After a residence 
of five years on the farm Mr. Wittig 
erected his present store in New Denmark 
township, and embarked in the general 
mercantile and saloon business, in which 
he has since been successfully engaged, 
doing a thriving trade; from time to time, 
owing to the demands of his increasing 
business, he has been obliged to enlarge 
the stock, and now carries a large assort- 
ment of general merchandise. In politics 
he is a Republican, but, though interested 
in the success of his party, takes no act- 
ive part in political affairs, his business re- 
ceiving his undivided attention. In re- 
ligious faith he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church. To their 
union have been born three children: 
Henry, Martha and Diederich. 



252 



COJdMEMURATlVK lUOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



REV. CLEMENT LAU. pastor of 
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Con- 
gregation, Green Ba\', is a native 
of Germany, born No\eiiiber i8, 
1840, in the Province of W'estphalia, of 
which locaHty his ancestry were all resi- 
dents as far back as can be traced, all 
bearing an honorahle reputation, their 
life vocation, for the most part, beinj,' that 
of farming. 

He is a son of Bernard H. and Anna 
Maria (Ross) Laii, who, shortly alter the 
birth of our subject, removed to the city 
of Kheine, in the same Pro\ince, where 
he attended the city schools, later the 
gymnasium, which latter institution he 
entered at the age of eleven years. Here 
he studied diligently till 1S59, in which 
year he commenced a course of study at 
the gymnasium of Muenster, where he 
passed his final examination, and having 
decided to prepare himself for the priest- 
hood, in September, 1S61, entered the 
university in the same cit)", studying there 
about twelve months. In the following 
year he proceeded to Austria, and in the 
Priest Seminary at Linz fUpjier Austria) 
studied theology, after which, in June, 
1863, he was ordained a sub-deacon. On 
June 13, 1865, he was ordained a priest, 
by the Right Rev. Bishop Francis Joseph 
Rudigier, after which he ser\ed in the 
priesthood in three different Austrian 
towns. Meanwhile, in 1877, he visited 
Rome on the occasion of the Pope's jubi- 
lee ("Pius IX). In August, 1878, he came 
to the United States, and on the i2thda}- 
of the same month was received by Bishop 
Krautbauer in the diocese of Green Bay, 
Wis. His hrst appointment was to the 
church at Clark's Mills, Manitowoc coun- 
ty, where he labored diligently for four- 
teen months in a mixed congregation. 
Next he was appointed, by the Bishop, 
rector of St. Marj^'s Church in Greenville, 
Outagamie county, the congregation of 
which was German, and here he built a 
school and Sisters' house; at the same 
time he had charge of St. Patrick's (Irish) 
Congregation at Stephensville. 



In March, 1887, he was called bj- 
Bishop Katzer to Green Bay to take 
charge of the St. Francis Xavier Cathe- 
dral Congregation, where he has remained 
to the present day. He has labored faith- 
fulK' and well, and has done much toward 
building up the Cathedral congregation, 
especially the school in connection, which 
he made free himself. In September, 
1892, he opened a high school under the 
charge of the school Si.sters of Notre 
Dame, and now the Cathedral congrega- 
tion possesses a school with eight classes 
instead of four classes before his adminis- 
tration. No one will know the sacrifices 
it required to put them on this footing, 
which was the means of making the pros- 
perity of the congregation. In January, 
1890, at a cost of six thousaml dollars, he 
built the priest's residence, which was 
completed in October, i S90. He has 
been a very useful pastor, and will long 
be remembered for his kindly counsel and 
advice, given always with a smile that 
meant more than mere words. 



CHRISTOPH GOLDSMITH, a 
thrifty, enterprising farmer of 
New Denmark township. Brown 
count}', was born June 26, 1826, 
in the \illage of Vollhousen, Prussia, Ger- 
many. He is a son of Christoph and 
Augusta Goldsmith, also natives of Ger- 
many, the former of whom was a gar- 
dener, a vocation he followed successfully 
in his native land for many years. He 
had a family of four children: Augusta. 
Christian, Charles and Christoph. 

Our subject remained at home until 
he was fifteen years of age, when he 
commenced to learn the blacksmith trade, 
at which he served an apprenticeship of 
two years, subsequently following it while 
he lived in Germany. In September, 
1854, he proceeded to Liverpool, and 
embarked at that port on a vessel bound 
for America, the voyage occupying six 
weeks. Landing at New York, he thence 
went to Albany, where he worked at his 





.J> 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 



255 



trade some time, afterward going to Sault 
Ste. Marie, Mich., where he remained 
one winter, and then removing to Apple- 
ton, Wis. , lived there a year and a half. 
At the end of this time he came to New 
Denmark township, Brown county, and 
here purchased forty acres of wild land, 
on which he erected a log house near his 
present comfortable dwelling, and com- 
menced clearing the place, from which 
not a tree had been cut, nor was there 
any road at the time he moved here, 
though one was opened about a j'ear 
later. All the supplies had to be brought 
from Green Bay, and, as he had no team, 
he had to carry them home himself. Two 
years after his removal to this farm Mr. 
Goldsmith was married, July 19, 1857, 
in New Denmark, to Miss Mary Ann 
Nocker, daughter of Frank and Jacobine 
(Seager) Nocker, who had a family of 
three children, a brief record of whom is 
as follows: Mary Ann (Mrs. Goldsmith) 
was born November 27. 1839, in Nassau, 
Germany ; August was born in Nassau, 
Germany, and resides at Mishicot, Wis., 
is married and has eight children ; Frank 
is a resident of Franklin, Wis. , is mar- 
ried and has five children. In 1853 Mr. 
and Mrs. Nocker emigrated to America, 
landing in New York after a voyage of 
sixty-three days from Liverpool, and pro- 
ceeding westward immediately to Me- 
nomonee Falls, Wis., where they lived 
three years, thence removing to Franklin, 
where Mr. Nocker purchased 160 acres of 
timber land, on which he passed the re- 
mainder of his days. After his death his 
widow removed to Mishicot, Wis., and 
resided there until her death. The old 
homestead, at Franklin, is now owned by 
the son, Frank. 

Mrs. Goldsmith has aided her hus- 
band nobly in the accumulation of his 
property, his farm now comprising ninety 
acres of highly-improved land. As he 
was the only blacksmith in the town for 
twenty years he was a very busy man, 
and, in order to carry on the farm suc- 
cessfully at the same time, Mrs. Gold- 



smith looked after it, besides attending to 
her household duties. To their union 
have been born six children, viz. ; Frank 
and August, who died in infancy; Frank 
(2), deceased ; Carl G. , who remains at 
home with his parents ; and Catherine A. 
and Susie, who also live at home. In 
religious faith Mr. Goldsmith is a member 
of the Lutheran Church, and Mrs. Gold- 
smith and the children are members of 
the Catholic Church. In 1865 Mr. Gold- 
smith enlisted in the army, and served 
six months in Company C, Eleventh Wis. 
V. I., six weeks of which term were spent 
in the hospital. He received an honor- 
able discharge toward the close of the 
struggle on account of disability, and is- 
now receiving a pension of $22 per month 
from the government for disability caused 
by exposure during his service. 



ALBERT VERBOORT, one of the 
most affluent farmers and land- 
owners of Lawrence township, 
Brown county, was born March 
I, 1839, in Uden, Province of North 
Brabant, Holland, son of John and Maria 
Verboort. 

In 1848 the parents of our subject 
came to the United States with their fam- 
ily, sailing from Rotterdam on the 
"Libera," and landing at Boston, Mass., 
after a voyage of fifty-two days. At 
this time there were four children in the 
family, namely: John, now a resident of 
Washington county, Ore. ; William, who 
became a priest, and died in Washington 
county, Ore., at the town of Verboort's 
(named after him), where he had estab- 
lished a church (he was a well-known 
priest in his time; for several years he 
lived in Brown county, Wis. , where he 
established five churches — one in Morri- 
son township; St. Francis Church at De- 
Pere; St. Mary's, De Pere; St. Patrick's, 
Fort Howard, and St. Willibrord's, Green 
Bay); Mary, residing at Verboort's, Ore., 
and Albert, whose name opens this sketch. 
From Massachusetts the familj' came by 



'56 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPBICAL RECORD. 



rail and water to Green Bay, Wis., later 
removing to Little Chute, Outagamie 
county, and thence to Holland township, 
Brown county. They were almost desti- 
tute, and, having lost all their baggage, 
had practically n<jthing with which to be- 
gin life in the New World. They also 
had much difficulty in securing a home, 
and tried various localities, moving about 
from place to place along F"o.\ river; at 
one time they even had a house partly 
built, when it was found necessary to 
abandon it. They endured many hard- 
ships, and once they had nothing to eat 
but wheat bran. But, after reverses that 
would have discouraged almost any one, 
their prospects began to brighten, and in 
1854 they purchased 113 acres of land in 
Lawrence township, the place on which 
our subject now resides. The father and 
two sons commenced threshing by hand, 
receiving for their laborious work one- 
eighth of the grain, which was hauled on 
a hand-sled to market and traded for 
flour. The family resided on the farm 
from 1855 to 1875, and then removed to 
Portland, Ore., where the parents and 
son William died in 1876, the father on 
July 6, the mother June 23, and William 
July 14. They were devout Catholics, 
and were buried in the cemetery at Ver- 
boort, where, as before stated, William 
had established a Catholic congregation, 
which, at the time of his death, was in a 
flourishing condition. With the death of 
this priest the Catholic Church lost one 
of its most earnest workers, and too much 
praise can not be given him for his zeal 
and untiring industry. 

Albert Verboort attended school but a 
short time in his native country, and only 
one month in the United States; but his 
natural ability has asserted itself in spite 
of his lackof early educational advantages. 
He has an inherent genius for mechanical 
work, and learned readily the blacksmith's 
and wagon-maker's trades, at which he 
worked when about fifteen years of age. 
In the fall of 1863 he was united in mar- 
riage, in Brown county, by Rev. Father 



Spierings, with Miss Anna Johnson, who 
was born November i 3, i 826, in Holland, 
near the birthplace of her husband. She 
was a daughter of Jacob and Mary John- 
son, and came to the United States in 
1850 with her mother and two brothers 
— Frank and Theodore. They sailed from 
Antwerp, and, after an ocean voyage of 
thirty days, landed at New York, proceed- 
ing thence via Buffalo, N. Y. , to Green 
Bay, Wis. After marriage Mr. Verboort 
located on his present farm, remaining 
thereon until 1875, when he went to 
Oregon, and there resided three years, 
after which he returned to Brown county. 
Wis., and for a time lived on land along 
Ashwaubenon creek. He then made 
another trip to Oregon; returned again to 
Brown county, and after a brief sojourn 
here once more removed to the Pacific 
coast, where he made his home until 1892, 
when he came back to Brown county, 
taking up his residence on his present 
farm. 

There is probably no citizen in Brown 
county, in the ordinary walk of life, who 
has traveled so extensively, he having 
gone over sixty thousand miles since 1876. 
He has been most successful in his agri- 
cultural work, and to-day is one of the 
wealthiest landowners in Lawrence town- 
ship, having won success by his own 
efforts. In his political preferences he is 
a Democrat, though not strictly partisan, 
and he has never aspired to office. The 
entire family are members of the Catholic 
Church. Mr. and Mrs. Verboort have 
had children as follows: John and Will- 
iam, both living; Dora, who died when 
twelve years of age; and others that died 
in infancy. 



ARVE ARVESON. Among the 
progressive, highly-esteemed agri- 
culturists of New Denmark town- 
ship. Brown county, this gentle- 
man occupies a prominent place. He is 
a native of Norway, born February 22, 
1835, son of Christian (who was a miner 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



^57 



in Norway) and Ingeberg (Johnson) Arve- 
son, who reared a family of five children, 
as follows; Arve (our subject), Mary, 
John, Martha and Nils. 

At the early age of fourteen years Arve 
Arveson commenced to work in the mines, 
his wages being about twelve cents a day, 
and continued in this labor until he reached 
the age of eighteen years, when the fam- 
ily immigrated to America. They landed 
in the city of Quebec, Canada, thence 
journeyed to Green Bay, Wis., where 
they arrived on the old steamer " Michi- 
gan, " and thence to New Denmark town- 
ship, Brown county, where Mr. Arveson 
bought eighty acres of totally unimproved 
land. Mr. Gotfredson, another early 
settler, who owned an ox-team, assisted 
them to bring their household goods to 
their home in the woods, but they had to 
be carried some distance, as there was no 
road for the team. There were only a 
few yoke of oxen in the township at this 
time, and the Arvesons lived here three 
years before they were able to buy a team 
for themselves. For the first two years 
they lived in a i6x i6 log house, the first 
dwelling erected by a white man on the 
place, which stood in the midst of the 
forest, and then removed to another tract 
of eighty acres just northeast of this first 
home, where the parents passed the re- 
mainder of their lives, both living to the 
advanced age of eighty-two years. 

Our subject was, as above related, 
eighteen years old when he came with his 
parents to Wisconsin, and, being the eld- 
est, much of the farm work devolved upon 
him. On March 28, 1858, he was united 
in marriage with Miss Mariane Anderson, 
daughter of Anders and Bertha (Ras- 
mussen) Christensen, and, our subject 
having purchased his present farm from 
his father, the young couple immediately 
took up their residence here, living in the 
old log house during the first five years, 
when it was supplanted by a comfortable, 
modern residence. Their marriage has 
been blessed with seven children, a brief 
record of whom is as follows: Alfred C. 



died of consumption at the age of twenty- 
five (he was in Colorado when first taken 
ill, but came home about two months be- 
fore his death); Emma, Mrs. Christensen, 
is living in Iowa; Millie, Mrs. Hanson, is a 
resident of New Denmark; John remains 
at home with his parents; Rosa, Mrs. 
Nelson, is living in Oconto; Christ is at 
home; Arthur is a school-teacher in 
Antigo, Wis. Mr. Arveson is strictly a 
self-made man; receiving in his youth but 
meager educational advantages, he has, 
by his own efforts, acquired a practical 
education in the broad school of expe- 
rience, and commencing life in the New 
World with no capital save health and 
energy, he has accumulated a comfortable 
property, having a highly-improved farm 
of 160 acres in New Denmark township. 
He is greatly respected by all who know 
him, and has been elected to fill various 
positions of trust in his township, which 
he served two years as chairman, three 
years as treasurer, and also as assessor, to 
the complete satisfaction of his fellow cit- 
izens. In his political preferences he is 
a stanch member of the Republican party. 
He and his wife are, in religious faith, act- 
ive members of the Lutheran Church, in 
which he has served as deacon, and at 
present holds the office of trustee. 

In 1862 Mr. Arveson was drafted into 
the Union army, and provided a substitute; 
but in 1865 he enlisted in Company F, 
Fiftieth Wis. V. I., and served about a 
year, principally in Dakota, among the 
Indians. He received an honorable dis- 
charge at Madison, Wis., in June, 1866, 
and immediately returned to his home. 



PHILIP M. WIRTH. The life of 
a literary man seldom exhibits any 
of those striking incidents that 
seize upon public feeling and fix 
attention upon himself. His character is, 
for the most part, made up of the aggre- 
gate of the qualities and qualifications he 
may possess, as these may be elicited by 
the exercise of the duties of his vocation 



258 



COMMEMOIIATIVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



or the particular profession to which he 
may belong; and in this, possibly, the 
subject of this sketch presents not alto- 
gether an exception to the general rule. 
Mr. W'irth was born in Bavaria, Ger- 
many, April 25, 1823, the third son in 
the family of seven children — six sons and 
one daughter — of Michael J. and Theresa 
(Rauscher) Wirth. The father was a 
school-teacher in Germany, having quali- 
fied for that profession by a college edu- 
cation; and, as a natural consequence, the 
sons received excellent scholastic training. 
Our subject, up to the age of ten }ears, at- 
tended the public schools of the neighbor- 
hood of his place of birth, then for a 
couple of years received tuition under a 
private tutor, after which he entered the 
Royal Gynmasium at Muennerstadt, study- 
ing at that institution of learning six years. 
For a year after leaving college Mr. 
Wirth traveled through Germany and 
Austria for pleasure and recreation, view- 
ing in his journey many scenes not easily 
to be effaced from his memory. In Ger- 
many it is the custom for youths of all 
classes to learn a trade, and our subject 
was no exception, for on his return home 
he apprenticed himself to a carpenter, 
serving two years, at the end of which 
time he answered to his call to enter the 
army, but on account of physical de- 
ficiency he was rejected. Turning his eyes, 
now, in the direction of the Western 
World, with all its grand advantages to 
the man "who is willing to toil, and 
where the poorest may gather the fruits 
of the soil," he resolved to make it 
the battleground of his future life in 
his struggle with the world. Accord- 
ingly, on April i, 1846, he took pas- 
sage at Cuxhafen, the seaport of Ham- 
burg, on the good ship ' • Perseverance " 
(a suggestive title for the young emigrant), 
bound for Ouebec, and after a passage of 
fifty-eight da>s landed at that quaint old 
Canadian city. His destinaton, however, 
was Wisconsin, whither his brother 
George C., had previously emigrated; so 
from Quebec our subject proceeded to 



Buffalo, N. Y. , where he boarded the 
steamer " Oregon " for Milwaukee, from 
which latter port he journeyed to Green 
Bay, arriving July 11, 1846. Here he 
unfortunately was siezed with typhoid 
fever, but, on the other hand — ''For tuna 
favi't fortibus" — he fortunately had the 
home and care of his brother for the 
two months he was ill and convalescent. 
The first dollar he earned in the United 
States was for work he did for Albert 
Weise, who was putting up his first dwell- 
ing on Walnut street, and for a mtjnth he 
followed his trade. Preferring, however, 
the life of a farmer to that of a trades- 
man, he hired out to Daniel H. Whitney, 
of Stockbridge, Calumet county, for ten 
dollars per month, remaining with him 
till 1 849, ofttimes, no doubt, when turn- 
ing the sods with the plough repeating to 
himself lines from the Georgics of Virgil, 
or the Bucolics of Theocritus, or Xeno- 
phon and Homer. From that time for- 
ward he followed his trade as a house 
and ship carpenter till October 4, 1 864, 
when he was drafted into the Union army. 
He was assigned to Companj- E, Twenty- 
second Wis. V. I., and served as orderly 
sergeant and clerk to Col. Chapman, 
whose headquarters were at Camp Randall. 
On May 17, 1865, he was honorably dis- 
charged and returned home to Green 
Bay, where he resumed his trade. 

The time had now come for him to 
buy land, and in December, 1865, he 
purchased fifty acres in Private Claim 
No. 43, Bellevue township. Brown coun- 
ty, heavily timbered and without any im- 
provements, paying for same one thous- 
and dollars. On this tract stood a quan- 
tity of oak timber, and some of the heavi- 
est trees of that kind ever cut in the 
neighborhood of Green Bay were felled on 
this farm. By assiduous labor Mr. Wirth 
cleared the land, converting the primeval 
forest into a luxurious vegetable or truck 
farm, all the improvements being made 
by his own hand, and under his personal 
supervision. His time, ever since com- 
mencing in this line, has been devoted ex- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



559 



clusively to the farm, varied occasionally 
by some small job at carpentry for the 
first two years. On P'ebruary 2, 1S49, 
Mr. Wirth was married in Green Bay to 
Miss Odelia Schauer, who was born Sep- 
tember 8, 1824, in Bavaria, a daughter of 
Henry Schauer, whose family (he l^eing 
deceased) emigrated in 1 846 from the 
Fatherland to the United States, arriving 
in Green Bay, Wis., September 8, 1846. 
After marriage Mr. Wirth continued farm- 
ing in Calumet county until July, 1S49, 
and then came to Green Bay, as already 
related. For his first residence in the 
town he built a house on Madison street, 
which he traded later, and then erected 
the present commodious family residence 
on Walnut street, now owned by Leon 
Findeisen. 1 he children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Wirth were as follows : George 
W., a marine engineer; Odelia, Mrs. 
William Devhue, of Preble township; 
Martha, Mrs. John Heidorf, of Manito- 
woc, Wis. ; Philip and Jacob (twins), the 
former of whom is a marine engineer, the 
latter an artesian well-borer; Mary, Mrs. 
Leonard Verdigen, of Bellevue; Frances, 
Mrs. Mathias Anheuser, of Fort Howard; 
Michael, a farmer of Bellevue; Theresa, 
who died when nine months old. Our 
subject and wife are members of the 
Catholic Church. A Republican, though 
at one time a Democrat, his first Presi- 
dential vote was cast for Lincoln, and he 
has done yeoman service in political mat- 
ters : For nine years he served as clerk 
of Bellevue township; was chairman of 
the council one year, and member of the 
school board five years. He was enu- 
merator of the Tenth United States Cen- 
sus; in 1883-4 served in the Legislature, 
first biennial sessions; and in all his pub- 
lic trusts he has given ample satisfaction 
to his constituents, reflecting the utmost 
credit to himself for his capacity and 
faithfulness. He still finds time for an 
occasional stroll in the fields of literature, 
for, with Greek, Latin, historical, scien- 
tific and other useful books at his com- 
mand, he has always with him a substan- 



tial world, both pure and good, round 
which, "with tendrils strong as flesh and 
blood, our pastime and our happiness 



will grow. " 



JEREMIAH BI-iENNAN, one of the 
old pioneers of Morrison township. 
Brown county, is a native of Ireland, 
born in 1834, a son of Jeremiah and 
Margaret (Foley) Brennan, who were the 
parents of six children, viz. : Kate, Mi- 
chael, John, Patrick, Jeremiah, and Mary: 
Jeremiah Brennan, the father of the 
family, was the first of its members to 
come to this country. In 1 840 he reached 
Glenmore, Brov^'n Co., Wis., where he 
entered 160 acres; and about 1842 he re- 
turned to the East in order to bring his 
family out West. For several years the 
fc-ther was employed in a grocery in Chic- 
opee, Mass., while our subject worked in 
a cotton factory. In 1854 the family 
were prepared to come west and settle on 
their farm, but the father was taken sick 
and died. The mother, however, with 
her sons, left Springfield, Mass. , some 
little time after the sad event, and ar- 
rived in Glenmore before the expiration 
of the year. From De Pere they carried 
their effects on their backs to the farm, 
with nothing but an Indian trail to guide 
them; but once on the land there were no 
idle or unwilling hands, and soon a small 
clearing was made and a small shanty of 
scoops, 12x16 feet, erected for their shel- 
ter, the mother doing her full share of the 
work. Wild animals, which were numer- 
ous and ravenous, killed the oxen in the 
woods, while the bears would carry off 
the hogs before the eyes of the hard-work- 
ing settlers; and the Indians, although 
called civilized, would enter the dwelling 
in the absence of the inmates and carry 
off the provisions — a serious and heavy 
loss under the circumstances. But the 
hardy pioneers struggled on through the 
innumerable vicissitudes and struggles of 
life in the wilderness, and eventually tri- 
umphed over all difficulties — even over 



2 6o 



COMMEMOUATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the vicious, pernicious, and poisonous 
mosquitoes, which, though small in them- 
selves, were no small factor as an annoy- 
ance and an irritant to the new settlers. 
The good old mother was spared to see 
the homestead fully developed, and died 
in 1878, at the advanced age of eighth- 
five years, honored and venerated by all 
•who knew her. Her mortal remains rest 
in the Morrison Catholic burying ground. 
In 1859, at the age of twenty-five, 
Jeremiah Brennan was married to Claren- 
cy, daughter of Michael and Catherine 
Quinn, old settlers of Morrison township, 
having come here about the year 1855. 
They bought 480 acres of land, and, like all 
other pioneers, endured the hardships of 
life in the wilderness. They were the 
parents of three children, named Clarency, 
John S. and Michael. After his marrige 
Mr. Brennan settled on his farm of 160 
acres, which he had previously purchased, 
and on which he had erected a house 
built of timber hewn by his own hands, at 
that time considered the best house in the 
township. In 1 S62 Capt. Harrison and 
Mr. Brennan organized the first company 
in Brown county for service in the Union 
army during the Civil war, the company 
consisting of sixty men; but Mr. Brennan 
resigned his commission, and Harrison, 
going to the front, was killed in the first 
action in which his regiment was engaged, 
and was succeeded by Mr. Lawton, of De- 
Pere. On March 38, 1863, Mr. Brennan, 
with eleven others, started from De Pere 
across the plains to Idaho, with sixteen 
yoke of oxen and wagons, and arrived at 
their destination .\ugust 14. They found 
wild Indians, a wild country, and they also 
found gold. Mr. Brennan returned to 
Wisconsin in i 867 and resumed farming. 
His first wife survived about twelve years 
after marriage, and died July 2, 1872, the 
mother of three children, Mary, Jeremiah, 
and Michael. In 1873 Mr. Brennan took 
for his second wife Ellen Pool, daughter 
of Hugh and Mary (Mehegan) Pool, who 
were the parents of eight children, 
viz. : Kate, John, Thomas, Mary, El- 



len, Michael, William and Hannah. The 
father was one of the pioneers of Cedar- 
burg, having settled there in 1836; he 
now resides in Milwaukee with a daughter, 
and is nearly one hundred years of age. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brennan lived in the old 
log house about fourteen years, when it 
was replaced by the magnificent dwelling 
in which they now reside. The farm com- 
prises 1 20 acres of good land, and is highly 
improved, the whole being the reward of 
Mr. Brennan's industry, aided by his 
children and their good mother. Mr. 
Brennan is a strong advocate of public 
schools, three of the children being now 
teachers. The nine children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Brennan were as follows: Will- 
iam; Nellie, who is a school-teacher; 
Anna; John, deceased; George, whose 
death was caused by playing base-ball; 
Kate, Grace and Celia; Michael, teaching 
in District No. 6. The parents are mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, in which 
Mr. Brennan is much interested, having 
erected the first parsonage built in the 
town. Politically he is a Democrat, and 
has served as town supervisor and in sev- 
eral other offices, but prefers the quietude 
of his private life, which has been alto- 
gether upright and industrious, and such 
as to win for him the respect of all who 
know him. 



M 



ART IN VAN DE WYN- 
G A A R D. Among the repre- 
sentative self-made agricultur- 
ists of Bellevue township. Brown 
county, none commands greater respect 
than this gentleman. He is a native of 
Holland, born . August 30, 1821, son of 
Anton Van De Wyngaard. who was a 
farmer and miller, and had eight children 
— four sons and four daughters — of whom 
Martin is the youngest son. 

Our subject received his education in 
the common schools of his birthplace, 
commencing when about sixteen years of 
age to learn the milling trade under his 
father. In 1 851 he sailed from Rotter- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



261 



dam on the "Mozambique," and, after a 
voyage of forty-five days, landed in New 
York, whence, during the same year, he 
came westward by way of Cleveland, 
Ohio, to Green Bay, Wis. Here he re- 
mained but a few months, and then re- 
turned to Cleveland, where he secured 
employment at shingle-cutting, being will- 
ing to do anything to earn an honest dol- 
lar. While in Cleveland he was taken 
sick, and was sent into the country, in 
the vicinity of Newburg, to recover, after 
which he returned to his native land, as 
he had learned that his father was very 
ill. He was thirty days crossing the 
ocean, during which passage, on August 
15, he dreamed he was attending his 
father's funeral, and, strange to say, he 
found, on his arrival home that his father 
had died and the funeral had taken place 
that day. After spending five or six 
months in Holland, our subject again 
came to America, this time sailing from 
Liverpool on a Black Star liner, and land- 
ing in New York after a very stormy pas- 
sage, the vessel arriving in port with one- 
half of her mainmast standing, while the 
other masts were gone altogether. Mr. 
Van De W^yngaard again came to Cuya- 
hoga county, Ohio, and in 1854 was there 
married to Miss Catherine Ingersoll, a 
native of same, who was born August 13, 
1821, daughter of Levi and Derdamia In- 
gersoll, New England people, who were 
early pioneers of the county, having come 
to Cleveland between the years 18 12 and 
1815. After marriage our subject lived 
in Cuyahoga county with his wife's parents, 
and also on a farm of his own until 1871, 
in which year he brought his family to 
Green Bay, and, buying the "Camp 
Smith" farm along the river, resided there 
for some years. In 1877 he purchased 
and removed upon his present place, now 
consisting of one hundred acres of good 
farming land, but which at that time was 
a new farm and not all cleared; but with 
constant care and attention to the details 
of his work, he now has a pleasant home 
and comfortable propert}'. He conducts 



a profitable general farming business, the 
success he has met with being all due to 
his own unceasing efforts, and he is well 
known and highly respected by his neigh- 
bors and fellow citizens. 

In politics our subject was originallja 
Republican, but during the Grant cam- 
paign he joined the ranks of the Demo- 
cratic party, with which he has since re- 
mained. Religiously he is a member of 
St. John's Catholic Church, Green Bay. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Van De Wyngaard have 
been born the following named children: 
Augusta E. (wife of L. Ver Berkmoes, a 
merchant of Atkinson, 111.), Christina, 
Anton, and Alphonsos (at home), and 
Barnardus (of Sheboygan, Mich.). 



NIELS HANSON GOTFREDSEN 
(deceased) was, during.his lifetime 
one of the most active, promi- 
nent citizens in New Denmark 
township. Brown county, of which he was 
one of the earliest settlers. 

He was born, March 2, 18 14, in the 
Kingdom of Denmark, where, on Febru- 
ary 18, 1848, he was married to Miss 
Laurentine Hjorth, who was born March 
8, 1824, in Langeland, Denmark, daugh- 
ter of Rasmus and Mary (Iverson) Hjorth, 
who had eight children, three of whom 
are now living, namely: Laurentine (Mrs. 
Gotfredsen), Frederick, and Peter A. 
Rasmus Hjorth was a schoolteacher for 
twenty-eight years. One month after 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gotfredsen 
sailed for America, landing in New York 
two months later after a very rough voy- 
age, and coming directly to Milwaukee, 
Wis., in which city Mrs. Gotfredsen re- 
mained while her husband went farther 
north to look for land. He purchased 160 
acres in New Denmark township. Brown 
county, on which they removed at once, 
being the second settlers in the township. 
Mr. Cooper, the first settler of Coopers- 
town, Wis., conveyed them to their home 
with his ox-team, and they located in the 
midst of the forest, which thev at once 



262 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



coinineiiced to clear awaj' and convert 
into a fertile farm. The task was not a 
light one; and, owing to the new and un- 
settled condition of the country, these 
pioneers suffered numerous hardships and 
privations incident to backwoods life, as 
well as the inconveniences to be experi- 
enced in a new countrj"; but the\' perse- 
vered in their noble work, and, after years 
of toil found themselves in possession of a 
tine pnjperty hewn from the forest. By 
unceasing industry Mr. Gotfredsen was 
enabled to increased the area of his farm, 
and at the time of his death was the 
owner of 200 acres of highl}-improved 
land, and ranked among the most success- 
ful men in his locality. In 1S51 Mrs. 
Gotfredsen's parents set out from Den- 
mark for the United States, but the father 
died on the sea, of heart trouble, from 
which he had suffered many years, and 
was buried in New York; the widowed 
mother came to \\'isconsin, and passed 
the remainder of her life with her daugh- 
ter, dying about 1.S61; she was interred 
in the cemetery in New Denmark town- 
ship, donated by Mr. Gotfredsen. 

At the time Mr. Gotfredsen came to 
New Denmark township it was included 
in De Pere, and he was instrumental in 
having it set apart as a separate township, 
taking great interest in that, as well as all 
other public improvements for the benefit 
or advancement of his community. In 
political connection he was a stanch Dem- 
ocrat, and held numerous positions of 
honor and trust in his township, serving 
as chairman, treasurer, etc., in an able 
and satisfactory manner. He was highly 
esteemed by all who knew him, and his 
death, which occurred February 22, 1894, 
brought a loss to the entire community, 
who felt keenly the departure of one of 
the best and oldest citizens. Since his 
decease his widow has continued to make 
her home on the farm, having with her 
her daughter ]ennic. The children born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Gotfredsen were eleven 
in number, as follows: Mary (who was 
the first white girl born in New Denmark 



township), Hilbert, Minnie, Sophia (who 
died at the age of twenty-six), Jennie, 
Frederica, Augusta, Lawrence, Benjamin, 
Laurena and Edith, most of whom are 
living in Nebraska. In 1865 Mr. Gotfred- 
sen revisited his native country, spending 
a short time there among his relatives and 



friends, who 
welcome. 



^ave him a very hearty 



R\l\. MICHAEL JOHN O'BRIEN 
is pastor of St. Patrick's Church, 
Fort Howard, one of the oldest 
congregations in the Fox Ri\er 
Valley, with a present membership of two 
hundred families. 

He was born February 29, i860, in 
Granville, Milwaukee Co., Wis., a son of 
Patrick and Margaret (O'Leary) O'Brien, 
who were natives of Ireland, the former 
of County Waterford, the latter of Coun- 
ty Cork. The parents had immigated to 
Boston, Mass. , about 1 846, were married 
in that city in 1848, and remo\ed to Wis- 
consin earl}- in the spring of 1855, locating 
in Granville township, Milwaukee county, 
where their son was born, on a farm in 
the woods, which they cleared and im- 
proved. In 1873 the father removed with 
his family to Chilton, Calumet county, 
dying on his farm there ten years later, 
March 23, 1883. His widow now resides 
in South Milwaukee. Of their children, 
Ellen is the wife of John McGrath, a 
farmer, and resides in Lebanon, W'aupaca 
Co., Wis.; Patrick is a resident of South 
Milwaukee; Rev. M. J. is the lo\ed pastor 
of a large congregation at Fort Howard; 
Margaret, now Mrs. Charles Kelley, lives 
in Lebanon, as does also Jennie, wife of 
Patrick Cleary; Lizzie is now Mrs. Harry 
Kearns, of Buffalo, Wis. ; George resides 
in South Milwaukee. 

The future candidate for priestly hon- 
ors was a farmer in his youthful days in 
Milwaukee and Calumet counties. He 
was a member of the first class to grad- 
uate from the Chilton high school, in 
June, 187S, and, for three years follow- 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPIIICAL liECORD. 



263 



ing, was a teacher in Calumet county. 
He then, in the fall of 1880, entered St. 
Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, from 
which he was graduated with the class of 
1888; in June, of the same year, was or- 
dained to the priesthood by Archbishop 
Heiss, of Milwaukee, and the following 
month was sent to St. Andrew's Church, 
at Kingston, Wis. He was next assistant, 
for two years, in St. Peter's Church, at 
Oshkosh, and subsequently in charge of 
St. Stephen's Church, at Stevens Point, 
from which place he came to Fort How- 
ard, in May, 1893. Here the field of his 
labors is large, and his efforts have been 
marked with gratifying success. On the 
second Sunday after his arrival he took 
steps toward the erection of the present 
magnificent church, at the corner of 
Cherry and Hubbard streets, in which 
the congregation now worship, which was 
completed in November, 1894, and is one 
of the finest in the Fox River Valley. 
He labored indefatigably to secure means 
and advance the work in every possible 
way; but a good constitution — the founda- 
tion of which was laid on a farm — and 
his ardent love for the work undertaken 
enabled him to give the constant atten- 
tion necessary during the construction of 
the edifice, and to perform a large amount 
of work in addition to his regular duties. 
The church is a brick building, with trim- 
mings of Duck Creek stone, 60 x 124 feet 
in dimensions, with basement, costing 
about twenty-five thousand dollars, and 
is a monument to the zeal and devotion 
of its earnest pastor, who has endeared 
himself to all classes, regardless of de- 
nomination and nationality. 



FRANK CLEEREMANS, Jr., one 
of the well-known farmer citizens 
of Scott township, Brown county, 
was born April 8, 1845, in Bel- 
gium, son of Frank Cleeremans, Sr. , who 
was a farmer in that country. 

In the spring of 1867, having deter- 
mined to try his fortune in America, Frank 

15 



Cleeremans, Sr. , emigrated from his na- 
tive land, bringing his wife and family of 
five sons — Charles, John, Frank, Jr., 
Henry and Alex — all of whom are yet 
living. Sailing from Antwerp on the 
"Ottawa," they arrived in New York 
after a voyage of sixteen days, and im- 
mediately journeyed westward by rail to 
Brown county. Wis. , coming via Chicago 
to Green Bay. Mr. Cleeremans, Sr. , had 
saved a few hundred dollars, and in Scott 
township purchased forty acres (where his 
son Frank now lives), for which he paid 
fifteen dollars per acre. A one-room log 
shanty was the only dwelling on this place, 
and but ten acres of the land were cleared, 
the rest being still in its primitive state. 
The family lived in that house two years, 
when a better one was built. The farm 
was graduall}' cleared and made to yield 
a good income, and here the parents 
passed the remainder of their lives, the 
mother dying May 20, 1871, the father 
on January 11, 1876. They were mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, and their 
remains now rest in Bay Settlement 
cemetery. 

Frank Cleeremans, Jr., attended the 
common schools of his native land, where 
he obtained all his education, receiving 
instruction in French and Flemish, being 
able to read both these languages. His 
knowledge of English he has acquired 
since coming to the United States, by 
close application to American books and 
papers. At the age of twenty he com- 
menced to learn the blacksmith trade, 
which he followed until he came to Amer- 
ica with his parents; previously he had 
worked in a soap factory in France. After 
coming to Wisconsin he secured work in 
Green Bay, and continued in the employ 
of others, giving his earnings to his par- 
ents, until the time of his marriage, in 
1 87 1. In that year he wedded Miss Vir- 
ginia Horckmans, also a native of Bel- 
gium, who, when fifteen months old, was 
brought to America by her parents, Will- 
iam and Thersa (Vanderbosh)Horckmans. 
At this time Mr. Cleeremans, Jr., bought 



264 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIWAL RECORD. 



the interests of his brothers in the home 
farm, and, building a shop on the place 
(all on credit), continued his trade in con- 
nection with farniiii<^ until 1875, when he 
abandoned it, and has since given his at- 
tention exclusively to agriculture. For 
several years he was engaged in the sale 
of nursery stock, and while in this busi- 
ness became widely acquainted in his sec- 
tion of the county. He is now the owner 
of the original place, to which he has 
added ten acres more, and has a comfort- 
able productive farm, free of debt. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Cleerenuins, Jr., were born 
children as follows: Annie, Thersa, Odile, 
Minnie, August, and Henry, all living, and 
four that died in infancy. The mother of 
these passed from earth September 14, 
1887, and was buried in the \Vec]uiock 
cemetery in Scott township. Mr. Cleere- 
mans, Jr., is a stanch Republican, and an 
ardent supporter of the principles of that 
piarty, especially those of protective tariff. 
He has been elected to various offices in 
his township, serving one term as chair- 
man, and for thirteen or fourteen years as 
assessor, in both capacities giving satisfac- 
tion to his constituents. He has been 
self-made in every respect, and, though 
begiiming life a poor man, his natural 
ability, industrious nature and persever- 
ance have enabled him to rise to his pres- 
ent cn\ial)le position. 



HD. VAN SEGGERN was born 
October 9, 1849, in Oldenburg, 
Germany, son of Henry F. and 
Meta (Schmidt) Van Seggern, who 
had four children, as follows: H. D., 
Dedrick (who died when three years old), 
and two that died in infancy. The father 
was a sailor and carpenter, and was em- 
ployed as such for fifteen years, after 
which he worked for a time in the ship- 
yards. 

In 1859 the family came to America, 
sailing from Bremen, and landing, after a 
voyage of thirteen days, in New York, 



where they sojourned three days, and 
then continued their journey west. They 
traveled to Milwaukee, Wis., and thence 
by boat to Manitowoc, where they hired 
an o.\-team to take them to their destina- 
tion in New Denmark township. Brown 
county; but the team collapsed near 
where Mr. Fagan now lives, and they were 
obliged to finish the journey as best they 
could. In New Denmark township the 
father purchased a tract of 160 acres, 
only three acres of which were cleared, 
and the family took up their residence in 
a log hut, which stood on the place, con- 
tinuing to live in same eight years, when 
it was replaced by a more modern dwell- 
ing. About two years after their arrival 
Mr. Van Seggern disposed of eighty acres 
of his land. The father spent the re- 
mainder of his life clearing and improving 
the land he had bought; later purchased 
some more land, and at the time of his 
death was the owner of a fine farm of 160 
acres, now the home of our subject. He 
passed away at the age of seventy-eight, 
fifteen years after the death of his wife. 
Our subject, being the only son, had 
to commence work very early in life, 
helping his father in the labor of clearing 
and cultivating the pioneer farm, remain- 
ing at home except for three winters 
when he worked in the woods. In 
his youth the country around his home 
was sparsely settled and totally unim- 
proved, and he has experienced all the 
inconveniences incident to backwoods life 
in those early days. Although no road 
had yet been cut through to Green Bay, 
he would walk there and back, carrying 
butter and eggs to market, and bringing 
home provisions. On account of the 
meager educational facilities of tha time, 
he received only eleven months' schooling; 
but he has made the best of such oppor- 
tunities as he had, and has acquired a 
practical education by his own efforts. 
He assisted his parents faithfully in the 
laborious task of converting the forest into 
a fertile, jirodurtive farm, and he is now 
enjoying the fruits of those early days of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



265 



hardship and incessant toil. On May 
13, 1879, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Martha F. Daggart, a native of Two 
Rivers, Wis. , daughter of Charles B. and 
Naomi (Knibbs) Daggart, who were of 
Scotch and English descent, respectively. 
Mr. Daggart's first wife died in Two 
Rivers, leaving two children, Thomas and 
Mary, and he subsequently returned to 
New York State where he married Naomi 
Knibbs, who became the mother of five 
children, viz.: Amanda E., Andrew, 
Martha F. , Evaline Ann, and one that 
died in infancy. Mr. Daggart, who fol- 
lowed merchandising, served as postmas- 
ter at Two Rivers, and also for one year 
as member of the Assembly. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Van Seggern took up their residence on 
the old homestead, which Mr. Van Seg- 
gern inherited, and have ever since re- 
mained here, prosperously engaged in 
general farming. To their union have 
been born eight children, their names and 
dates of birth being as follows: Matie 
N., May 22, 1880; Amanda E., Decem- 
23, 1 88 1 ; Charles H., November 3, 1883; 
Fred J., May 13, 1885 ; Walter M., March 
6, 1888; Irma C. , July 10, 1889; Cora 
A. A., February 1, 1892 ; Edna H., No- 
vember 23, 1894. In religious faith Mr. 
and Mrs. Van Seggern are members of 
the Lutheran Church, in which he serves 
as trustee and secretary. In his political 
preferences he is a Republican, taking 
considerable interest in the workings of 
his party, and his fellow citizens have 
honored him with election to various local 
positions of trust ; he served faithfully as 
supervisor three years, from 1880 to 1883; 
also school director, and was recently 
elected to the important position of chair- 
man of his township. For the past si.\ 
years he has been treasurer of the Farm- 
ers' Insurance Company. As a promi- 
nent, prosperous farmer, a public-spirited, 
representative citizen, and a progressive, 
self-made man, Mr. Van Seggern occu- 
pies an enviable position among his fel- 
low citizens in New Denmark township. 



JACOB CRAANEN, postmaster and 
merchant at Bay Settlement, is one 
of the most prosperous young men 
of Scott township, Brown county, 
of which he is a native, having been born 
in Bay Settlement May 26, 1858. 

He is a son of Christian Craanen, a 
shoemaker by trade, who was born in 
Holland, and there married Theodora 
Hooken, the young couple immigrating to 
America immediately after their marriage. 
They came to Green Bay, Brown county. 
Wis., and arrived late in the fall of 1856, 
the entire journey occupying eighty days. 
For two or three weeks they remained in 
Green Bay, and then came to Bay Set- 
tlement, Scott township, where Mr. Craa- 
nen purchased three or four acres of 
land, on which he built a small log house. 
One corner of the cabin was reserved for 
his work-bench, and finding plenty to do 
at his trade, he labored diligently to sup- 
port his family. Three children came to 
brighten his home, viz. : Antoinette, now 
Mrs. Henry Kersten, of Chilton, Wis. ; 
Jacob, a sketch of whom follows; and 
John, a farmer of Scott township. Mr. 
Craanen, in addition to working at his trade, 
cleared his land, and, as his sons grew up 
and commenced to assist him, he pur- 
chased a tract of forty acres, from time to 
time making other additions to his farm, 
until at his death they had 350 acres, all 
accumulated from a commencement of 
nothing. He passed from earth May 14, 
1893, and was buried in Bay Settlement 
cemetery. Mrs. Theodora Craanen died 
December 27, 1881, and was buried in 
Bay Settlement cemetery, and he sub- 
sequently married Elizabeth Noyman, 
who survives him. He was a member of 
the Democratic party, but not an active 
politician, and in religious faith he and 
his wife were members of the Church of 
the Holy Cross, of which he was treas- 
urer at the time of his death. No 
citizen in the township stood higher in 
the esteem of his fellowmen or better 
deserved their respect. He was self- 
made in the full sense of the word. 



266 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



and his larjje propert}' was acquired by 
hard work. f;(K)d in;uia<;eiiient, and up- 
right dealing,'. His powers of endurance 
were wonderful, for, during his earlier 
years, when struggling to obtain a fair 
start, he would labor day and night. The 
330-acre farm did not represent all his 
wealth, for he owned property in Green 
Bay and Ue Perc as well, and, from being 
a poor man on his arrival in Brown 
county, ho rose, b\' industry, to be one of 
its leading citizens. 

Jacob Craanen attended the common 
schools of the home neighborhood until 
thirteen years of age, and then entered 
the college at Calvary, Wis. , where he 
remained until he was si.xteen years old. 
He connnenced to work on the farm, 
where he labored industriously to help his 
father. On November 19, 1889, he was 
married to Miss Mary Beauinier. a native 
of Scott township, and a daughter of Au- 
gust Beauinier, who came from Canada, 
and was of French extraction. This mar- 
riage has been blessed by three children: 
George, born November 21, 1890; Jacob, 
born June 8, 1892, and Myrtle, born Jan- 
uary 2, 1894. In December, 1893, Mr. 
Craanen was appointed postmaster at 
Bay Settlement, where he also conducts 
a grocery business. He is the owner of 
1 5 5 acres of land, a portion of which he 
rents, and is regarded as one of Scott 
township's substantial citizens. Politi- 
cally he is a Democrat, and he and his 
wifciarc members of the Catholic church. 



H. WIESE, a prosperous young 



agriculturist and well-known citi- 



F 

I zenof Lawrence township, Brown 

county, was born September 6, 
1862, in Lippe-Detmold, Westphalia, Ger- 
many, son of William and Louisa (Hage- 
meister) Wiese. 

a William Wiese was for thirty-two years 
foreman in a brickyard in his native place, 
and became quite skilled in this line of 
work, understanding it in every detail. 
His children, all born in the old countrv. 



were as follows: Amelia, now Mrs. Will- 
iam Grimmer, of De Pere, Wis. ; Louisa, 
now Mrs. Gustav Fleck, of Kaukauna, 
Wis. ; Minnie, wife of Rev. Bock, a 
Lutheran minister of West De Pere, Wis. ; 
William, deceased in infancy; and Fred- 
crick H., our subject. In 1867 the family 
sailed from Bremen on the vessel "Ger- 
many," and landed at New York after a 
voyage of eleven days. There they re- 
mained a short time at the "Emigrant 
House," and then proceeded westward to 
Chicago, thence via the Chicago & North 
Western railway to Green Bay, Wis., 
where they made a temporary home with 
the well-known Hagemeister family. Mr. 
Wiese was totally unacquainted with the 
value of property in Brown county, and, 
acting upon the advice of relatives, he 
purchased one hundred acres of land in 
Lawrence township (the farm our subject 
now resides on), the price paid being three 
thousand dollars. A barn and frame 
house had been erected on the place, but 
otherwise it was totally unimproved, and 
it was several years before it afforded any 
revenue to the family. Being obliged to 
go into debt for the farm, and, being 
anxious to own a home free of incum- 
brance, Mr. Wiese put forth every effort 
to clear the land and create a fertile farm; 
but the hard work soon told upon him, 
and, as a result of exposure, he was 
seized with inflammation of the lungs, 
which carried him off September 5, 1868, 
when he was lifty-one years old. He was 
a member of the Lutheran Church. His 
remains now rest in Lawrence cemetery. 
The death of the father left the widow 
and children with the encumbered prop- 
erty, but they courageously set to work, 
and, although the task was no small one, 
they proved themselves equal to it. They 
hired a man to assist with the heavier 
work until our subject was fifteen years of 
age, after which he gradually assumed 
charge of affairs; year by year they saw 
the indebtedness diminish, and finally, 
after working together industriousl)- for 
many vears, found themselves owners of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



267 



a well-improved farm, on which a sub- 
stantial residence had been erected. Mrs. 
Wiese died June 15, 1890. a member of 
the Lutheran Church, and was buried in 
Lawrence cemetery. 

Frederick H. Wiese received but a 
limited education, as he had to commence 
work early in life, being the only son, and 
he has always remained on the home farm, 
which he now owns. Being a natural 
mechanic, he has worked at the wagon- 
maker's trade. On October 14, 1890, 
he was married to Miss Ida E. Smith, 
who was born April 27, 1867, in Wrights- 
town township. Brown county, daughter 
of Nicholas and Carolina (Zittlow) Smith, 
early residents of that locality. Mr. 
Wiese has followed general farming and 
stock-raising, also taking an interest in 
the dairy business. He is industrious and 
systematic, and a leader in all movements 
tending to benefit his township and the 
community at large. In politics he is a 
Democrat, and in religious connection he 
and his wife are members of the Evangel- 
ical Lutheran Church at West De Pere. 
They have one child. Alma L. A., born 
July II, 1891. 



ANTHONY DWYER, one of the 
old and highly respected residents 
of Rockland township. Brown 
county, is a native of the Emerald 
Isle, born in May, 18 18, in County Tip- 
perary. His parents, Dennis and Johanna 
(Ryan) Dwyer, farming people, who 
passed their entire lives in their native 
Ireland, had a family of six children, of 
whom Anthony, the only son, was the 
third in order of birth. 

Our subject was reared to farm life, 
and, when a young man, married Miss 
Johanna Ryan, and while in Ireland they 
had the following children: Johanna, 
Dennis, Philip, Michael, Maurice, An- 
thony (i), John and Anthony (2). Of 
these, Johanna is now the wife of M. 
Scandlan, of Green Bay; Dennis is de- 
ceased; Philip lives in Pound, Wis.; 



Michael is deceased; Maurice lives in 
Lowell, Wash.; Anthony (i) is deceased; 
John lives in Rockland, Wis. ; Anthony 
(2) is deceased. In the spring of 1852 
this family went to Liverpool, and, taking 
passage on an American-bound vessel, 
landed at New York, their first home in 
the New World being in Syracuse, N. Y. , 
where they lived for three and a half 
years, Mr. Dwyer working at anything 
which would bring him an honest dollar. 
Here one child, Anthony (2), died, and 
one, Anthony (3), was born (he is now 
living in Lowell, Wash.). In October, 
1855, they came westward to Wisconsin, 
and for a year had their residence in De- 
Pere, where the father engaged in various 
pursuits, and then in November, 1856, 
came to the present farm in Rockland 
township, purchasing forty acres at $1.50- 
per acre, and then had to borrow thirty 
dollars to make the first payment. At 
that time there was not a single house 
between the farm and De Pere, and the 
road was only a path through the woods. 
Mr. Dwyer built the first dwelling on the 
place, and then commenced the work of 
clearing away the forest, the dense growth 
of oak, beech, pine, maple, etc., making 
the task a difficult one; but he was deter- 
mined to succeed, and, after many years 
of hard work, had a fertile, productive 
farm, which yielded him a good income. 
While living in De Pere another son, 
Jeremiah, was born (he is now living 
in Minneapolis, Minn.), and the follow- 
ing named children were born on the 
farm: Patrick, living at home; Mag- 
gie, Mrs. Edward Martin, of Florence, 
Wis.; Mary, deceased; and Katie, living 
at home. The mother was called from 
earth March 26, 1876, and was buried 
in De Pere cemetery, and since her death 
her daughters have had charge of the 
household affairs. Mr. Dwyer has seen 
his present farm transformed from an un- 
broken wilderness into a well-improved 
farm, which represents years of arduous 
toil, this property having all been accumu- 
lated from a commencement of nothing. In 



268 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



1890 his son Patrick bought the farm, and 
Mr. Dvvyer now makes his home with 
him, retired from active work. He is a 
Democrat, but has never taken much inter- 
est in pohtics, having, until recently, given 
his undivided attention to the farm. Of 
his large family of fourteen children, 
eleven are now living, and he has twenty- 
six grandchildren and six great-grand- 
children. 



NIELS NELSON, an esteemed cit- 
izen of New Denmark township, 
Brown county, has been identified 
with her agricultural interests for 
the past forty years. He is a native of 
Norway, born March 14, 1823, son of 
Nelson and Anna (Johnson) Nelson, who 
were the parents of two children: Bertha, 
now Mrs. Torkel Johnson, of Denmark, 
and Niels, our subject. The father 
worked in the iron factories of his native 
country. 

Niels Nelson lived with his parents 
until he reached the age of about twenty- 
five years, when he was married March 
25, 1847, to Miss Anna Arveson, whose 
parents, Aron NeiLson and Mar\' (Chris- 
terson) Arveson, had children as follows: 
Christian, Neils, Emma and Anna (Mrs. 
Nelson). Immediately after their mar- 
riage Mr. and Mrs. Nelson sailed for 
America, and after a seven-weeks' voyage 
landed in New York City, thence contin- 
uing their journey westward to Buffalo, 
N. Y. , and thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where thej' remained nearly three years, 
Mr. Nelson working as a day laborer. In 
1 8 50 they emigrated to \\'isconsin, and in 
New Denmark township, Brown county, 
our subject invested in sixty acres of 
timber-covered land, and, having cleared 
a small space in the woods, erected a 
14x16 log cabin, in which the}' lived ten 
years, when it was replaced by a more 
modern dwelling. Their supplies were 
all brought from Green Bay, and as Mr. 
Nelson did not own an ox-team until ten 
years after his removal to this place, he 



would walk the entire distance to and 
from that town, carrying his provisions, 
his path for the greater part of the way 
lying through the forest; when he came to 
New Denmark the Manitowoc road was 
the only one leading through the town- 
ship. By diligent toil he has succeeded 
in converting the piece of wild land into a 
comfortable farm, with good improve- 
ments and all necessary outbuildings, and 
he carries on a profitable general farming 
business. Politically our subject is inde- 
pendent, and not active in public affairs; 
in religious faith he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church. They have 
had one child, Nellie. 



FATHER ADOLPH SMITZ, pastor 
of St. Boniface Church, West De- 
Pere, is a native of Holland, born 
October 25, 1844, at Oirschot, a 
village of three or four thousand inhab- 
itants in the Province of North Brabant, 
son of Henry Bartholome and Antonia 
Maria (Fock) Smitz, both also natives of 
Holland. The father, who was a physi- 
cian, is now deceased, but the mother is 
still living in Holland at the age of eighty- 
one years. 

Adolph Smitz was educated in the 
lower and higher seminaries of 's Herto- 
genbosch, was ordained priest May 25, 
1872, in the Cathedral of St. John, at that 
place, and was afterward assistant priest 
at Moergestel, at Diessen and at Zeelst 
— all in Holland. On September 8, 1883, 
he sailed from Amsterdam on the steamer 
" Amsterdam," and landed at Hoboken, 
N. J. (opposite New York City), soon 
afterward coming to Wisconsin. For a 
short time he officiated in the vicinity of 
Green Bay, and on January i, 1884, was 
given charge of St. Boniface Church, 
West De Pere, a position he still fills. 
This church is an offshoot of St. Mary's, 
of East De Pere; the edifice was erected 
in 1883, and. when Father Smitz took 
charge, was composed of little more than 
bare walls, with a room partitioned off at 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



269 



the north end for a school, but since he 
assumed charge of affairs here a pleasant 
priests' residence has been built (1885), 
the church edifice plastered, finished and 
furnished (1891), and a commodious 
schoolhouse, containing six rooms, erected 
(1893), the land for both parsonage and 
school having been purchased during 
Father Smitz' administration. The reci- 
tation rooms are 24x30 feet, some of 
them being at present occupied by the 
Sisters for residence purposes. The 
school enrollment in 1894 was 212, for 
both sexes, and 150 families are numbered 
in the prosperous parish of St. Boniface, 
natives chiefly of Holland, Belgium and 
and lower Germany. The corner-stone 
of the schoolbuilding was laid and blessed 
by Bishop Messmer May 14, 1893, and 
the school was blessed by the same bishop 
September 8, in the presance of the Most 
Rev. Francesco Sattoli, Archbishop of 
Lepanto, I. P. I., and apostolic delegate 
to the United States. In February, 1894, 
the school was made free. On June 29, 
1893, the church was blessed, by permis- 
sion of the Bishop, by Father Martin 
Anderegg, and on the same day he cele- 
brated first mass. St. Boniface church 
edifice is not yet complete, as a sanctuar}- 
is to be added on the north end, for the 
purpose of enlarging its seating capacity. 
A fine bell, weighing 1,400 pounds, and 
costing three hundred and twenty dollars, 
blessed February 12, 1888, calls the con- 
gregation to worship. 



JOHN SMITH, prominent as an at- 
torney of De Pere, Brown county, 
Wis., has been a resident of that city 
for the past twenty-five years. His 
birth took place in a small village in Zwol- 
gen, in the south of Holland, July 29, 1 844. 
His education was acquired in the com- 
mon and military schools of his native 
country, in the army of which he served 
eighteen months, and he also became mas- 
ter of the bricklayer's trade before coming 
to the United States in the earlier part of 



1869. In the" summer of that year he 
settled in De Pere, with ten cents in his 
pocket and with an indebtedness of sev- 
enty dollars staring him in the face; but 
he was ambitious and skillful, and steadily 
worked at his trade until 1873, when his 
labors began to lighten. He now became 
interested in insurance and real estate, 
and to devote his spare hours to the study 
of law with his partner, George F. Mer- 
rill, with whom he continued to read until 
1884, when he was admitted to the bar. 
From that date to this he has been in 
constant and active practice, in conjunc- 
tion with his insurance and real-estate 
business. He is the sole agent at De Pere 
for the sale of steamship passenger tickets 
to and from the old country for several 
trans-Atlantic steamship lines. He also 
has a Catholic book, stationery and toy 
store, which is in charge of his daughter 
Jennie, and he has proved himself to be a 
shrewd and self-reliant business man. He 
is now the owner of a large body of real 
estate in the city, and has several build- 
ings, including the brick block in which he 
has his office and store. 

Mr. Smith was married, one year after 
settling in De Pere, to Miss Kate Minor- 
ette, also a native of Holland, who has 
borne him thirteen children, nine of whom 
are living, named as follows: Carrie, 
Jennie, Christian, Edward, Herbert, Frank, 
Charles, William and Fredrick, all resid- 
ing under the paternal roof, excepting 
Carrie, who is married. In politics Mr. 
Smith is a Democrat, and for eleven years 
has served as school commissioner; he has 
also served as mayor of De Pere two 
terms, as alderman several times, and is 
now filling his fourth term as city attorney. 
He is strictly a self-made man, and enjoys 
to the full the confidence of the public. 



LEWIS KNUTH, a justice of the 
peace, town clerk and chairman of 
the town of Wrightsville, Brown 
county, was born at De Pere, 
Brown Co., Wis., February 22, 1863. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



His father, George Kmith, was born 
October lO, 1814, ''^ Groiuienz, in west 
Prussia, and was there married to Cathe- 
rine Jaddaz, daughter of a prominent citi- 
zen of the place. In 1859 they came to 
the United States with their five children, 
first locating in the town of Maple Grove, 
Manitowoc Co. , Wis. , whence the)' moved 
to De Pere, where Mr. Knuth filled various 
positions, but was never a man to seek 
public office. In 1870 he settled in 
\\'rightstown, where he made farming his 
principal occupation until his death, which 
occurred October 26, 1877, his widow sur- 
viving until February 13, 1893. 

Lewis Knuth was educated at I)e Pere, 
and at the little log schoolhouse of 
Wrightstown. At the age of eighteen 
years he entered the store of the well- 
known firm of Mueller & Spuhler as 
clerk, and this position he retained about 
eight years. On May 13, 1887, he mar- 
ried Miss Pauline Fieck, daughter of 
Charles F"ieck, a prominent farmer of 
Morrison township, Brown county, and 
the same spring he was elected to the of- 
fice of town clerk, and two years later to 
that of justice of the peace. The former 
office he has filled so well that his fellow 
citizens have retained him in it for five 
consecutive years, and he also continues 
to hold the office of justice of the peace, 
for which he has proved himself equally 
well qualified. He is also chairman of 
the town. A man of energy and of liberal 
views, he has risen to a high position in 
the estimation of his fellow townsmen, as 
is fully proven by his popularity at the 
polls. Four children make his home happy 
—two sons and two daughters, named 
respectively, Elma, William, Laura and 
Arthur. 



JOHN NIVEN McCUNN. The sons 
of Scotia, whose suggestive motto, 
" Nrmo mc ivipunc laces sit," em- 
blazons every Scottish battle-torn 
banner, are to be found the wide world 
over, occupying, many of them, exalted 



positions in every sphere of life — in liter- 
ature, arts and sciences, no less than in 
the several professions — civil and mili- 
tary; foremost in war, first in peace. 

The subject of this memoir is a native 
of Glasgow, Scotland, born December 10, 
1858, of time-honored ancestry. His 
Grandfather McCunn was a sea-faring 
man, and wag drowned off the wild and 
rugged coast of Scotland while acting as 
pilot on a vessel. His son, James, father 
of our subject, was born at Gourock. 
Lanarkshire, Scotland, and learned the 
trade of carpenter and joiner, which he 
successfully followed many years, in the 
latter days of his life conducting a grocery 
business; but, when he was only thirty-six 
years old, death intervened and deprived 
his wife of a loving husband, and their 
four " weanies" of a devoted father. He 
was a man of more than ordinary intelli- 
gence, and of considerable enterprise, up- 
right and conscientious, and a consistent 
member of the Presbyterian Church. His 
widow, Mrs. Janet McCunn, who was a 
daughter of John and Mary (Kirkwood) 
Niven, natives of Paisley, Scotland, 
having decided, in her widowhood, to 
come to America with her little family, 
set out by the S. S. "St. David" of the 
Allan line, in April, 1870 (our sub- 
ject being then about eleven years old), 
arriving at Point Levi, opposi+e Quebec, 
Canada, on May 6. From there they 
came direct to Wisconsin, making their 
first home in the ^^'estern World in Port- 
age county, whither James McCunn, the 
oldest son (now a farmer in that county), 
had preceded them. 

John N. McCunn had received some 
elementary education in Glasgow, and 
after coming to Wisconsin he attended 
district school, also the high school at 
Waupaca, afterward teaching for a season 
or so, at the same time keeping up his 
studies. In 1882 he entered Milton Col- 
lege, intending to take a full collegiate 
course; but impaired health prevented his 
completing it. During the summer of 
1883 he visited his old home in Scotland, 





t^<^^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



273 



and on his return to Wisconsin he re- 
sumed his studies, and again taught school, 
after which he became general agent for 
"Johnston's Encyclopedia," his territory 
covering all northern Wisconsin, while his 
headquarters were at Green Bay. In 
1887 he bought a half interest in the 
Green Bay Business College, and before 
the expiry of a year he had complete con- 
trol of the institution, to which he was 
now enabled to give his exclusive atten- 
tion. After taking charge he made a 
complete change in the general economy 
of the college, among other innovations 
having added a Shorthand department, 
and in the spring of 1888 furnished the 
rooms with new fixtures, etc. In the spring 
of 1893 Prof. McCunn erected the largest 
and most expensive college building in the 
State, exclusively for a Business College; 
it is a three-story structure, built of red 
pressed brick, having brown sandstone 
facings, the entrance being adorned with 
polished granite columns, basement being 
of limestone. The entire building is 
heated with steam and lighted with elec- 
tricity — in fact the Green Bay Business 
College is the most thoroughly equipped 
institution of the kind in the West, and, 
as a whole, is well worthy of the pride of 
that ambitious city. 

In 1884, after his return from his 
visit to Scotland, above alluded to. Prof. 
John N. McCunn was married in Wau- 
paca to Miss Florence Ida Pipe, a native 
of Waupaca county, Wis. , and daughter 
of Thomas Pipe, ex-mayor of Waupaca, 
an honored pioneer and business man. 
To this union were born three children: 
Ethel May, Florence Verna, and Walter 
Thomas. The mother of these passed 
from earth January 10, 1889, and in Oc- 
tober, 1890, our subject married Miss 
Ada Montgomery, daughter of John Mont- 
gomery, an extensive farmer of Washing- 
ton county, Penn., where she was born. 
She was educated at the ladies' seminary 
in Washington, Penn., after which she 
taught school in her native county and in 
the Green Bay Business College one year. 



By this second marriage of the Professor 
there is one child now living, Harold 
Montgomery. 

Prof. McCunn has been an active and 
useful citizen of Green Bay ever since 
coming to the place, and has closely 
identified himself with its civic affairs, at 
the present time serving as a member of 
the city council. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of the Business Men's Association, 
Royal Arcanum, B. P. O. E., and K. of 
P., in which latter order he was installed 
chancellor commander in January, 1894. 
Politically he is a Republican, his first 
Presidential vote having been cast for 
Garfield. Green Bay owes much to just 
such enterprising young men as the sub- 
ject of this sketch, who has brought his 
young and active life to aid in forming 
the nucleus around which, in time, will 
cluster the metropolis of northeastern 
Wisconsin. In the building up of his 
Business College, alone, he has been the 
means of bringing to Green Bay many 
enterprising young people, who are bene- 
fited by the example set them by their 
upright principal. 



HENRY RHODE, M. D., one of 
the oldest and most experienced 
physicians and surgeons of Green 
Bay, was born in Hanover, Ger- 
many, in 1829, a son of Henry and 
Catherine (Beil) Rhode. He was edu- 
cated at the Gynmasium at Heiligenstadt, 
Prussia, and studied medicine at the Uni- 
versity of Goettingen, Hanover, from 
which he graduated in 1850, and then en- 
tered the Prussian army as surgeon, serv- 
ing until 1854. 

In that year he and his wife came to 
America and located in Toledo, Ohio, 
where his father and mother and two 
sisters died of cholera the same year; they 
had immigrated to America in 1 849. After 
a brief practice in Toledo, the Doctor 
moved to Chilton, Wis., in 1856; thence 
went to Manitowoc, and in 1859 came to 
Green Bay, where he has ever since been 



374 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPITWAL RECORD. 



in active practice. He has achieved a 
fine reputation professionally. He is a 
member of the Fo.\ River Valley Medical 
Society, also of the Brown County Medi- 
cal Societ}', and is likewise a censor. 

Dr. Rhode has been twice married: 
first time in Germany, in 1852, to Chris- 
tina Engelhardt, who died in Toledo, 
Ohio, in 1856, two years after the death 
of his parents and two sisters. His sec- 
ond marriajje took place in Green Bay, 
Wis., in i860, to Miss Mary Eva Becker, 
a native of Prusssia and a daughter of 
Bartholmaus and Eva Becker, who were 
early settlers of Milwaukee, the former of 
whom died in Milwaukee in 1853, the lat- 
ter in Green Bay in 1886. To the Doc- 
tor and his wife were born eight children, 
of whom seven are living, as follows: 
Kunigunda, wife of Feli.x Johannes; Caro- 
line Matilda, wife of H. E. Bacon, Jr.; 
Katie, now Mrs. E. A. Beaumont ; Ottilie, 
wife of Winford Abrams; Ida; Henry P., 
who graduated from the College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons, of Chicago, 111., and 
located at Forest Junction, Wis., in 1894, 
and Richard A. In politics Dr. Rhode 
is a Democrat, is serving his second term 
as a member of the board of Pension 
Examiners, and has been county physi- 
cian three terms. He and his wife are 
members of the Catholic Church, and 
their consistent Christian walk in life has 
gained for them the respect of all their 
neighbors. 



HANS PETER ANDERSEN, a 
successful farmer of New Den- 
mark township. Brown county, 
was born February 6, 1851, in 
Langeland, Denmark, son of Rasmus 
and Anna (Peterson) Andersen, natives of 
the same place, the latter of whom was a 
daughter of Peter Christensen. 

Anders Christensen, paternal grand- 
father of our subject, had a family of six 
children, namely: Christ, Rasmus, Hans, 
Mary Ann, Nels, and Frederick. Rasmus 
Andersen followed the wagon-maker's 



trade, which he had learned from his 
father, and which he in turn taught to his 
son, our subject, who followed it about 
two years in the old country. Seven 
children were born to Rasmus as follows: 
Anna, Matilda, Hans Peter, Andrew, Car- 
oline, Mary Ann, and Christiana, all of 
whom are now in this country; two of the 
daughters, Mrs. Rasmus Nelson and Mrs. 
Rasmus Rasmussen, are residents of New 
Denmark, Brown county. In the spring 
of 1867 the family left Denmark and 
landed in New York after a three-weeks' 
voyage, coming directly from that city to 
New Denmark township. Brown count\-. 
Wis., where the\- invested in sixt\- acres 
of land, partly cleared. A log house 
standing on this place was their home for 
six years, when it was replaced by the 
modern frame dwelling in which our sub- 
ject now lives, and here the parents passed 
the remainder of their lives, the father 
passing from earth August 13, 1890, the 
mother May 24, 1891. Their remains 
were interred in New Denmark cemeter), 
where a monument now marks their last 
resting-place. 

Hans Peter Andersen remained at 
home with his parents until he was about 
twenty-one years of age, when he engaged 
in carpentering, continuing at same for 
five years. At the end of that time, in 
1877, he bought the home farm, where 
he had been thoroughly trained to agri- 
cultural pursuits, his father having in his 
day been one of the most successful farm- 
ers of the township. On April 10, 1880, 
our subject was married to Miss Mina 
Nelson, daughter of Niels Peter and Maria 
(Peterson) Nelson, the latter of whom, a na- 
tive of Denmark, married, for her first hus- 
band, James Anderson, and after his de- 
cease was wedded to Niels Peter Nelson. 
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Andersen has 
been blessed with three children, as fol- 
lows: Mary, born December 19, 1880; 
Alfred, born April 3, 1884, and Agnes, 
born February 21, 1887. During his 
youth our subject had very meager op- 
portunities for obtaining an education. 



I 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



■/:> 



but he has acquired a practical business 
training, and by good management has 
made a success of his chosen vocation, 
now owning 138 acres of good land, well 
improved and highly cultivated. A stanch 
Republican in politics, he takes great in- 
terest in the success of his party, and, 
though not an aspirant for offlce, has served 
his township as school clerk six years and 
supervisor two years; also was treasurer 
of the New Denmark Mutual Home Fire 
Insurance Company eight years. In re- 
ligious connection he and his wife are 
members of the Lutheran Church, in 
which he has been an officer for the past 
fifteen years, serving as trustee, treasurer, 
secretary, and deacon. 



M 



ARTIN VAN ABEL. This lead- 
ing representative farmer citizen 
and prosperous merchant of Hol- 
land township. Brown county, is 
a living link between the pioneer days of 
half a century ago and the present ad- 
vanced period in the history of Wiscon- 
sin. With axe in hand he felled the first 
tree on the spot where is now his elegant 
home, and his eyes have beheld the trans- 
formation of impenetrable forests into 
bright fields of golden grain and luxuriant 
meadows, fragrant with the perfume of 
honey-bearing clover. 

Mr. Van Abel is a native of Holland, 
born February 13, 1827, a son of Andrew 
Van Abel, a farmer in comfortable cir- 
cumstances in that world-renowned dairy- 
land, and who was the parent of five chil- 
dren that lived to adult age, of whom 
three are yet living, viz. : William, in 
Holland township. Brown Co. , Wis. ; 
Ellen, living with our subject; and Mar- 
tin. The father of these died in 1844, 
the mother, whose maiden name was 
Mary Kempen, passing away in 1863. 
They came with some of their children 
to Wisconsin in 1851, three years after 
Martin's emigration. 

Martin Van Abel received a fair edu- 
cation at the public schools of his native 



land until thirteen years of age, when he 
went to work on a farm, and so continued 
till his emigration to the United States, 
which event took place when he was 
twenty-one years old. Having been 
drafted into the Dutch army, he con- 
cluded the best way to avoid service 
would be to "take French leave," and 
emigrate. Accordingly, on the good ship 
' • Liberia, " bound from Amsterdam for the 
United States, he, in the spring of 1848, 
set sail from his native land, arriving, after 
a voyage of fifty-four days, at Boston. 
Thence traveling westward via Buffalo 
(where he took passage on the ' ■ Old 
Michigan"), he landed in Green Bay May 
10, same year. From there he came to 
what is now Holland township, in com- 
pany with the following named, who were 
among the first settlers of the village of 
Holland : William Kempen, Henry Van- 
dehey, Henry Hovener, Henry Gerrits, 
Martin Ver Kuile, Albert Vandenberg. 
John Arts, George Vanden Heuvel, and 
John Verboort. At this time the land was 
all new and uncleared,, in fact, in its 
primeval condition, totally untouched by 
the hand of man, and here they decided 
to form a purely Dutch colony. In order 
that they might not only converse in their 
mother tongue, but also worship as they 
did in their far-away native land, they 
brought with them their own pastor, Rev. 
Godhart. The party came by way of 
Wrightstown, and from there continued 
their journey by teams, in the direction 
of their destination ; but at the end of 
three miles they found themselves con- 
fronted with an impenetrable forest, de- 
fying farther progress with anything in the 
shape of horse and wagon; consequently 
the teams were left behind, and all the 
goods and chattels carried through the 
woods on the backs of the immigrant 
colonists. Arrived at last at their goal, 
they made their first settlement on a piece 
of land now owned by Martin Van Abel. 
Shanties or huts were hurriedly built of 
bark stripped from the basswood tree, and 
for a long time this was their only shelter. 



276 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Each member of this party took up land 
for his own account. 

During the first year Martin \'an Abel, 
being \'oung and strong, worked for some 
of the others who liad families, and as 
there were no roads of an)' kind, bound- 
aries, farms or fences, he found plenty 
to do at chopping down the giants of the 
forest, and out of the hewn logs building 
dwellings of a more substantial nature. 
The first land purchased by Mr. \'an Abel 
was forty acres, all timber-covered, in 
Calumet county, one-half mile from the 
village of Holland, for which land he paid 
ten shijlings per acre, and here he cut the 
first tree that ever fell to axe on the 
place, all the preliminary improvements 
on the place being made by his own 
hand; and, as there was no means of re- 
moving the trees as they fell, huge bon- 
fires were made, which consumed many a 
thousand feet of valuable timl^er. .\bout 
I 862 our subject removed to Section 35, 
Holland township, where for one year he 
lived on rented land, then in Section 34 
he bought the twelve acres whereon is 
now his home. 

But Mr. V'an Abel, since coming to 
Holland townshij), has been more inter- 
ested in mercantile pursuits than in farm- 
ing. Shortl\- after his arrival in the vil- 
lage of Holland, in partnership with his 
brother-in-law, lohn Wassenberg. he 
opened out a mercantile business, con- 
ducted by them two years, at the end of 
which time our subject bought out his part- 
ner and afterward carried on the store alone 
until 1880. In that year fire destroyed 
his store and stock in trade, causing him 
great loss, as he had but little insurance. 
Nothing daunted, however, he rebuilt at 
once, bought a fresh stock, later adding 
thereto a saloon business, all of which he 
has since conducted with eminent success, 
the growth of his trade necessitating the 
enlargement of his premises from time 
to time, until now he owns quite a com- 
modious establishment. To his land he 
has, by purchases at different periods, 
added until now he has 130 acres. 



In October, 1861, Mr. Van Abel was 
married, in Holland township, to Miss 
Ellen Wassenberg, a native of Holland, 
born May 16, 1842, a daughter of William 
Wassenberg, who came to the United 
States with his family in 1851 on the 
same boat in which the mother of our sub- 
ject and others of the family crossed the 
Atlantic. To this union came children 
as follows : Born in Calumet county — 
John, now a farmer of Holland township; 
born in the \illage of Holland — Mary, 
now the wife of Theodore Broercn, of 
Portland, Oregon ; Hattie, Mrs. Henry 
Van Deuren, of Green Bay; William (i), 
deceased at the age of two years; Minnie, 
one of the Sisters of St. Francis, in Mani- 
towoc, Wis. ; Michael M., at home; Henry 
H., a graduate of Green Bay Business 
College ; Lizzie, who died young; Annie, 
William (2), and Anton, all three at 
home; Bardene, deceased; and Albert, at 
home. Mr. and Mrs. Van Abel and fam- 
ily are prominent members of St. Francis 
Church, at Holland. Politically he has 
always been a stanch Democrat, and has 
served as supervisor, although he has 
never sought office, his many private in- 
terests demanding and receiving all his 
time and attention. 

Mr. Van Abel is one of the four yet 
living of the original party of pioneers 
who came into the Holland settlement in 
1848 — nearly half a century ago — during 
which long period he has witnessed mar- 
velous changes and experienced hardships 
unknown to and not readily realized by 
the present commercial generation. He 
is a living type of the progressive man, 
who from boyhood, with but little educa- 
tion and no knowledge of the English 
language, essays to build up a home and 
reputation in the wilds of a new part of a 
new countr\', and succeeds by his own 
brawny muscle and indomitable will 
power. He was confronted with the 
stern forest, and he subdued it ; he en- 
countered innumerable difficulties, and he 
overcame them; he met with ruinous ad- 
versity, but Phcenix-like, he built up bet- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPmCAL RECORD. 



ter and higher. He and his amiable wife 
had a large family to rear, and they 
brought them up nobly in the backwoods, 
educating them as well as if they had 
lived in the finest city, and taught them 
to t;now and to live up to the knowledge 
that they are worthy children of worthy 
pioneer parents, respected everywhere. 



F 



RANK FROSCH, the postmaster 
of Wayside, Morrison township. 
Brown county, and a prosperous 
merchant, is a son of George 
Frosch (a rope-maker), a native of Baden, 
Germany, born April 23, 181 7, son of 
Alexander Frosch, a merchant and also a 
rope-maker. 

George Frosch also served, under the 
military laws of his country, as a soldier 
for three years, and therefore became a 
free citizen. At the age of twenty-six he 
had accumulated some means by hard 
work, and determined then to come to 
the United States. Embarking at Havre, 
France, he reached New York City after 
a passage of forty days, and thence went 
to Rochester, N. Y. , where, even at his 
age, he began to learn coopering, at that 
time a very lucrative trade. A year or 
two later he moved to Ohio, worked at 
the same trade a short time, and then 
came to Wisconsin, landing at Milwaukee; 
here he worked at coopering a year or 
more, and then went to Cedarburg, Ozau- 
kee count}', where he was employed as 
clerk by a Mr. Honnafer, proprietor of the 
' ' Washington House. " It was there that 
he met, and married, on April 6, 1853, 
Elizabeth Hangen, who was born March 
17, 1 83 1, in the village of Sprendlingen, 
Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, 
a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Bal- 
ser) Hangen, who came to the United 
States in 1843. To the marriage of Mr. 
Frosch was born, January 20, 1854, one 
child, Frank. Late in the fall of 1856, 
relinquishing coopering at Cedarburg, 
which trade he had followed since his 
marriage, Mr. Frosch moved to Morrison 



township. Brown county, and settled on 
forty acres of land he had previously 
bargained for in Section 18, S. E. The 
land was new, with only a few trees felled 
around a shanty built by the former owner. 
No roads were in the neighborhood, ex- 
cepting a foot-path tliat led to the shanty. 
Bear and deer were plenty, with other 
wild game, and wolves were yet to be 
found to make night hideous with their 
howling. Mr. Frosch erected a small 
workshop on his place, and made quite a 
comfortable living for his famil}-. On 
this tract, on November 18, 1867. .was 
born the second son, George. A few 
years later Mr. George Frosch bought 
eighty acres in Section 17, opposite his 
first purchase, owning eventually 124 
acres, which he converted into an excel- 
lent farm. About 1890 he retired to 
Wayside, where his death occurred Febru- 
ary 24, 1892, after one week's illness 
from la "grippe." He was a sincere Lu- 
theran in his religious faith, and in poli- 
tics was a Democrat, but did not aspire 
to public office. Mr. Frosch led a virtu- 
ous and industrious life, one worthy the 
study of the rising generation. He in- 
herited nothing to give him a start, and 
yet died a comparatively wealthy man. 
He came to America with but a few hard- 
earned dollars in his possession; finally 
settled in a wilderness, which he made to 
"blossom like the rose; "worked at a trade, 
which, in his day, was unaided by the 
machinery of the present day, but all 
done by manual labor; won the respect of 
all who knew him, and left to his progeny 
sufficient for an honorable beginning of 
their chosen callings. His estimable 
widow, a member of the Lutheran Church, 
is now residing with her son George. 
That she has always been an invaluable 
and earnest helpmeet to her honored 
husband it is superfluous to add. 

Frank Frosch was hardly three years 
of age when he was brought to Morrison 
township by his parents. In this wilder- 
ness he was reared on the farm and in- 
ured to all the hardships of a pioneer life. 



27S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



His education \v;is accjuired at the district 
school, and was sufficient for all the pur- 
poses of a hardy but intelligent farmer. 
At the age of twenty-one he went to De- 
Pere and engaged in business with Jacob 
Falck, thus increasing his store of knowl- 
edge. In a short time, however, he re- 
turned to Wayside, and purchased the 
general store of Peter Axen, which was 
then, in 1876, a small affair, but now, 
under Mr. Frosch's management, has 
become one of the most thriving and 
largest business houses of the town. Mr. 
Frosch was united in marriage, March 22, 
1876, at De Pere, with Miss Elizabeth 
Beattie, a native of that city, and the 
children born to this marriage are as fol- 
lows: Raymond G., Frank H., Estella 
A., and Cora E. In politics Mr. Frosch 
is a Democrat; he was the first postmas- 
ter at Wayside, and has so efficiently per- 
formed the duties of the position that he 
has held the office through all the admin- 
istrations ever since; he has also been 
township treasurer for the past two years. 
His business interests have grown apace, 
and in 1892 he took into partnership his 
brother, George, the firm now standing as 
Frosch Bros. Mr. and Mrs. P'rank Frosch 
are members of the Lutheran Ch,urch,and 
are highly respected in the social circles 
of Wayside and the entire township of 
Morrison. 



ANDREW HIBBERD, a resident 
of Rockland township. Brown 
count}', was born August 8, 1S46, 
in the State of Vermont, son of 
Lawrence and Julia (Hall) Hibberd, both 
of whom were natives of Canada. 

Lawrence Hibberd removed with his 
parents to New York State when but a 
child, and resided near Plattsburg for a 
number of years. He was a shoemaker 
by trade. In Canada he was married to 
Miss Julia Hall, and they had a family of 
eight children — six sons and two daugh- 
ters — as follows: Lawrence, of Nebraska; 
Charles, John, and Silas, all residents of 



Rockland; Edmund, of Glenmore; An- 
drew, our subject; Angeline, Mrs. Frank 
Gennette, of Dixon, 111. ; and Mary, who 
died in 1894 (she was first married to 
Oliver D. Colburn, and subsequently to 
John Pro\ost, of Fond du lac. Wis., who 
preceded her to the grave). Of these, 
Andrew and Angeline were born in the 
United States, the others in Canada. The 
father died in 1S51 in New York, and 
was buried in Plattsburg cemetery. The 
widowed mother and children continued 
to reside near Plattsburg until 1855, when 
they came westward to De Pere, Wis. ,jour- 
ne}ing via Toronto, Canada, to Green Bay, 
where they landed November i, 1855, and, 
arriving in De Pere a few days later, rented 
a house there for a time. The sons who 
were able to work found employment in 
the logging camps then so numerous in 
Brown county, and thus assisted in sup- 
porting the family. In the spring of 1857 
they removed to Rockland township on a 
tract of forty acres in Section 9, for which 
they paid $335, going into debt for the 
amount. They built the first house on 
the place, which was still uncleared and in 
a primitive condition, and commenced the 
work of clearing, a difficult task with the 
few rude implements they had to work 
with ; and, as the land did not yield enough 
to support the family for the first few 
years, the boys found work with the neigh- 
boring farmers. The mother lived on 
this farm until her death, which occurred 
November 8, 1880, when she was seventy- 
two years of age; her remains now rest in 
De Pere cemetery. In religious faith she 
was a member of St. Francis Church, 
De Pere. 

Andrew Hibberd received in his youth 
but limited educational advantages, being 
obliged, after the settlement of the family 
in Rockland township, to assist with the 
work on the home place. He was reared 
amid all the hardships of pioneer farm 
life, and was also thoroughly initiated into 
the logging business, which he followed to 
some extent. He lived at home until 
December 28, 1861, when he enlisted, at 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



= 79 



De Pere, in Company F, Fourteenth 
Wis. V. I., and was sent with his com- 
mand to Fond du Lac, thence to St. 
Loui.s, and thence to Tennessee, where 
he first saw active service in the engage- 
ments at Pittsburg Landing; then, with 
the Western army, followed the engage- 
ments at Corinth, Holly Springs, luka and 
Vicksburg, where he was discharged De- 
cember 28, 1863, on account of disability 
resulting from exposure; he was wounded 
in the foot at the battle of Corinth. Re- 
turning to Brown county, he shipped, the 
the following spring, with Capt. Campbell 
on the brig ' ' Oleander, " of Buffalo, serv- 
ing for a time before the mast and later 
as second mate, thus continuing until the 
end of the season. On November 20, 
1864, he enlisted, at Chicago, in the 
Ninth 111. V. C, joined his command at 
Nashville, Tenn., and during his second 
term of service participated in the second 
fight at Nashville, thence going to Tupelo 
Creek, where they had six weeks of hard 
fighting. They then crossed to Eastport 
in pursuit of Hood, and after continuing 
the chase for some time returned to East- 
port on garrison duty and general recruit. 
They were next engaged in destroying 
local gun manufactories in northern Ala- 
bama, and later went to Decatur and 
Montgomery, where our subject received 
his discharge, and, returning to Brown 
county in November, 1865, continued to 
live on the homestead until his marriage. 
On November 13, 1869, at De Pere, 
Mr. Hibberd wedded Miss Philomine 
Floury, who was born June 13, 1852, in 
Francis Creek, Manitowoc county, daugh- 
ter of Louis and Margaret (Boprey) 
Floury, the former of whom was a native 
of Canada. At the time of his marriage 
Mr. Hibberd purchased forty acres of land 
in Section 9, adjoining the home farm on 
the north, and he and his wife commenced 
housekeeping in an old log house which is 
still standing. Only about half of this 
tract was cleared, all the improvements 
which have since been made on the place 
have been placed there by Mr. Hibberd 



or under his direction; he has also added 
forty acres to the original farm, making a 
comfortable place of eighty acres, well 
equipped with buildings, etc. Our sub- 
ject and wife had children as follows; 
Andrew, Jr., Hattie J., Frank E., Wil- 
liam E., Lavina M., Ida E. (deceased in 
infancy), and Louis L. Politically Mr. 
Hibberd is one of the leaders of the Re- 
publican party in his township; in relig- 
ious connection he and his family are 
members of St. Joseph's Church, De 
Pere. 



M 



ARTIN CURRAN, who is a 
thrifty and prosperous farmer of 
Glenmore township, Brown 
county, was born, in 1S22, in 
County Kerry, Ireland, son of Cornelius, 
(a farmer) and Mary (Kennedy) Curran, 
who had a family of six children — four 
sons and two daughters — of whom Martin 
is the third son and the fourth child in 
order of birth. 

Our subject received a meager educa- 
tion in the schools of his native country, 
and was reared to farming, living at home 
with his parents. In the spring of 1847 
he determined to seek his fortune in the 
United States, and accordingly took pas- 
sage at Limerick on the sailing-vessel 
"Souvenir," bound for Quebec, where 
he landed after a voj'age of eighteen days, 
a stranger in a strange land, and with but 
twelve shillings in his pocket. But he 
was young and strong and willing to work, 
and for several days was employed around 
the docks, unloading vessels. He then 
came to Burlington, Vt., and thence to 
the village of Sharon, where he secured 
work as a laborer on a railroad, remain- 
ing there one season, and here he received 
the first twenty dollars he ever earned, 
which was at once sent home to his 
mother. He continued to do railroad 
work, at various places, in Bellows Falls, 
(Vt.), New Hampshire, Springfield (Ohio), 
and Columbus (Ohio), (where he worked 
several years on the C, C, C. & I. rail- 



28o 



COMMEMORATirE BIOQRAPHWAL RECORD. 



road, which was then in course of con- 
structionj. and nuinafjed to save a httle. 
At that time land was cheap in northern 
Wisconsin, and Mr. Curran migrated 
to this then new State, coming by rail 
and water to Green Hay, and thence to 
Kaukauna, where he worked one summer. 
The preceding fall (1853) he had in- 
vested in 1 10 acres of land in Section 6, 
Gleninore township, on which not a tree 
had been felled, or an improvement of any 
kind made. He commenced to clear 
it during the winter, doing the best he 
could, in the meantime making his home 
with his brother-in-law, Thomas Sullivan. 
The entire surrounding country was yet 
in its primitive state; wild animals were 
still numerous: there were no roads to the 
farm, the nearest highway being the Dixon 
road, which led east from De Pere. The 
task of clearing was a difficult one, and 
proceeded slowly, for the pioneers had 
but a few rude tools to work with. A 
few years later a log house was erected 
on the place, and it still stands on the 
original site, but Mr. Curran did not make 
a permanent residence on iiis land until 
after his marriage. 

In 1837 he married, in Green Bay, 
Miss Mary Donahue, who was born, in 
1833. in County Kerry, Ireland, a daugh- 
ter of Timothy Donahue, who came to 
the United States when Mary was a child, 
and the family resided in Massachusetts 
until a few years before her marriage, 
when they came to Wisconsin. Mr. and 
Mrs. Curran moved to the farm shortly 
after their marriage, and here they have 
ever since remained. He has spent his 
best years clearing, improving and culti- 
vating this land, and, with each succeed- 
ing season, the farm has become more and 
more productive, yielding a better income. 
Since his settlement here he has devoted 
himself to farming exclusively, and, by 
hard work and good management, has 
succeeded in carving a fine property from 
the sombre forest. Our subject has won the 
esteem of all who have come in contact 
with him for his integrity and upright 



dealing, and he is well and favorably 
known among the citizens of Glenmore, 
where the entire family are held in the 
highest respect. Politicallj' he is a Dem- 
ocrat, but has never given . any of his 
time to party affairs, preferring to attend 
strictly to business. In religious con- 
nection the family are members of St. 
Francis Church, De Pere. 

Mr. and Mrs. Curran had ten children, 
all born on the farm, as follows: Mary 
(Mrs. Edward Keegan) and Ellen (Mrs. 
Robert Miersj, both of Milwaukee; Cor- 
nelius, of Medford, Wis. ; Thomas and 
Catherine, at home; Daniel M., a machin- 
ist, of Milwaukee; Margaret A. and 
Tinioth}', at home; Patrick, deceased at 
the age of nineteen years; and Julia, de- 
ceased when a year and a half old. In 
March, 1865, our subject, enlisted at 
Green Bay, in Compan\- F, Fiftieth Regi- 
ment Wis. V. I. ; was sent to Madison, 
thence to St. Louis, and for a time was 
engaged in scouting and on guard duty 
through northern Missouri. He was next 
located at Fort Leavenworth and Fort 
Rice, and in May, 1866, was discharged 
at Madison, returning home immediately. 



w 



ILLIAM ROBERT ENDERBY, 
one of the wealthiest, as well as 
one of the most highly respected 
and prominent citizens of Preble 
township, Brown county, is a native of 
England, born January 30, 1841, in the 
town of Bolinbroke, Lincolnshire. 

His father, John Enderby, a native of 
the same county, was a laborer and small 
farmer, industrious and honest, but not 
overburdened with an overshare of this 
world's goods. He married Eliza Sheriff, 
and, after the birth of our subject, con- 
cluded to come to the United States, here 
to select a new home for the family, and 
at the same time endeavor to find his 
wife's brother, Robert Sheriff, who was 
supposed to be somewhere in Wisconsin, 
near Green Bay. Accordingly, leaving 
his wife and young son in England, he 




:^ /f . ^^-....^^ 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



2S1 



took passage in December, 1852, for the 
United States, landing after a six-weeks' 
voyage at New York. On fiis way west- 
ward from there he was taken sick at 
Amsterdam, N. J., necessitating his con- 
finement to hospital some six or eight 
weeks, and on recovery proceeded on his 
journey, traveling by rail and boat to 
Milwaukee, from which point, although 
still unwell and feeble, he walked to 
Green Bay, leaving, in Milwaukee, his 
trunk, which he never saw or heard of 
again. Arrived in Green Bay, he en- 
quired of John Day as to the whereabouts 
of Robert Sheriff, and learned that he was 
conducting a farm in Freedom township, 
Outagamie county. Thither Mr. En- 
derby went, and, renting a farm, sent 
home to England for his wife and son, 
who sailed October 16, 1853, from Liver- 
pool on the ship "Continental," onboard 
of which were over one thousand Irish 
emigrants (in eleven days 1,024 died of 
cholera). In twenty-six days the wife 
and son landed in New York, and their 
passage to Buffalo being prepaid, started 
to continue their journey; but through 
some rascality or glaring mistake they 
were made to pay their fare over again, 
which, however, was ultimately repaid, as 
well as damages incurred, legal proceed- 
ings having been commenced. On their 
arrival at Sheboygan, Wis , they found 
that, navigation having closed for the sea- 
son, the boat they had come on would 
proceed no further, which was most per- 
plexing to Mrs. Enderby, as her money 
was completely exhausted, and she and 
her little boj' were utter strangers in a 
strange land. In Sheboygan they went 
to a boarding-house, where the mother 
worked for her board, the son helping 
around the barn; and, as soon as sleighing 
set in, the wa\'-worn, weary travelers, leav- 
ing their trunks as security for transpor- 
tation to Green Bay, set out for their des- 
tination by sleigh, via Fond du Lac. ar- 
riving at Green Bay in January, 1854, 
where John Day assisted them to reach 
their future home in Freedom township, 

16 



Outagamie county, a niece of which said 
John Day, to use our subject's own words, 
"by some unknown mystery became my 
wife. " 

On this farm they lived two years, and 
then Mr. Enderby pre-empted eighty acres 
of land, to which the family moved and 
thereon lived a year, their first habitation 
being a log shanty, and the nearest market 
town. Green Bay, distant some eighteen 
miles. In 1857 they removed to the 
farm of eighty acres in Preble township, 
Brown county, which Mr. Enderby had 
purchased, going in debt $1,800, retain- 
ing, however, the property in Outagamie 
county. For one year, or until 1858, 
they made their home on this new farm, 
but, owing to the financial depression of 
that year, the place was lost to them, and 
for the next two years they had to rent it. 
In the fall of i860 Mr. Enderby purchased 
sixty acres, also in Preble township, the 
farm our subject now owns, at that time 
totally unimproved, with no building 
thereon of any kind; consequently for 
three years the family made their home 
on an adjoining forty-acre farm, then 
coming to their own place, where a dwell- 
ing and some outhouses had been put up, 
many other improvements also being 
made. Here the father died September 
5, 1870, the mother on May 4, 1874, aged 
fifty-six and sixty years respectively, and 
they sleep their last sleep in Green Bay 
cemetery. They were members of the 
Episcopal Church, and in politics Mr. 
Enderby was a stanch Democrat. 

W. R. Enderby. the subject proper of 
this memoir, was a boy of about twelve 
summers when he accompanied his mother 
on the tedious journey from England to 
Wisconsin, and at the country winter 
schools of that period he received but a 
limited education. At the age of fifteen 
he began to work in the lumber camps, 
saving his earnings, which went toward 
paying for his father's land, thereby being 
of great service to his parents, and (with 
the exception of the time passed in the 
army), he so continued until his marriage, 



284 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



emploj'ing himself one entire winter mak- 
ing rails to fence the farm with. 

On October 19, 1861, Mr. Enderby 
enlisted in Company H, Twelfth Wis. V. 
I., three-years' service, and was honor- 
ably discharged at Natchez, Miss., De- 
cember 31, 1863, when he veteranized, 
re-enlisting same day in the same com- 
pany and regiment, his final discharge at 
Louis\ille, Ky., under special order of 
the War Department, bearing date July 
16, 1865. He was the first man to enlist 
from Preble township, and the first 
veteran to re-enlist, a fact worthy of note. 
After his first enlistment the regiment 
rendezvoused at Madison, Wis., and be- 
ing then sent to the front, participated in 
all the e.xposures and discomforts incident 
to the preliminary movements of the 
army in an inclement season, including 
long and wearisome marches, which oc- 
cupied their time until the spring of 1863, 
when at Coldwater, Miss., they experi- 
enced their first engagement with the 
Confederates. After this came the siege 
of Vicksburg, where the regiment dis- 
played great gallantry, taking thirty- 
one thousand six hundred prisoners, one 
hundred and seventy-two canon, and about 
sixty thousand muskets; part of the regi- 
ment participated in the action at Jack- 
son. In August, same year, the bri- 
gade to which the Twelfth was at- 
tached was ordered to Natchez, where it 
remained until it was re-organized, and a 
majority of the men had veteranized. It 
then took part in what is known as the 
Meridian expedition, the object of which 
was to cripple the resources of the enemy, 
and during this important affair it did a 
vast amount of useful work, entailing a 
great deal of arduous duty, a march of 
400 miles being, perhaps, not the least 
part of it. At Jackson, Miss. , they 
smashed forty-four locomotives, burnt 
twelve hundred cars and destroyed a lot 
of railroad track. 

In the spring of 1863 our subject re- 
turned home on veteran furlough, and 
on rejoining his regiment it was assigned 



to the Arm)' of the Tennessee, taking part 
in several of the actions preceding the 
Atlanta campaign, under Sherman. At 
Huntsville, Ala., Mr. Enderby was taken 
sick, and was first sent to the hospital at 
Huntsville, Ala., later to those at Nash- 
ville and Louisville. After recovery he 
set out to rejoin his regiment, which was 
still with Sherman's army, his route being 
via New York, Pocotaligo, S. C, and 
Wilmington, N. C, where he made con- 
nection with the commantl. On the day 
before Johnson's surrender, while on 
picket duty at Pocotaligo, he was struck 
in the throat by a spent rifie ball. The 
hardships endured on the Meridian march 
produced varicose veins in the right leg, 
while the march to Washington, after the 
close of hostilities, brought the same 
trouble to his left leg, by all of which it 
will be seen that as a brave and loyal sol- 
dier our subject suffered considerably. 

After his discharge from the armj' Mr. 
Enderby returned home to Preble town- 
ship, and, before once more settling down 
to the pursuits of peace, was married, 
September 8, 1865, to Miss Eliza Ann 
Jeffrey, who was born June 8, 1845, in 
Scott township, Brown Co., Wis., a 
daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Day) 
Jeffrey, natives of Lincolnshire, England. 
To this union children, as follows, were 
born: Anna Eliza, now wife of Joshua 
Ritchie, of Green Bay; John T., at home; 
May L. , now Mrs. Frederick Huetters, 
of Green Bay; W^illiam L. , married to 
Miss Clara A. Sawyer, also in Green Bay; 
Carrie J., George R., Wilbert M., Albert 
H., and Duain M., all four at home; 
Melinda M., deceased at the age of two 
years; and Lottie A. and Loella A., both 
at home. After marriage our subject and 
his young wife made their home on the 
farm of her parents for one year, and then 
moved to Fort Howard, where they lived 
three years, he conducting a butcher busi- 
ness and farm. He is now the owner of 
seventy-nine acres of land, eight of which 
are covered with an orchard, the finest in 
Brown county, and he gives considerable 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



385 



attention to fruit-growing, both large and 
small, as well as the cultivation of 
honey bees. 

Politically Mr. Enderby is a Repub- 
lican, though the son of a stanch Dem- 
ocrat, whose vote, on the occasion of the 
first Presidential election after the war, 
the son nullified by voting for Grant. 
But no more filial son breathes, as proven 
by his many unselfish acts of generosity 
to his parents, whom he has aided in 
many ways, some of which have already 
been recounted in this sketch. From 
his pay as a soldier he saved nearly every 
cent, in all sending home $590 to assist 
inicancelling a si.x-hundred-dollar mort- 
gage held over the home farm, thereby 
purging the property of all liens. Not 
many years ago " Bill Enderby," as he is 
familiarly called, was struggling along 
"in the same old rut," making a bare 
living on his farm; but having taken up 
fruit culture and made himself thoroughly 
acquainted with the business by reading 
and observation, he has attained an emi- 
nent success, and to-day not a more pros- 
perous farmer is to be found in all Preble 
township, a consummation he has reached 
solely by industry, study, hard work, and 
untiring energy, supported by level- 
headed, sound judgment. At the present 
writing he is in very poor health. 



A P. SAWYER, who, for the past 
twenty years, has been a well- 
known resident of Preble town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native of 
New York State, born November 2, 1847, 
in the town of Fulton, Oswego county, of 
hardy New England stock. 

Grandfather Thomas Sawyer was born 
in the town of Orford, Grafton Co., N. 
H., son of Jonathan Sawyer, and was 
reared to farming pursuits. He was mar- 
ried in New Hampshire to Miss Asenith 
Sargent, daughter of Timothy Sargent, 
who was a soldier in the Revolution and 
received a pension for his services. Thomas 
and Asenith Sawyer became the parents 



of five children — two sons and three 
daughters — of whom, Thomas, the father 
of our subject, was the second in order of 
birth. 

Thomas Sawyer was born July 6, 
1807, in Orford, Grafton Co., N. H., was 
reared a farmer boy, and at the age of 
sixteen commenced to learn the trade of 
tanner and currier, in which he continued 
until he reached his majority. He re- 
mained in New Hampshire until the spring 
of 1834, when he removed to New York 
State, and for four months was employed 
as steersman and bowsman on the Erie 
canal. Then for some months he drove 
a stage between White Hall and Rutland, 
subsequently following the same vocation 
at Plattsburg, N. Y. From there he came 
to Detroit, Mich., and engaged as stage 
driver between Detroit and Dearbornville, 
also between Ann Arbor and Lima, and 
for some time also acted as road agent 
from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo. Return- 
ing to New York he worked in a livery 
stable, and also as driver from Troy to 
Sand Lake, Pittstown, Schenectady, 
Albany, Lebanon Springs, and various 
other places until 1836, when he came 
westward to Lake county, Ind. In Por- 
ter county, same State, he commenced 
farming, also carrying mail and conducting 
a tavern, and here, in February, 1840, he 
was married to Miss Amanda E. Cady, who 
was a native of Clinton county, N. Y. , 
born in 181 5, and had come to Indiana to 
live with her brother. After marriage 
Mr. Sawyer removed to Crown Point, 
Lake county, and there engaged in farm- 
ing, later embarking in the hotel business 
at that place, and conducting same un- 
til 1846, when he removed to Illinois, 
taking up his residence in Chicago. Here, 
for seven years, he was in the employ of 
Asahel Pierce, as agent, selling agricultural 
implements and buying stock, subsequently 
working one year in a wagon shop, and 
then for another year following teaming 
on his own account. He next removed 
to Northfield township, also in Cook 
county, and lived there for some time on 



286 



COMMEyWRATIVB BIOGRAPHICAL BE CORD. 



rented land, later following;' farming; sev- 
eral jears in McHenry count}', 111. In 
the fall of 1869 he went to Sac City, Sac 
Co., Iowa, where his son, James A., had 
previously located, and there resided un- 
til Januar}', 1893, when he came to Preble 
township, Brown Co., Wis., to pass his 
remaining years at the home of his son, 
A. P. He is a hearty, well-preserved 
man. and thouf;h. over eighty-seven jears 
old, still reads without the aid of glasses. 
His first vote was cast for John Quincy 
Adams, and he has never missed but one 
Presidential election since then, and that 
was when Gen. Scott was candidate in 
1852, remaining a stanch member oi the 
Whig party and its successor, the Repub- 
hcan party. Mrs. Amanda Sawyer died 
in Chicago in June, 1850, of cholera. 
She was the mother of three children — two 
sons, A. P., and James A. (of Sac City, 
Iowa), and a daughter, who died when 
ten months old. In January, 1852, Mr. 
Sawyer wedded, for his second spouse, 
Mrs. Susan E. (Montgomery) Pratt, a 
widow, who was born in Oswego county, 
N. Y. , daughter of Capt. Archibald Mont- 
gomery, of the British na\y. This wife 
passed from earth in December, 1868, in 
Woodstock, McHenry Co., 111., without 
issue. 

A. P. Sawyer, whose name introduces 
these lines, received his education in the 
common schools of Cook county. 111., 
principally after reaching his fourteenth 
year, as previous to that time he cared 
little or nothing for books. On February 
19, 1864, when but a little over si.xteen 
years of age, he enlisted, at Elgin, 111., 
in Company G, Fifty-second 111. V. I., 
and was sent with his command to Pulaski, 
Tenn., where they drilled for si.\ weeks. 
They were then sent out foraging, and 
while climbing into a wagon, our subject 
had his right foot crushed, for a few days 
being obliged to remain in the convalescent 
camp at Pulaski. After this he was sent 
to Tunnel Hill, on railway patrol, being 
there for about two weeks, and then going 
to Prospect, Tenn., helping in the garri- 



son fort and guarding railway bridges. At 
this time our subject w'as ordered to 
Atlanta, where his regiment lay, and he 
was under fire every day during the siege of 
that city, which lasted about one hundred 
days, after which his regiment was ordered 
round to Jonesboro, which they captured, 
thereby causing Gen. Hood to evacuate 
Atlanta and the place to capitulate. After 
this our subject proceeded with Sherman 
on his march to the sea, taking an active 
part in all the engagements en route. He 
was present at the surrender of Gen. John- 
ston, at Raleigh, N. C. , and took part in 
the Grand Review at Washington, D. C, 
from that city going by rail to Parkers- 
burg, W. Va. , thence down the Ohio river 
to Louisville, Ky. , where he was mustered 
out. On July 12, 1865, he received an 
honorable discharge at Camp Douglass, 
Chicago, then proceeding to McHenry 
county. 111. , where his father was residing 
at that time, remained there a few months, 
and then went to Northfield township. 
Cook Co., 111., where he followed farming. 
When but a boy of fifteen Mr. Sawyer 
had served a three-inonths' apprenticeship 
at Woodstock, 111., under George R. Bas- 
sett, and he followed his trade and paper- 
hanging for some years. In July, 1869, 
he went to Madison, Wis., to look for 
work, and here followed his trade for 
a while, his first work being for railroads, 
and as he was a good workman he readily 
found employment with the St. Paul Rail- 
way Company in the Prairie du Chien 
branch, painting bridges and depots. He 
also worked on the same road as fireman 
ten months, and then commenced the 
study of dentistry under Norman Ellis, of 
Madison; but this being distasteful to him 
he returned to his trade, engaging with 
Memhart & Robbins, painters, at Madi- 
son. For some time he was bar-tender 
in that city, but in 1871 removed to Osh- 
kosh. Wis., where he worked at his trade, 
also logging, and remained there until 
1873, in which year he came to Green 
Bay. In 1874 he removed to his present 
farm in Section 25, Preble township, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



2S7 



Brown county, at that time a perfect wil- 
derness, and here he has ever since made 
his home, engaging to some extent in fruit 
farming, in which industry he is a pioneer 
in his section. He has not abandoned 
his trade, however, for during the season 
he continues to follow same in Green 
Bay, doing paper-hanging and general 
painting work, besides carriage painting. 
On July 14, 1872, Mr. Sawyer was 
married, in Oshkosh, to Miss Annie M. 
Maus, who was born in Preble township. 
Brown county, in 1849, and to this mar- 
riage came three children, namely: Annie 
C. (Mrs. W. L. Enderby), of Green Bay, 
and James T. and Mary A., living at 
home. The mother of these died in 
Preble township May 13, 1879, a member 
of the Catholic Church, and her remains 
now rest in Bay Settlement cemetery. 
Mr. Sawyer married, on August 19, 1883, 
for his second wife, Mrs. Mary E. (Vieu) 
Ballinger (widow of Albert Ballinger), who 
was born in Lawrence township, Brown 
county, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
Vieu, French Canadians, who came to 
Lawrence township in an early day. Mrs. 
Sawyer is a member of the Catholic 
Church. Politically our subject is a Re- 
publican, but gives little time to politics; 
socially he is a member of T. O. Howe 
Post, No. 124, G. A. R. , of which he is 
chaplain 



JOHN COENEN, for over forty-iive 
years an esteemed resident of De Pere 
township. Brown county, and vicin- 
ity, where he ranks among the pros- 
perous self-made agriculturists, is a native 
of Holland, born October 28, 1834. 

He is a son of Theodore Coenen, a 
farmer of that country, who had a family 
of nine children — seven sons and two 
daughters — of whom John was the third 
son and the fourth child in the order of 
birth. About 1848, seeing that his chil- 
dren could have better opportunities in 
the United States, Theodore Coenen sold 
his little property and sailed with his 



family from Rotterdam in a vessel bound 
for Philadelphia. They landed in that 
city after a voyage of forty-eight days, 
and then, their destination being in Brown 
county. Wis., proceeded at once by rail 
to Albany, N. Y., thence via the Erie 
canal to Buffalo, and from there by the 
old steamer " Michigan " to Green Bay, 
Wis., where they landed early in June, 
1848. The family was one of ten who 
made their home in a house in Shanty- 
town, where, one week after their arrival, 
Mr. Coenen secured work. For a short 
time they lived in De Pere, then but a 
small village, and ne.xt moved across the 
river to a place along the Ashwaubenon 
pike, where they farmed for three years. 
They then purchased forty acres in De- 
Pere township (where our subject now 
lives, which at that time was government 
land and claimed by an individual), pay- 
ing the claimant one hundred and fifty 
dollars for his title and ten shillings an 
acre to the government. Twelve acres of 
this tract had been "lumbered over," but 
the remainder was yet in its primitive 
state, the only improvement thereon be- 
ing a small three-roomed log house, where 
they lived for a time. Work was immedi- 
ately begun on the farm, but money was 
scarce, and, as the boys became old enough, 
they worked for neighboring farmers, their 
wages usually being fifty cents a day. Mr. 
Coenen died on this farm in 1 864, and 
was buried in Allouez township; his wife 
survived him until October 23, 1885, 
when she passed away at the advanced 
age of eighty-si.x years, and was buried in 
the Catholic cemetery at De Pere. After 
the father's death the sons continued to 
live on the farm, working it together. 
The mother also had her residence there, 
living with her son John, at whose home 
she died. 

John Coenen attended the schools of 
his native country, where he received all 
his education. When fourteen years old 
he came with his parents to the United 
States, and here he was soon put to work, 
assisting on the farm. The land was new, 



iS8 



COMMEMORATIVE DlOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



and during his boyhood he became thor- 
oughly familiar with all the details and 
hardships incident to pioneer farm life in 
the opening of a new country. On Au- 
gust 24, 1863, John Coenen was married, 
in Little Chute, Wis. , to Miss Gertrude 
Reynen, who is also a native of Holland, 
born September 25, 1840, daughter of 
John Reynen; she came with her father 
to the United States when she was ten 
years old, and, with the exception of a 
six-months' residence in Green Bay, made 
her home in Little Chute, Wis., until her 
marriage. Immediately after their mar- 
riage the young couple took up their home 
on the farm with his parents, and after 
the death of his father, and working for 
a while in partnership with his brothers, 
John paid off the other heirs and became 
the owner of the old homestead. The 
place then comprised forty acres, to which 
he has added from time to time, until he 
now owns 200 acres in De Pere and Rock- 
land townships, all of which is the result 
of years of untiring industry and toil. He 
has been a hard worker from bojhood, 
and from a start of nothing has accumu- 
lated a comfortable property, and placed 
himself in an enviable position among 
the well-to-do farmers of his township. 
He has never speculated, and his success 
shows what it is possible for a man to ac- 
complish by perseverance and honesty 
and a determination to win. His chil- 
dren have been of great assistance to 
him, the sons faithfulh' remaining on the 
home place and taking their share of the 
farm work. The farm is equipped with 
substantial outbuildings, all erected by 
Mr. Coenen, and in 1883 he built a com- 
fortable brick residence. Our subject has, 
in his days, seen the entire surrounding 
country transformed from the dense forest 
to beautiful, well-cultivated farms, and 
he himself has taken no small part in this 
important work. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Coenen were born 
children as follows: Theodore, a farmer 
of Wrightstown township; Anton, assist- 
ing in the work on the home farm ; Annie, 



Mrs. Henry Verhagen, of Freedom town- 
ship, Outagamie county; Martina, Mrs. 
Arnold Smith, also of Freedom township; 
John, William, Henry and Mary, all liv- 
ing at home; and Hattie and another 
child, who died in infancy. The entire 
family are members of St. Mary's Catho- 
lic Church, De Pere. In politics Mr. 
Coenen is a Democrat, but no active party 
worker. 



CHRISTIAN SCHWARZ, lumber 
merchant and proprietor of plan- 
ing mill. Green Bay, is a native 
of Germany, born in Baringau- 
Thuringen February 7, 1834. Michael 
Schwarz, father of our subject, was a 
farmer (as was his father before him) and 
dealer in lumber in Germany, and was 
one of the most progressive and active 
men in his part of the country. He died 
at the age of seventy-seven years. His 
wife, Elizabeth (Hoercher), who was a 
native of the same part of Germany, is 
now living at the advanced age of eighty- 
four years ; she is the mother of three 
children — Christian, Eline and Oscar — of 
whom Eline is married and lives in her 
native land. 

At the age of eighteen years, in the 
spring of 1852, the subject of this sketch, 
along with several others from his neigh- 
borhood, set sail from Germany for the 
United States, the voyage to New York 
occupj'ing forty-nine days. From there 
he came by way of the Hudson river and 
railroad to Buffalo, N. Y. , where he 
passed the winter, chopping cord-wood, 
and the following spring he shipped as 
deck hand from Buffalo to Chicago, mak- 
ing several trips on the lakes as a sailor, 
eventually finding himself in Chicago. He 
finally shipped on a steamer coming north- 
ward; but, on arriving at Mackinac Island, 
left the ves.sel, and from that point made 
his way to Green Bay, which he reached 
in May, 1853. He was first employed here 
in a brewery a short time, but, moving to 
Oconto, worked in a sawmill till winter 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 



289 



time, when he engaged at himbering in 
the woods, resuming sawmilling the fol- 
lowing spring. Returning to Green Bay 
in the fall of 1854, he commenced to 
learn the carpenter's trade, which he fol- 
lowed until 1865, in that year, in part- 
nership with Theodore Kemmitz, starting 
a planing-mill in Fort Howard, a venture 
that proved a decided success, the concern 
continuing for about thirteen years, dur- 
ing which time, in 1866, John Voightwas 
received as a partner. Mr. Kemmitz sold 
his interest in 1877, from which time our 
subject and Mr. Voight conducted the 
mill until 1887, when Mr. Schwarz em- 
barked in the lumber business, his late 
partner continuing the planing-mill. Mr. 
Voight and Mr. Kemmitz both came from 
Germany on the same vessel as Mr. 
Schwarz. In 1890 our subject, at the 
desire of several friends, erected a planing- 
mill in Green Bay, which has since been 
in successful operation, its owner, by his 
popularity as a good citizen and his close 
attention to business affairs, having earned 
for himself and his mill a wide and envi- 
able reputation. 

On November 7, 1857, at Fort How- 
ard, Mr. Schwarz was married to Miss 
Caroline Freytag, daughter of Christof 
and Christiana (Schmideknecht) Freytag, 
natives of Herschdorf, Schwarzburg-Son- 
■dershausen and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, 
Thueringen, Germany, respectively. Mrs. 
Schwarz came from Germany across the 
ocean in the same vessel as her future 
husband. To this union were born four 
children: Lina, who died at the age of 
two years; Emma; Carrie, wife of Ernest 
Pecker, and Louisa, wife of Philip Lucas; 
there is also an adopted son, Herman, 
who was educated in the Northwestern 
University at Watertown, Wis., which is 
connected with the Lutheran Synod of 
Colleges in America (he is now a student 
of pharmacy in Milwaukee). Mr. and 
Mrs. Schwarz are active members of the 
German Lutheran Church; in politics he 
has been a Republican from the time he 
became citizenized, and he gives all his 



influence to whatever may tend to benefit 
the town or county. Mr. and Mrs. 
Schwarz are honored citizens of Fort 
Howard, respected for their personal 
worth, and held in the highest esteem by 
all classes for their good qualities of head 
and heart. 



FATHER JAMES GAUCHE, retir- 
ed, was born in Belgium, in 1825, 
in the village of Messancy, and re- 
ceived his literary education at 
Bastogne Seminary, and at Grand Semi- 
nary of Namur, at the latter educa- 
tional institution also studying theology. 
At the age of thirty years, on June 29, 
1855, he was ordained priest, and was a 
member of the Capuchin Order, near Fond 
du Lac, as priest, twelve years; served at 
Two Rivers six years; at Cooperstown 
three years; and at Kaukauna eighteen 
months. He was then at West De Pere 
nine and a half years, and at Chilton three 
years. For the past year and a half he 
has been retired, and now lives modestly 
at West De Pere in a neat and comfort- 
able home, honored alike bj' all denom- 
inations for his piety and benign de- 
portment. 



CW. LOMAS, attorney at law. 
Fort Howard, was born in Wau- 
kesha county. Wis., in 1855, a 
son of John and Emma (Jones) 
Lomas, natives of England, who settled 
in that county in 1848. There the father 
was engaged in farming until his death 
in 1887, his wife having preceded him to 
the grave some years previously. 

Our subject received his preparatory 
education in the schools of the county, 
and for five or six years thereafter was a 
school teacher. He attended the Law 
Department of the University of Wiscon- 
sin, at Madison, graduated in 1882, and 
was admitted to the bar the same year. 
The next year he was in practice with 
Sloan, Stevens & Morris, in the capital 



290 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



city, and in 1883 settled in Fort Howard, 
where he formed a partnership with P. \'. 
Cothell, now deceased, and since 1 887 
Mr. Lomas has been alone. In his po- 
litical affinities Mr. Lomas is an ardent 
Prohibitionist. He was the candidate of 
that party for Attorney-General of the 
State in 1894; has served as city attorney 
of Fort Howard eight years; has a good 
practice, and has accumulated some prop- 
erty. He is a director of the McCartney 
National Bank of Fort Howard. In 1885 
he was married in Crawford county, Wis. , 
to Miss Fannie Gay, who has blessed his 
home with three bright little daughters: 
Cora, Emma, and Loraine. Mr. and Mrs. 
Lomas are members of the Presbyterian 
Church, in which Mr. Lomas is superin- 
tendent of the Sunday-school; he is presi- 
dent of the Y. M. C. A., and was superin- 
tendent of the Fort Howard schools two 
years, 1891,-92. They are highly respect- 
ed as members of society and moral factors 
in the community. 



REV. FATHER JOHN VER- 
STEGEN, pastor of St. Mary's 
Parish, De Pere, Brown county, 
was born in the Province of North 
Brabant, Holland, April 9, 1840. He 
was educated in the classics in Holland, 
and in philosophy and theology in the 
Augustinean College, Belgium, finishing 
his studies at the Seminary of St. Francis, 
Milwaukee, Wis.. He was ordained a 
priest at Green Bay, Wis., June 10, 
1870, bv Bishop Joseph Melcher, D. D., 
and August 14, 1870, was placed in 
charge of the congregation at Freedom, 
where, through his energy, the new 
church edifice (St. Nicholas) was com- 
pleted and a new parochial school-house 
erected. Of this new church he was the 
faithful pastor until January, 1882, on the 
seventh day of which month he was ap- 
pointed to St. Mary's, or the Church of 
the Immaculate Conception, at De Pere 
- — his present incumbency. Under his 
wise administration the church building 



has been greatly enlarged and improved, 
and he has also largely added to the 
church property; he has, besides, erected 
a substantial brick school edifice with a 
capacity for 246 scholars, and in 1893 he 
erected a tine and roomy building for the 
accomodation of the Reverend Fathers 
connected with the congregation. Father 
Verstegen is still in the prime of life, is 
active and alert, and never tires of doing 
irood for his beloved Hock. 



CHARLES R. DENIS. This gen- 
tleman, for so nian\- \ears favor- 
ably known on and about the 
lakes, especially by vessel owners, 
is a Belgian by birth, born February 17, 
1849, a son of Leopold and Rosalie (Noel) 
Denis, of the same country, who were the 
parents of eleven children — si.x sons and 
five daughters — Charles R. being the sec- 
ond son. 

In 1855, our subject being then nearly 
seven years old, the family came to the 
United States, the trip across the ocean 
being made in the " Henry Reed " sailing 
ship, and, after landing in New York, pro- 
ceeded to Buffalo, N. Y. , where they 
passed their first v\inter; thence in the fol- 
lowing spring traveled by rail to Fond du 
Lac, Wis., and from there by team to 
Green Bay. In Belgium the father had 
followed agricultural pursuits, and, being 
desirous of continuing the same vocation 
in the New World, bought 160 acres of 
totally uncleared timber-land in Brussells 
township. Door Co., Wis., near Red 
River. This, however, the family never 
cleared, nor even lived on, though in later 
years the father did some logging on it; 
but in Allouez township they lived for 
five years on Capt. Cotton's farm, where 
is now the cemetery of that township. 
Here he died January 22, 1892, his first 
wife having preceded him to the grave 
in 1866. He was a Democrat in politics, 
and for eighteen jears was assessor of his 
township. They were the parents of thir- 
teen children, viz. : Joseph, a steam tug 





<:^k^</^^^?^^ 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



291 



captain in Green Bay; Victoria, wife of 
Frank Garrett, of Green Bay; Charles R., 
subject of sketch; Louis (an engineer), 
who died in 1891 at Appleton; Alfonso, 
who died while en route to America; Vic- 
tor, who died in Buffalo, N. Y. ; Leopold, 
an engineer, with residence in Green Bay; 
Julia, wife of X. Parmentier, city clerk 
of Green Bay; Mary, wife of Alfonse 
Hugot, of Allouez; Rosalie, wife of Ralph 
Soquet, a druggist; Charles A., of West 
De Pere; and two, whose names are not 
given, that died while 01 route to America. 
Leopold Denis, father of this family, for his 
second wife married, in 1867, Honore 
Hitas, also a native of Belgium, to which 
union were born five children, of whom the 
living are Victor, Frank, James, and 
Honorius. 

Charles R. Denis, the subject of these 
lines, received his education at the com- 
mon schools of the period in Wisconsin, 
and at the early age of fifteen commenced 
working on steamboats plying between 
Escanaba and Green Bay. Securing 
employment on the vessels of the North 
Western Steamboat Company, his first 
job was firing on the ' ' George L. Dun- 
lap " for three years, later on the " Sarah 
Van Epps, " and still later on the "Sagi- 
naw" and the " Escanaba," all belonging 
to the North Western Company. After 
firing for six seasons, he, in 1870, was 
given the position of engineer on the high- 
pressure tug " Ida S." in Green Bay har- 
bor, at the end of two years was trans- 
ferred to the tug "Escanaba," after an- 
other year rejoining the " Ida S.," and at 
the close of two more years' service on 
her was made engineer on the "John 
Gregory," which was built in Green Bay. 
He assisted in putting the engines into 
this boat, and ran her on her maiden trip. 
(Prior to this he served as engineer of No. 
2 fire engine in Green Bay). The "John 
Gregory" plied between Green Bay and 
Chicago, and from her Mr. Denis went to 
the "John H. Hackley," in the same 
capacity; but at the end of his second 
season as engineer on her, he and his 



brothers, Capt. Joseph and Paul Denis, 
bought the "Ida S. Botsford," which 
they rebuilt and named ' ' The Denis 
Bros. " Of her our subject was engineer 
one season, and the following winter he 
put the engine into the "W. L. Brown." 
Selling out such interests as he had in 
boats, Mr. Denis concluded to leave the 
lakes, and in 1882 bought his present 
farm of seventy-four acres in De Pere 
township, moving thereon; but he can not 
forsake his old love, the lakes, for every 
summer he readily finds employment on 
some steamboat or other as engineer. 
He has sailed the lakes, either as fireman 
or engineer, for nearly all the large vessel 
owners in his part of the State, and has 
in every instance proved himself as com- 
petent as he is reliable and trustworthy, 
qualifications in which he is second to 
none. In addition to what has already 
been here enumerated, he has put the 
engines into several boats, including the 
' • Fannie Hart. " He has never been ship- 
wrecked, although he has e.xperienced 
many hairbreadth escapes, and he has 
often worked with wrecking parties, be- 
sides meeting with not a few pioneer ad- 
ventures. On one occasion, while on his 
boat, which had run ashore, word reached 
him that his mother was dangerously ill. 
Without a moment's delay he left the 
boat, and with the speed of an Indian 
made a dash through the woods for his 
home, either running or walking for forty- 
five miles to a certain point, which he 
reached in twenty-four hours. Here he 
was enabled to take boat for his destina- 
tion, which he reached in safety. In this 
homeward journey he passed one night in 
the woods amid the bowlings of hungry 
wolves, who would have made short work 
of him had he not kept them at bay by 
lighting occasional fires, fortunately hav- 
ing some matches in his pocket. 

On August 20, 1872, Mr. Denis was 
married, in Green Bay, to Miss Eliza Lesses, 
who was born September 7, 1849, in Bel- 
gium, a daughter of August Lesses, who 
came with his family to the United States 



292 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



in 1 87 1. The children of this union 
■were: Joseph, Annie, George, Willie (de- 
ceased in infancy), Laura, Lizzie, William, 
Paul and Rosa. In politics our subject has 
always been a stanch Republican, and he 
and his wife are prominent members of 
St. Francis Catholic Church, respected 
and honored by all who know them. 



JACOB JACOBSEN, a well-known 
and prosperous citizen of Glenmore 
township. Brown county, was born 
June 30, 1855, in Norway. 
His father, also named Jacob, was a 
merchant and later a seafaring man, but 
he met with reverses, and in 1869 con- 
cluded to bring his family — which then 
comprised six children — to the United 
States, he having visited this country 
two years previously, and purchased some 
land in Ashwaubenon township. Brown 
county, Wis. The family sailed from 
Skien on the " Rukan," and after a voyage 
of eight weeks and three days landed in 
Quebec, thence journeying by rail and 
water to Chicago, 111., where they lived 
four months. They then removed to the 
farm in Ashwaubenon township, where 
the father passed the remainder of his life, 
dying in 1876; he was a member of the 
Lutheran Church, and in political affili- 
ation a Republican. The mother is now 
living in Allouez township. Brown county, 
with her son Peter, who is sexton of 
Woodlawn cemetery, near Green Bay. A 
brief record of their children is a follows: 
Six were born in Norway — Jacob, who is 
mentioned further on; Christ, who died 
in this country at the age of twenty-one 
years; Louis, who lives in Fort Howard; 
Inge, Mrs. Louis Christopherson, of Ash- 
waubenon; Martin, a resident of Glen- 
more township; and Peter, who is sexton 
of Woodlawn cemetery, near Green Bay; 
and three were born in Wisconsin — Hans, 
and Andrew, both now living in Green 
Bay; and Neils, who died when six years 
old. 

Jacob Jacobsen received a good 



common-school education in his native 
country, and, when about fifteen years of 
age, came with his parents to the United 
States. He commenced to learn wood- 
carving in Chicago, but shortly afterward 
went on the lakes as cook. When 
his parents removed to Wisconsin he 
accompanied them, and, after working a 
few months on his father's farm, began to 
work for others. In the spring of 1 870 
he entered the employ of M. Sellers, a 
merchant and horse dealer of Fort Howard, 
and afterward worked seven months with 
a surveying corps, laying out the northern 
extension of the Milwaukee & Northern 
railroad. He next worked as general 
utility man for Lawyer Neville, and later 
peddled ice for six years for Bennett & 
Conley, after which he removed to Glen- 
more township. On August 22, 1877, he 
was married, at Fort Howard, to Miss 
Augusta Siversen, who was born in Nor- 
way, in October, 1854, daughter of Siver 
Oleson, and in the fall of the same year 
the young couple removed to the town of 
De Pere, where, during the succeeding 
winter, he chopped wood for fifty cents a 
cord. The next spring he removed to the 
city of Green Bay, and during the sum- 
mer again worked for Bennett & Conley. 
Later he purchased sixty acres of land in 
Section 29, Glenmore township, going in 
debt for it, as he had but twenty-five dol- 
lars in money, and he and his wife took 
up their residence in a small log house 
which stood thereon. Only five acres of 
this tract were cleared, and he immedi- 
ately set to work to improve the rest; but 
he only remained there one year, when he 
was appointed sexton of the Woodlawn 
cemetery at Green Bay, and continued in 
that position five years. In the fall of 
1884 he came to his present farm, for 
which he had in the meantime traded, and 
here he has since resided, except during 
the summer of 1886, when he worked in 
Sheboygan for his former employer, Mr. 
Conley. This place originally contained 
eighty acres, to which he subsequently 
added eighty more, but later sold forty. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



393 



Mr. Jacobsen has carefully cultivated and 
improved his farm, has remodelled his 
residence and built a commodious barn, all 
of which tends to enhance the value of 
his property. At one time he owned al- 
together 760 acres, but he has disposed of 
the greater part of it. In connection 
with his farming interests he has conducted 
a store and cheese factory, and has met 
with unbounded success in all his ventures. 
Our subject has been indeed a self-made 
man; beginning life without pecuniary 
aid, he has risen by industry to the posi- 
tion he now occupies among the leading 
respected citizens of Glenmore township. 
Being steady-going and reliable he won 
the confidence of his employers, and he 
has won and retained the esteem of his 
fellowmen for his honesty and square 
dealing. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jacobsen have had eight 
children, namel}': Emma, Jennie, Chris- 
tina, Carl, Olena, Cigur and Clara, all 
living, and Louisa, who died young. Mr. 
Jacobsen has always been a Republican 
in politics, and is one of the leaders of 
the party in his township, where he has 
been elected to various positions of honor 
and trust. Since 1885 he has been school 
clerk, and he served two terms as town- 
ship treasurer, discharging the duties of 
his office conscientiously and to the satis- 
faction of all concerned. Socially he has 
been a member of the Royal Arcanum, 
Green Bay Lodge, since 1882, and in 
religious connection he and his wife are 
members of the Lutheran Church at 
Glenmore, in which he has been trustee 
since his residence in the township. 



CASPER SCHADEN, a well-known 
member of the farming commu- 
nity of De Pere township. Brown 
county, was born April 2, 1842, 
in Prussia, son of Frank J. and Catherine 
(Cornelius) Schaden, the latter of whom 
died when Casper was an infant. The 
father was subsequently married again, 
this time to Gertrude Andre, by whom 



he had four children : Mary, Gertrude, 
Joseph and Anna Mary ; by his first wife 
he had two children, Catherine and Cas- 
per, and of the entire family, four children 
are yet living. Frank J. Schaden was a 
blacksmith, and a successful tradesman. 

In 1852, his second wife having also 
died, Frank J. Schaden concluded to 
bring his family to America, and after an 
ocean voyage of forty-eight days, they 
landed in New York City, thence imme- 
diately coming westward to Milwaukee, 
Wis., where they visited friends. From 
Milwaukee they came direct to De Pere, 
Brown county, where Mr. Schaden had 
two brothers-in-law living, and during the 
first winter the family were scattered, the 
father working hard to get a start. He 
purchased twenty acres of new land, and 
erected a log house thereon, in which the 
family lived for some time, and, with the 
aid of his sons, he eventually cleared the 
farm and converted it into a cultivated 
productive tract. He died September 23, 
1 886, at the home of his daughter, and 
was buried in Denmark, Brown county. 

Casper Schaden attended school in 
his native land until he came with his 
father to the United States, after which 
he was obliged to give up school, as his 
help was needed on the farm, where he 
was thoroughly trained to agricultural 
pursuits. When he first came to De- 
Pere township there were no roads for 
wagons, and he had to carry flour 
on his shoulder from Green Bay. One 
night his sister and one of the younger 
boys went after the cows, but dark- 
ness coming on before she reached 
home with them, she lost her way and was 
compelled to remain in the woods all 
night. Our subject remained on the farm 
continuously until i860, in the fall of 
which year he went to Pensaukee, Wis., 
and commenced to work in the lumber 
regions, where he experienced hardships 
and -privations which only the strongest 
constitution could withstand. In the 
spring he would return to the farm and 
there remain during the summer, return- 



294 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



ing to the lumber refjions in the winter. 
He worked in Stiles, Oconto county, one 
winter, and was also employed by a man 
named Kaymen, in Denmark, for the Two 
Rivers Company; for two winters he was 
in the employ of Richie, from De Pere, 
and together with this he also drove team 
for sixteen winters. 

On January 29, 1867, Mr. Schaden 
was married to Miss Catherine Kohren, 
and since then he has given his attention 
e.\clusi\ely to farming. He first purchased 
twenty acres of land, which he paid for 
with the pine timber cut from the place, 
and by the united efforts of himself and 
wife the land was cleared and improved, 
and later added to, until they now own 
sixty-five acres of fertile, well-cultivated 
land. The)' have had twelve children, as 
follows: Casper, born October 21, 1869; 
Joseph, born January 2, 1871 (deceased); 
Kate, born March 18, 1872 (deceased); 
Peter, born January 25, 1873; Joseph, 
born May 24, 1874 (deceased); Kate, 
born February 28, 1876; Nick, born 
October 17, 1 877; Mary M., born Decem- 
ber 12, 1879; Elizabeth, liorn -April 8, 
1882; Gertrude, born March 10, 1884; 
Ann A., born January 28, 1886; and John, 
born October 28, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. 
Schaden were originally members of the 
Catholic Church in Green Bay, but now 
belong to the church in New Denmark, in 
which latter they celebrated their silver 
wedding January 29, 1892, Rev. Father 
Garus officiating. Politically our subject 
is a Democrat, and has served his town- 
ship as path master two years, and as 
school director. He is an honest, upright 
citizen, and has the esteem and respect of 
all who know him. 



PHILLIP FALCK (deceased), who, 
in his lifetime, was one of the 
leading pioneers and merchants 
of Morrison township. Brown 
county, was born August 9, i8i8, in the 
village of Kondersheim, Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany. 



His father, George Falck, a tailor by 
trade, was twice married in Germany, 
and b}' his first wife, whose maiden name 
was Hahn, he had three children — Phillip, 
Margaret, and Elizabeth. In 1837 he 
came to the United States with his family, 
and landed in New York, whence he went 
to Albany, N. Y. Here it was that Phil- 
lip began business for himself by peddling 
goods throughout the land from a pack on 
his back. He made money in the East, 
but finally determined to come to Wis- 
consin, where homes were then cheap, 
and he virtually walked from New York 
to Milwaukee with his pack on his back 
(excepting, of course, when he was obliged 
to cross streams or lakes on vessels), sell- 
ing goods on the way, and adding to his 
stock of cash. In the early part of 1843 
he reached his destination, and took up 
some land at Germantown, Washington 
county, at that time a wilderness. He 
made a small clearing, built a log cabin, 
and, with a comrade, Frank Snyder, kept 
bachelor's hall until his marriage, which 
took place in January, 1847, with Cath- 
erine Hangen, who was born October 27, 
1828, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, a 
daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Balser) 
Hangen. Of this family four sisters — 
Apollonia, Christina, Catherine, and Eliz- 
abeth — came from Germany in 1843, 
and settled in Germantown, Washington 
county. Mr. Falck lived in Washington 
county until the fall of 1855, when he 
settled in Morrison township. Brown 
county, where he had previously bar- 
gained for 200 acres of land with Mr. 
Morrison, after whom the township 
was named. He cleared up twelve acres 
of his land, and for a year he and his 
family lived in a little log house, when a 
larger and more commodious dwelling was 
built. As the tilled land hardly produced 
enough for the support of the family, Mr. 
Falck entered into merchandising, and 
for some years he carried on the first store 
in Morrison township in a part of his 
dwelling house. His trade increased, and 
he built an addition to his home, later, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



295 



another addition, and still later, a de- 
tached store, where the business has ever 
since been carried on by his descendants. 
Mr. Falck lived until September 27, 1889, 
when, after a year's suffering of helpless- 
ness from paralysis, he passed away, and 
was buried in the Lutheran cemetery; he 
was a Lutheran in his religious views, and 
in politics was a Democrat. He had fil- 
ially provided a home for his father and 
mother, who died in Morrison, the father 
at eighty-five and the mother at about 
the same age. 

The children born to Phillip and Cath- 
erine Falck are Jacob, a liquor dealer of 
De Pere; Phillip, a sketch of whom fol- 
lows; Frank, a farmer of Seymour, Outa- 
gamie county; George, a hotel-keeper at 
Seymour, all born in Washington county; 
Peter, a hotel and saloon keeper at Bril- 
lion. Wis. ; Marks, a farmer in Morrison 
township; Catherine, now Mrs. August 
Seefeldt, of Morrison; John, a farmer of 
Morrison township; Daniel, also of Mor- 
rison, and Louis, a cheesemaker of the 
same place, these six being all natives of 
Morrison township. Since the death of 
Mr. Falck, his widow, who is still a well- 
preserved lad}' for her time of life, has re- 
sided at the old home in Morrison, and 
has with her her venerable mother, now 
at the advanced age of ninety-four years. 



PHILLIP FALCK, of Morrison 
township. Brown county, was born 
in Washington county. Wis. , No- 
vember 10, 1850, and was but 
four years of age when brought by his 
parents to Brown county. He was 
reared to farming in Morrison township, 
and received a very fair education at the 
district school. When old enough he 
was placed in his father's store — the first 
established in Morrison — and after a short 
service was sent to Milwaukee; where he 
took a thorough course in the Spencerian 
Business College. In 1876, in partner- 
ship with his brother Frank, he purchased 
his father's store, and carried on the 



business under the firm name of Phillip 
Falck & Bro., until the fall of 1889, when 
he became the sole proprietor. 

In April, 1875, Mr. Falck married, 
at Morrison, Miss Alvina Lemke, who 
was born January 28, 1853, in Germany, 
and came to the United States when 
about fourteen years of age. The union 
has been blessed with three children, 
namely: William C, Frank P., and 
Lydia B. C, the sons both assisting in 
their father's store. For nearly twenty 
years Mr. Falck has carried on this busi- 
ness so early and successfully established 
in the wilderness by his father, Phillip 
Falck. Having been reared under the 
careful and watchful eye of his wise and 
prudent father, and having been apt and 
ready at all times to oblige his patrons 
and customers, Phillip Falck has secured 
a long list of friends, whom he has "grap- 
pled to his soul with hooks of steel," and 
no other proprietor of a country store in 
Brown county can boast of a larger pat- 
ronage. In politics Mr. Falck is a Demo- 
crat, and in November, 1S93, was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Morrison. 



CHRIST HANSEN, one of the 
well-known business men and 
farmers of Preble township. 
Brown county, is a native of 
Denmark, born September 25, 1846, son 
of Hans Hansen, who was a brickmaker 
and wagon wright by occupation. 

Our subject received his education in 
the common schools of his native land, 
and when a mere youth commenced to 
assist his father in the brickyard, continu- 
ing thus until he reached the age of seven- 
teen, when he commenced to learn the 
brickmaker's trade. He served a three- 
years' apprenticeship, during which period 
he received only his board, his parents 
being obliged to clothe him; subsequently 
he worked for a time as journeyman. 
Being a natural mechanic, he was also 
able to do blacksmith work, and for two 
years conducted a shop of his own for all 



296 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



kinds of repair work, at the end of which 
time he sold out. Mr. Hansen was mar- 
ried in Denmark to Miss Mary Yorgensen, 
a native of the same locaht)', and in that 
country one child, Hans, was born to 
them. In 1872, concluding to seek a 
home for himself and family in the 
United States, our subject sailed from 
Copenhagen on an Anchor Line steamer, 
and on April 8 landed in New York with 
a light purse but bright prospects. In 
Perth Amboy, N. J., he worked a short 
time, making fire-brick, and then com- 
menced blacksmithing at that place, con- 
tinuing in the same for two years; shortly 
after his arrival he had sent for his wife 
and child, who reached America in July, 
1872. From Perth Amboy, N. J., the 
family removed to Woodbridge, same 
State, and there remained six months, 
during which time Mr. Hansen conducted 
a saloon; but, being dissatisfied, he discon- 
tinued the business, and for one summer 
worked on a farm; then, during the fol- 
lowing winter, went back to his old home 
in Denmark, where he remained from 
December until March. Returning to 
New Jersey Mr. Hansen did not remain 
long, but came westward to Green Bay, 
Wis., arriving April i, 1S75, and here 
commencing to follow his trade at a saw- 
mill, doing repair work, etc., for two 
years. Removing thence to Humboldt 
township. Brown county, he purchased a 
piece of land, and here engaged in black- 
smithing for four and a half years, at the 
end of that time coming to Preble town- 
ship, where he has ever since resided. 
After settling here he followed farming 
and blacksmith work for many years, and 
for the last eight seasons has conducted a 
brickyard on his farm, in which time he 
has turned out ever one million five hun- 
dred thousand brick, all made by hand. 
His life has been one of constant toil, but 
he has succeeded in making for himself a 
comfortable home, and has won and re- 
tained the respect of all who know him 
for his honesty and square dealing. He 
is well known in his township, and has 



served as school clerk and treasurer with 
credit to himself and satisfaction to his 
constituency, being faithful and efficient 
in the discharge of all his duties. Until 
the office was abolished at Weisert he was 
postmaster there, ha\ing the office in the 
brick storeroom on his farm, where, since 
Julj', 1892, he has carried on a saloon 
business. In political connection he is a 
Republican. When he landed in the 
United States he had four dollars; but, not 
allowing himself to become discouraged, 
he set to work with a will, and has met 
with well-merited success. 

To Mr. Hansen's first marriage were 
born three children: Hans, who died in 
New Jersey; a daughter that died in in- 
fancy in Green Bay; and Christina, now 
living at home. The mother of these 
died in 1890, and was buried at Green 
Bay; in January, 1891, Mr. Hansen mar- 
ried Miss Caroline Neilson, who is a na- 
tive of New Denmark, Brown county, 
and to this union has come one child, 
Carl Christ. 



JH. LEONARD, life insurance agent 
at No. 105 North Washington street. 
Green Bay, was born in Brooklyn, 
N. Y. , in 1843, ^ SO" of Stephen 
and Mary (Howard) Leonard, natives of 
England. Stephen Leonard was a sea- 
captain, plying between Liverpool and 
New York, and early took up his residence 
in the latter city, where he died in 1845, 
his widow surviving until 1859. 

J. H. Leonard was reared in that part 
of Brooklyn then known as Williamsburg, 
and at the age of sixteen came to Wis- 
consin and first engaged in clerking in 
Manitowoc. In 1860-61 he attended 
school in Madison, W'is. , and in April, 
1 86 1, enlisted in the Manitowoc County 
Guards, which company was later merged 
with Company A, Fifth Wisconsin Infan- 
try, enlisted for three years' service. This 
regiment was assigned to the Sixth Army 
Corps, Army of the Potomac, and partici- 
pated in the battles of William.sburg, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



297 



Gainesville, White Oak Swamp. Malvern 
Hill, Antietani, Fredericksburg, Chancel- 
lorsville, Gettj'sburg, Rappahannock Sta- 
tion; through Gen. Grant's campaign, in- 
cluding Spottsylvania, Petersburg and Cold 
Harbor. He was wounded by a gunshot 
at Rappahannock Station, but happily 
soon recovered. From private he was 
promoted to sergeant, and for meritorious 
and gallant conduct was offered a com- 
mission as first lieutenant. He received 
his discharge July 27, 1864, and returned 
to Manitowoc, where he, for a while, was 
engaged in teaching, and afterward at 
Kewaunee. In July, 1874, he came to 
Green Bay, and was employed as book- 
keeper by the L. M. Marshall Lumber 
Company. In politics Mr. Leonard is a 
Republican, and for six and a half years, 
from January, 1878, to July, 1885, was 
city superintendent of schools; from 1889 
to August, 1893, he was internal revenue 
collector, since when he has been engaged 
in his present business. The marriage of 
Mr. Leonard took place in 1867, in Mani- 
towoc county, Wis., to Miss Martha 
Gould, a native of Racine, and daughter 
of Edwin and Hester Ann (Barnes) Gould, 
natives, respectively, of New York and 
Massachusetts. Mr. Gould was a pioneer 
of Racine, was a tanner by vocation, and 
died in Green Bay; Mrs. Gould died in 
Racine. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard had born 
to them two children: Mattie Alice, wife 
of F. F. Jones, of Harvey, 111. (she is a 
graduate of the Green Bay high school, 
and Lawrence University, Appleton), and 
C. J., who died at the age of three years. 
Mr. Leonard is largely associated with 
secret societies, being a member of Wash- 
ington Lodge, No. 21, F. & A. M. ; of 
Warren Chapter No. 8; secretary of Pales- 
tine Commandery, No. 20; member of 
Pochequette Lodge, No. 26, K. of P. ; 
Navarino Lodge, No. 1384, K. of H. ; of 
T. O. Howe Post No. 124, G. A. R., of 
which he is post commander, and is past 
chancellor in the K. of P., a record which 
proves his great popularity, and the ex- 
tent of the affectionate hold he has upon 



his fellow-men. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard 
are members of the M. E. Church at 
Green Bay, of which he is a steward and 
trustee; he was also formerly superintend- 
ent of the Sunday-school, and is still a 
teacher. He has witnessed much of the 
substantial growth of Green Bay, and has 
always been, since his residence in the 
city, an eager promoter of its prosperity 
by all means within his power. 



HERBERT F. CAMM, of the in- 
surance and real-estate firm of 
Camm & Erbe, Fort Howard, 
commenced business in 1891, cor- 
ner of Main and Broadway, the firm 
doing a general insurance business, and 
handling city property. 

Mr. Camm was born in 1866, in Fort 
Howard. His father, Thomas M. Camm, 
was also born in Fort Howard, in 1828, 
in the government fort (old Fort Howard) 
at that place, in which his father, Orderly- 
Sergeant John Camm (grandfather of our 
subject) was stationed as a member of 
the detachment from the United States 
army then garrisoning the fort, and where 
he had been since 1826. The worthy 
Sergeant died in Michigan of cholera, 
during the Black Hawk war of 1S32, 
when so many of the soldiers fell victims 
to the same disease. He was a native of 
England, and his wife, Martha (Campbell), 
was a descendant of the noted Clan 
Campell (Duke of Argyle's clan) of 
Scotland. Their son, Thomas M., was 
reared in the neighborhood where he first 
saw the light, and was educated in the 
schools of Green Bay. He is one of the 
oldest pioneer merchants in the Green 
Bay region, beginning as a clerk and at 
length engaging in business for himself. 
In 1864 he was married, at Fort Howard, 
to Miss Caroline Gray, who was born in 
Canada, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John 
Gray, the former of whom was a native 
of the North of Ireland, the latter of Penn- 
sylvania, being descended from the early 
Pennsylvania-Dutch settlers. Thomas M. 



298 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



Camm has been in acti\c business about 
forty years. Politically a Republican, he 
has been a member of the town board, 
member of the school board, superin- 
tendent of schools and postmaster at 
Fort Howard, where he and his wife still 
reside. Besides one son, Herbert F. , 
they had two daughters: Edith M., who 
resides at home, and Ethel C, who died 
at the age of twelve years. 

Herbert F. Camm, like his father, was 
reared and educated in Fort Howard. 
When of proper age he began clerking in 
his father's store, leaving there to take up 
the study of architecture, while studying 
which he was tendered a position in the 
McCartney National Bank, which he ac- 
cepted, filling same for three years, and 
then resigning to enter the line of busi- 
ness in which he is now engaged. He is 
in direct line from one of the oldest resi- 
dents of Fort Howard, and, in all re- 
spects, is '• native here and to the manner 
born." Politically he is independent, 
voting for what he deems the best meas- 
ures. By profession he is an architect, 
and has done not a little in that line, as 
many handsome structures testify, but 
prefers the active life of business, hence 
his present connection. He is a member 
of the Y. M. C. A., having been one of 
the founders of the local branch of that 
sterlintf institution. 



CHESTER G. WILCOX, post- 
master at De Fere, Brown county, 
and well known as a manufac- 
turer of harness, saddles, etc., 
and albeit a politician of much shrewd- 
ness and merit, was born May 29, 1848, 
in Milford, Oakland Co., Mich., the day 
on which the State of Wisconsin was ad- 
mitted to the Union. 

He is a son of Levi S. Wilco.x, whose 
biography will be found in the closing 
paragraphs of this sketch. Chester G. 
Wilcox received an excellent literary 
education at the Union Seminary of Cam- 
den, N. Y. , and at Utica University, 



Utica, Mich., which was supplemented 
by a course of study in Bryant & Strat- 
ton's Commercial College, of Utica, from 
which he graduated in bookkeeping, and 
later taught a class in this art at the same 
college. While a student at Camden he 
began to learn the trade of harness mak- 
ing, and finished at Rome, N. Y. In 
1865, on June 17, he arrived at Milwau- 
kee, Wis., being at the time the happy 
possessor of $ 1 7 in cash ; thence he went to 
Wheeler Prairie, Dane Co., Wis., where 
he found employment on a farm. His 
next p>ermanent place of residence was 
De Pere, where his uncle, E. I. \\'ilcox, 
was principal of the high school. Here 
he obtained a certificate as a school- 
teacher, but never utilised it, as he found 
a broader and more remunerative held in 
the harness business in Green Bay, which 
he followed three years, when he returned 
to New York on account of the illness of 
his father, and from there to the Utica 
University, already alluded to. In 1870 
he again came to De Pere, and formed a 
partnership with John H. McDonald in 
the harness business, their store being at 
the corner of James street and Broad 
way. For seventeen years the firm did a 
prosperous business, and during that period 
every other business house in De Pere 
either failed, changed hands or dissolved. 
In 1 87 I Mr. Wilcox entered into the real- 
estate business on a small scale; but it has 
continued to increase ever since — in fact, 
from 1S85 to 1894 it was estimated that 
his transactions in this line exceeded those 
of any other dealer in Brown count}', and, 
in the hundreds of real-estate deals he has 
made, not a single deal or deed has been 
questioned, nor has he ever foreclosed a 
mortgage. He is now the owner of much 
valuable propert\' in De Pere and the sur- 
rounding country, including residences, 
business houses and farms, and is also 
owner of the " Broadway House " at Fort 
Howard; but he nevertheless clings to the 
harness business in De Pere. 

In politics Mr. \\'ilcox is a Democrat. 
In 1873 he was elected alderman of De- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



?oi 



Pere against William P. Call, and served 
three or four terms, resigning during his 
last term; was elected to the school board, 
was its president three terms, and is 
president at the present time; was elected 
to the county board in 1878, and, with 
the exception of one year, served continu- 
ously for fourteen years; in 1880 he was 
elected to the State Assembly, and served 
one term, being the youngest member of 
that Legislature. He has been chairman 
of the Brown County Central Democratic 
Committee, and delegate time and again 
to Democratic county and State Conven- 
tions. Along with A. E. Decker, of 
Fond du Lac, he was a State delegate to 
the National Convention of the Knights of 
Labor held at Richmond, Va., in 1886. 
At three different times he was appointed, 
by the circuit judges of as many districts, 
commissioner for the equalization of 
ta.xes, and revised the tax lists of Outa- 
gamie, Door and Oconto counties. On 
December 12, 1893, he was appointed 
postmaster of De Pere, and is now filling 
the office to the entire satisfaction of the 
public and the department, and with 
credit to himself. As a citizen Mr. Wil- 
cox has been more than ordinarily active 
and useful. He was one of the project- 
ors and organizers of the Brown County 
Agricultural & Mechanical Association, 
has been a member thirteen years, and 
for three years filled the chair as presi- 
dent; he has also been its treasurer and 
superintendent. In 1871 he was one of 
the organizers of the first fire company in 
De Pere, drew up its first by-laws, and 
has been a member ever since. No mem- 
ber of the company ever beat him in 
"running with the machine." Indeed, 
Mr. Wilcox excels as a runner, has been 
in many running matches of one hundred 
yards, and has made the distance in ten 
and one-quarter seconds, when he beat 
John Gray, ex-champion of Canada, in 
Oneida county, N. Y. In 1876 he was 
captain and catcher in the De Pere Base 
Ball Club, and won the championship 
of Brown county. He has served as 

17 



president of the Business Men's Associa- 
tion of De Pere, and is now treasurer; 
is also the treasurer of the De Pere Elec- 
tric Light & Power Company, which he 
originated. He helped to organize the 
Artesian Water Supply Company, and is 
one of the largest stockholders therein; is 
vice-president of the State Agricultural 
Society, and superintendent of one of its 
seven departments; he also helped in se- 
curing the water-power for the paper-mill 
at De Pere, and has been quite prominent 
in forwarding numerous other enterprises 
of great benefit to the city. He engineered 
the deal resulting in the purchase of 1,200 
acres of land for $120, 000, for the Allouez 
Land & Improvement Company, in 1893, 
and also secured the land at Little Rapids, 
abutting the dam, for Davis Bros., besides 
conducting many other important real- 
estate transactions, too numerous to be 
mentioned within the scope of this bio- 
graphical sketch. 

The marriage of Mr. Wilcox took place 
June 15, 1 87 1, with Miss Sarah J. Miller, 
daughter of Godfrey Miller, a wealthy 
farmer of Brown county, who died in No- 
vember, 1893, and whose widow, Caro- 
line (Stuart) Miller, now resides in De- 
Pere. To this union four children have 
been born, two of whom: Levi S. and 
Chester G., aged twenty years and one 
year, respectively, are living. Frater- 
nally, Mr. Wilcox is a Freemason. His 
rectitude and abstemiousness are remark- 
able. He has never used tobacco in any 
form, has never tasted a drop of beer or 
liquor, except as medicine, has never 
played a game of cards or any other 
game of chance, has never been arrested, 
and has never had a law-suit for himself. 
He is not connected with an}' Church. 

Levi S. Wilcox, father of Chester G. 
Wilcox, was born December 3, 1818, in 
the town of Pompey, Onondaga Co., N. 
Y. , and was a son of Chester Wilcox, a 
farmer and live-stock dealer, who married 
Lorelia Sperry.a native of Oneida county. 
New York. 

Levi S. Wilcox was reared to farming 



302 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPUICAL RECORD. 



on the north side of Oneida Lake, N. Y. , 
and at twenty-one years of age migrated 
to Ohio, then considered to be in the 
" Far West. " Here he worked a j'ear 
and a half at coopering and farming, and 
then returned to New York State and 
worked four years for Carter Bros., 
farmers, tanners and merchants of Oswego 
county. On April 20, 1846, he married 
Isabella Lambie, who was born April 3, 
1825, in Scotland, and at the age of six 
years was brought to this country by her 
parents, John and Jane (Allen) Lambie. 
The father, John Lambie, was in failing 
health when he left Scotland, and came 
to America with the hope of recovery, but 
he gradually declined, and died March 
28, 1834, his remains being interred at 
Camden, Oneida Co., N. Y. His widow 
died at the home of her son-in-law, Levi 
S. Wilco.x, April 22, 1869, and her re- 
mains now rest beside those of her hus- 
band. She was the mother of ten chil- 
dren, of whom two only survive — Mrs. 
Wilco.x and Jcannette, the wife of John 
Carter, of Pleasant Valley, Oakland Co., 
Mich. Soon after his marriage Mr. Wil- 
cox bought eighty acres of land in the 
town of Highland, Oakland Co., Mich., 
and on this land he lived five years, when 
he returned to Camden, N. Y. , and for 
sometime worked for a furniture company 
as deliverer, etc. , using the identical team 
that hauled him and his family back from 
Michigan — going via Canada. He then 
followed the livery and stage business for 
eight or ten years, and also dealt in 
horses, using New York City as a market. 
Later, in company with John Lambie, he 
built a gristmill, but, in a short time there- 
after, he disposed of this property and re- 
engaged in the livery business for three or 
four years, and then moved to Lowville, 
Lewis Co., N. Y., and followed the livery 
business until the fall of 1881, when he 
came to Brown county. Wis. , and for a 
year resided in De Pere, undisturbed by 
business cares. About 1S83 he purchased 
the farm in Brown county on which he 
now resides, and which he has converted 



into one of the prettiest homes on the 
Fox river. The children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. L. S. Wilcox were named as 
follows: Chester G., whose sketch ap- 
pears above; Jane M., who was born in 
Michigan, and is now the widow of A. S. 
Fifield, of De Pere; John, born in Oneida 
county, N. Y., now a harness maker at 
Fort Howard, Wis. ; Lilly, now Mrs. 
Dennis B. Foster, of Fairchild, Wis. ; 
William, twin of Lilly, who died at the 
age of eight months. Mr. Wilcox is a 
Democrat in politics, and in religion is 
Presbyterian. 



GODFREY MILLER (deceased), 
was born October 8, 1813, in 
Warren county, N. Y., and was 
married November 5, 1840, to 
Caroline Margaret Stewart, daughter of 
Robert D. Stewart. Mrs. Miller was 
born June 4, 1817, and bore her husband 
three daughters, as follows: Emma Cot- 
ten, who was born June 25, 1843, was 
married to Jerome Tyler, and is now a 
widow, residing at De Pere; Anna Rose- 
bery, born January 29, 1847, was mar- 
ried to George Woodward, of Kaukauna, 
in June, 1870; Sarah Jane, married to 
Chester G. W^ilcox in June, 1870. 

Godfrey Miller was a wheelwright by 
trade, and for seven years worked at his 
vocation in Easton, Penn., having charge 
of the shop most of the time. In 1837 
he came to De Pere, Brown Co., Wis., 
and in the summer of the same year built 
a sawmill in Fond du Lac, there being 
but two white families in the place at 
that time. He then returned to De Pere 
and continued to work at his trade until 
1839, when he bought a farm of eighty 
acres, one mile south of West De Pere. 
The only gristmill was then at "Cocoa- 
low," or Little Chute, and from De Pere 
a skiff-load of grist would be taken down 
one da}', be ground, and returned the 
next. In 1842 he moved into his house 
on this farm, and there resided the re- 
mainder of his davs. Under the direc- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



303 



tion of Mr. Miller the first dam, a spar 
dam, was built across the Fox river at De- 
Pere. Many sawmills in the neighbor- 
hood were also built under his direction. 
In politics Mr. Miller was a Republican. 
He was the first treasurer of Lawrence 
township, which he had helped to organ- 
ize, and filled the office many years; he 
also served on the school board with much 
efficiency. He was an active member of 
the Presbyterian Church — first at Green 
Bay; later, a member and trustee at De- 
Pere. His death took place suddenly on 
the night of November 2, 1893, his corpse 
being found by his wife at seven o'clock 
the ne.xt morning. Mr. Miller was one of 
the most respected of the early settlers of 
De Pere, honored for his sterling quali- 
ties of both head and heart. He was 
thoroughly versed in the topics of the day 
and the affairs of the world, being a 
studious reader. His widow now resides 
at De Pere, aged seventy-six years, and 
is still bright and active. 



WILLIAM COOK, one of the most 
prosperous agriculturists and 
lumbermen of Suamico town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native 
of New York State, born in Chazy town- 
ship, Clinton county, October 12, 1S41, a 
son of John and Anna Cook. 

John Cook, father of our subject, was 
born in the city of York, England, whence, 
at the age of fifteen years, he emigrated 
to this continent, for some five years mak- 
ing his home in Canada, then moving to 
New York State (probably St. Lawrence 
county), where he met and married Miss 
Ann Leger, a native of Canada. She is 
a daughter of Francis and Margaret 
(Lorette) Leger, French Canadians by 
birth, respectable farming people, who 
moved from Canada to New York State, 
later to Wisconsin, where they passed 
the remainder of their lives, dying at 
the home of our subject's mother, he at 
the great age of one hundred and three 
years, she when seventy years old. 



They were the parents of ten chil- 
dren. John Cook was a day laborer until 
coming to the United States; then, in St. 
Lawrence county, N. Y. , he bought a 
farm, and conducted same until 1856, 
when he came west to Wisconsin, and 
purchased the property still occupied by 
his widow, in Suamico township. Brown 
county, where he conducted a tavern. 
Mr. Cook died on the homestead, in the 
fall of 1890, at the ripe age of seventy- 
eight years, and, when he was no more, 
the community in which he had lived 
felt that there had departed from their 
midst a grand, good man. He and his 
faithful wife accumulated several acres of 
wild land, which, by honest toil and untir- 
ing energy, they converted into fertile 
fields, and here she is yet living, in the 
old-time tavern that for over thirty-five 
years has been known as one of the best 
hostelries in this section of the country. 
William Cook, the subject proper of 
these lines, received a liberal education 
at the schools of his native township, and 
was reared to farming pursuits under the 
tuition of his father. In 1856 he came to 
Wisconsin with the rest of the family, 
and in Suamico township. Brown county, 
has since remained, actively engaged in 
agricultural and lumbering pursuits, now 
owning over 900 acres of prime farming 
land. His success in life may be said to 
have had its commencement, or at any 
rate considerable impetus, in this way. 
One day he set out to hunt up the cows, 
and found them on land covered with 
pine timber. He brought them home, 
and that same night proceeded to Chicago, 
where he bought two "forties" of land 
here, paying for same the sum of two 
thousand dollars. Attorney Robert Lin- 
coln, son of Abraham Lincoln, making out 
the deed. Two weeks afterward William 
Cook sold his purchase for two thousand 
dollars per "forty," to A. Weed, who, at 
that time, had a sawmill three miles from 
Flintville, on the Suamico river. William 
Cook is considerably interested in real 
estate, owning, in the village of Flintville^ 



304 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



several choice buildiiij,' lots, as well as some 
2,800 acres of timber landelsewere; and in 
all respects is one of the leading, progres- 
sive and affluent citizens of Brown county. 
He is a representative self-made man, a 
typical American hustler, in spite of his 
impaired eyesight. In the first winter 
after his marriage he commenced lumber- 
ing, and his indefatigable, clever wife did 
all the cooking for the camp, three long 
winters, sometimes providing for as many 
as from twenty-five to thirty men, in ad- 
dition to which she kept the men's time 
and her husband's accounts. After they 
had succeeded in making sufficient clear- 
ing, which took two or three years, 
they commenced cultivating their present 
fertile farm, situated a few miles from 
their present home. At the present time 
he owns and operates a large sawmill 
ninety miles north of Green Bay on the 
Milwaukee & Northern railroad, and he 
expects to cut three million feet this 
winter. 

On November 27, 1865, Mr. Cook 
was married to Mrs. Eliza Douglas (^iice 
Millington), widow of G. Stephen Doug- 
las, an Englishman by birth, to whom 
she was married May 3, 1856, and who 
died, during the Civil war, at Antietam, 
Md., September 16, 1862. Mrs. Eliza 
Cook is a very refined and highly accom- 
plished lady, and for some time was a 
successful school teacher, first in the 
academy where she was receiving instruc- 
tion, afterward teaching in the town of 
Vienna, Oneida Co., N. Y., in the same 
schoolhouse she used to attend when a 
child; and, still later, a school in the 
village of Cleveland, Oswego county, the 
last of her teaching in New York State. 
In Flintville, Wis., she taught four years, 
during which time she also tended the 
little store that will be spoken of farther 
on. To Mr. and Mrs. Cook came two 
children — William E. and Jay — both 
born in the house where the family are 
j'et residing, the former August 15, 1872, 
the later October 3, 1875. Of these, 
William E. was educated at the district 



schools and Green Bay Business College, 
after which he kept books two years for 
Cook & Boulet, merchants and lumber- 
men. Jay was married in the fall of 
1894 to Miss Myrtle A. Huntington, who 
was but seventeen jears old on the 24th 
of last September, and whom he had 
known from childhood. The entire family 
are identified with the Congregational 
Church, in which Mrs. Cook is an active 
worker; in his political proclivities our 
subject has always been a Democrat. 

Mrs. Eliza Cook is a native of New 
York State, born in Oneida county, to 
Thomas R. and Betsy (Hall) Millington, 
the father also a native of Oneida county, 
N. Y. (he has been blind for the past 
fifty years of his life, and at the age of 
ninety is yet living at the home of Mr. 
and Mrs. Cook), the mother born in 
Rochester, Mass., and died in New York 
State, at the age of thirty-two; they had 
one son and two daughters. The first of 
the Millington family to come to this 
country from Wales (where, by the way, 
the name was spelled Myllington) was 
Peter, in 1740, accompanied by his wife 
(who had with her a two-year-old son, 
named Peter), and his brother Isaac. 
Peter was an officer in the French and 
Indian war, stationed at Fort Wang, 
where is now the city of Albany, N. Y. ; 
Isaac was killed by the Indians. Their 
father, David Millington, died in Wales 
in 1745, leaving for his heirs in America 
an estate that is now worth half a million 
dollars, besides a considerable sum of 
money in the bank. His son Peter mar- 
ried an English lady named Anna Roberts, 
and by her had seven children — three 
sons, Peter, H. Gates and Asa, and four 
daughters, Polly, Hester, Betsy and Millie. 
His home was at Bennington, \'t. , and he 
owned a farm on the banks of the Hoosac 
river. He served in the Revolutionary 
war, in the Green Mountain Rangers, and, 
though he participated in many battles, 
was never wounded; was taken prisoner 
twice, however, but on each occasion 
effected his escape, the second time 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 



305 



through the bravery and cleverness of a 
Miss Hannah Wright, who will again be 
referred to. After the war he sold his 
farm in Vermont, and moving to Nevv 
York State, located in Springfield town- 
ship, Otsego county, near the head of 
Lake Otsego, later making his home in 
Vienna township, on the banks of Lake 
Oneida, where he died in 1809, leaving 
his widow well provided for. 

H. Gates Millington, second son of 
Peter and Anna (Roberts) Millington, was 
Mrs. Eliza Cook's grandfather. He was 
born June 20, 1777, and died May 26, 
1849; married Miss Mary Roberts, who 
was born February 25, 1782, married at 
the age of seventeen, and died February 
14, 1 871; she was a daughter of Samuel 
and Hannah (Wright) Roberts (the mother 
being the heroine who in her girlhood 
was the means of Peter Millington's es- 
caping from Burgoyne's soldiers, as al- 
ready referred to). Samuel Roberts and 
several brothers served in the war of the 
Revolution, all escaping wounds or cap- 
ture; he being a brother to Mrs. Peter 
Millington, it shows that Mrs. Eliza 
Cook's grandfather and grandmother were 
first cousins. Samuel Roberts was killed 
by a falling tree while he was clearing a 
site at Crown Point, N. Y. , near the 
Vermont border line. H. Gates Milling- 
ton had three sons and one daughter, 
their names and dates of birth being as 
follows: Thomas Ransom, November 4, 
1804; Moremus, September 10, 1806; 
Samuel, April 16, 1808, and Julia Ann, 
March 3, 1812. 

Thomas R. Millington, the eldest of 
these, was Mrs. Eliza Cook's father. He 
was married March 2, 1828, at the home 
of the bride in Hastings township, Os- 
wego county, N. Y. , to Miss Betsy Hall, 
who was born October 9, 1804, daughter 
of Jonathan and Abigail Hall, the former 
a native of Vermont, born of English an- 
cestry who came from England in the 
"Mayflower" in 1620 (two brothers, 
were Jonathan and William Hall). They 
were married October 24, 1784, and had 



nine children — five sons: Heman, Hosea, 
Hopestill, Josiah, and John ; and four 
daughters : Irene, Betsy, Abigail, and 
Harriet. The father died in the town of 
Hastings, Oswego county, N. Y. , at the 
age of seventy-two years ; in the war for 
Independence he served as a wagon-mas- 
ter. Mrs. Eliza Cook's grandmother, 
Abigail (Bisbee) Hall, was born October 

21, 1767, in Massachusetts, the eldest 
child of Hopestill and Abigail (Churchill) 
Bisbee, the latter of whom was in some 
way related to Lord Churchill, of Lon- 
don, England. Mrs. Jonathan Hall's 
father was the first to erect a furnace in 
Massachusetts for the making of pew- 
ter and Britannia metal dishes, etc. ; it 
was built in North Rochester, but was 
long ago converted into a saw and grist 
mill, and the farm on which it stood has 
never gone out of the Bisbee family, hav- 
ing been handed down from father to son. 

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Thomas 
R. Millington commenced housekeeping 
in a neat, comfortable log house on the 
shore of Lake Oneida, Oneida county, N. 
Y. , and here were born one son and 
two daughters, their names and dates of 
birth being as follows : Marcus, Octo- 
ber 25, 1829; Eliza (Mrs. William Cook), 
November 6, 1834; and Betsy J., July 

22, 1836. On February 19, 1838, the 
mother died, of consumption, leaving the 
three little children to the care of the 
bereaved father, whose affliction was in- 
tensified by his being nearly blind, the 
result of an attack of measles he suffered 
soon after marriage, on which account he 
had subsequently to enter the Eye Infirm- 
ary at Rochester. She was a faithful 
wife, the kindest of mothers, and a true 
friend to all ; in her housekeeping affairs 
she was ever neat, tidy and industrious, 
while no woman could be more clever 
with the needle ; and her call from earth 
was mourned not only by the husband, 
children and other relatives, but also by a 
wide circle of sorrowing friends. The 
children, after the death of their mother, 
were taken to the home of their grand- 



3o6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



parents, with whom they lived five years, 
enjoying every comfort and attention, the 
grandfather especially, who was a devout 
Christian man, being exceedinglj' kind to 
them. But, alas ! the pleasant, peaceful 
home was destined to be broken up in an 
unexpected and dire manner, the cosy 
house and all its contents being burned to 
the ground in a bright afternoon in the 
fall of 1843, while all the inmates were 
temporarily absent. After this Mr. Mil- 
lington again took charge of his daughter 
Eliza, and went to housekeeping, renting 
part of a house occupied by a Quaker 
family, who were very kind to her, one 
and all taking an unselfish interest in her 
welfare. After a time she went to live 
with a married uncle (her mother's eldest 
brother) in Onondaga Valley, and she 
then went to district school and acad- 
emy several terms, intending to qual- 
ify for the profession of school teacher, 
which vocation she commenced at the age 
of seventeen, continuing in same with 
eminent success until her marriage with 
G. S. Douglas, as already recorded. 

He was a native of the cit}' of York, 
England, born May 9, 1830, of Scotch 
descent on his father's side. In the 
fall of 1856 her father set out for 
Wisconsin, bought land, then returned 
to New York State, sold his property 
and once more, in the fall of 1861, 
came to Wisconsin, his daughter, Mrs. 
Douglas (at that time), and her little 
daughter accompanying him, Mr. Douglas 
having gone to the war, and, having saved 
some money, bought land in Oconto 
county, near the Brown county line, 
which he held several years and then sold. 
On November 17, 1858, a little girl was 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Douglas, but was 
carried off by scarlet fever in 1864, a most 
interesting, lovable child, gone to mingle 
with the angelic throng. In 1862, at this 
place, which afterward came to be known 
as Flintville, in Suamico township, 
Thomas R. Millington and his daughter, 
Mrs. Eliza Douglas, opened out a general 
store, buying their stock of groceries in 



Fort Howard, and their dry goods in Green 
Bay, from which time, up to her marriage 
with Mr. Cook, she assisted in her father's 
store in Flintville, also teaching school, 
as above stated. 

When Mrs. Cook came to this part of 
Wisconsin, she traveled by water from 
Buffalo to Green Bay, to the place now 
called Flintville, where she has always 
resided since coming west, and she found 
things in a very primitive condition. 
There was no railroad, the nearest post- 
office (Fort Howard) was twelve miles dis- 
tant, and the only span of horses in the 
township was owned by John Cook, her 
present father-in-law, so that ox-teams 
may be said to have been the only mode 
of transportation. The first Sunday- 
school in Flintville was organized in 1863 
by a Mr. Lepard, of which school Mrs. 
Douglas was made first superintendent. 
Her father is well known and greatly 
esteemed for his industry and thorough 
business habits, and as one who has made 
his way in the world b}' laudable ambi- 
tion. In his political preferences he was 
a Democrat till 1856, when he changed 
his views, becoming a stanch Republican, 
and has since remained a solid member 
of that party. 



JOHN GRATZA was born February 3. 
1856, in Upper Silesia, Germany, 
son of John and Caroline (Kuczera) 
Gratza, the former of whom was a 
successful farmer. They were the par- 
ents of thirteen children: Frank, Johanna, 
Geneva, Mary, John, Frank and Joseph, 
and six who died in infancy. The mother 
of this family died in Germany, February 
17, 1872, and in 1878 the father came to 
America, settling in Clover Bottom, Mo., 
where he passed the remainder of his life, 
dying March 3, 1886. At the time of his 
decease he was the owner of 600 acres of 
land. 

John Gratza received all his education 
in Germany, and then in 1877 entered 
the priesthood. Three months later he 



COMMEMORATIVE BWQRAPHWAL RECORD. 



307 



came to America, sailing from Bremen to 
New York, and thence journeying; directly 
to Alton, 111., where he remained until 
July, 1893, at which time he entered 
upon the duties of his charge in New Den- 
mark, Brown county. This congregation 
has been organized about ten years, and 
now includes 120 families — one hundred 
Polish, and twenty German. In his polit- 
ical preferences Father Gratza is a Demo- 
crat, and takes much interest in the suc- 
cess of the party. 



ESEIUS BEISSEL, a thoroughly 
representative respected old set- 
tler of New Denmark township. 
Brown county, is a native of the 
State of Pennsylvania, born August 27, 
1824, in North Sunbury, Northumberland 
county, son of Jacob and Mary (Adams) 
Beissel, the former of whom was a farmer 
by occupation, in which he was very suc- 
cessful. There were ten children in his 
family, of whom Rachel died when nine 
years old; Hosanna, Mrs. Snavelly, died 
at Watson, 111., in February, 1894; Eseius 
is the subject of these lines; Levi lives in 
Wenona, 111.; John is deceased; Priscilla 
died at Tonica, 111. ; Aaron lives in Kansas; 
Jacob went to Missouri; two died in in- 
fancy. In 1838 the father of this family 
sold his farm of 190 acres in Pennsyl- 
vania, and removed with his family to the 
then new State of Illinois, purchasing 360 
acres of wild land in Roberts township, 
Marshall Co., 111., on which place he 
passed the remainder of his busy life. 

Our subject was reared to farm life by 
his father, and in 1838 came with the rest 
of the family to Illinois. Here he was mar- 
ried, January 7, 1853, to Miss Margaret 
Kahren, who was born January 17, 1835, 
in the village of Marsdorf, Rhein Province, 
Prussia, the eldest of ten children born 
to J. Peter and Margaret (Chimmer) 
Kahren, as follows: Margaret; Jacob, who 
was drowned in the East river, when thirty- 
three years old; Catherine and Joseph, 
who died in infancy; Joseph, who died at 



the age of thirty-three in Oshkosh, Wis. ; 
Elizabeth and Catherine, deceased; Anna; 
Michael, deceased; and Catherine, now 
Mrs. Sharky, of Green Bay, Wis. In 1852 
this family sailed from Germany, and, 
after a voyage of thirty-three days, landed 
in New York, thence coming directly to 
Milwaukee, Wis. , where they lived six 
months, and then removed to Illinois. 
At the time of his marriage Mr. Beissel 
purchased eighty acres of land in Evans 
township, Marshall Co., 111., where he 
and his young wife commenced their mar- 
ried life; but sometime later, owingto her 
illness, he sold the place and worked out 
by the month, being thus engaged two 
years. Then, going to Wenona, 111., he 
bought a house and lot, and they resided 
there until 1862, when they came to New 
Denmark township. Brown Co. , Wis. , 
where he purchased si.xty acres of land 
still in its primitive condition, and here 
made a permanent home; at the time of 
his settlement the land was still wild, but 
with years of earnest, unremitting toil he 
has succeeded in converting it into a well- 
improved property. For sixteen years 
after coming to the county he was en- 
gaged in teaming between Green Bay and 
Pine Grove. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Beissel were born 
ten children, their names and dates of 
birth being as follows: Mary, February 
14, 1854; Amelia, January 14, 1857; 
Charles, September 15, 1859; Louis, 
March 30, 1862; Joseph, January 28, 
1865; Barbara, August 4, 1867; John, 
January 21, 1870; Catherine, September 
13, 1872; Jacob, April 25,, 1875; and 
Henry, January 7, 1878. Those deceased 
are Mary, who died October 2, 1885; 
Barbara, who died September 25, 1868; 
the rest all live at home, except Amelia, 
Mrs. Sampson, of Fort Howard, and 
Charles, now in Coleman, Wis. The 
family are all adherents of Holy Trinity 
Catholic Church, New Denmark, and in 
his political preferences Mr. Beissel is a 
Republican, though not a strict partisan. 
He is well known and highly respected in 



3oS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the community, with whose interests he 
has been identified so many years, and 
has served his township as justice of the 
peace six years and school treasurer nine 
years, proving a most reliable, faithful 
official. 



J 



AMES HOBBINS, the oldest living 
settler in Rockland township, Brown 
county, is a native of the Emerald 
Isle, born in i8i6, in County Tip- 
perary, son of Thomas Hobbins, a farmer. 
The latter had a family of ten children — 
seven sons and three daughters — of whom 
James is the eldest son. 

James Hobbins was reared to farming 
pursuits, which he followed in his native 
country until 1846, when he decided to 
immigrate to America. He had married 
Miss Bridget Schooley, who bore him one 
son, John, in Ireland, and in May, 1846, 
the family took passage for New York 
on a Black Star liner, landing after a 
voyage of seventeen days. They pro- 
ceeded at once to Philadelphia, where 
they remained a short time, Mr. Hobbins 
working in a stone quarry, also as over- 
seer for a farmer, and then removed to 
Oneida county, N. Y. Here the family 
resided about four years, Mr. Hobbins en- 
gaging in farm labor, and here two more 
children were added to the family: 
Thomas, who died in De Pere, Wis., 
where he was a justice of the peace; and 
Patrick, who also died in De Pere, Wis., 
of which city he was marshal for seven 
years. In May, 1850, attracted by the 
cheap homes offered to settlers in Wis- 
consin at that time, they came westward, 
taking passage at Buffalo on the "A. D. 
Patchen," and landing in Milwaukee, 
thence coming to Green Bay, and losing 
no time after their arrival in looking up 
a good location. In Holland township. 
Brown county, Mr. Hobbins purchased 
160 acres of new land; but, being some- 
what dissatisfied with that part of the 
country, he invested, in the same year, 
in eighty acres of land lying in Section i 5, 



Rockland township, and here he has 
ever since made his home. There were 
but three families in the township at 
that time, no roads of an\' kind were 
laid out, and, in order to reach his 
home, Mr. Hobbins had to cut a path 
through the forest. He felled the first 
tree ever cut down by a white man on the 
place, and built the first dwelling, a log 
cabin, about twenty rods from the site of 
the present family residence. Game was 
still plentiful, and deer were frequently 
seen in the clearing. Mr. Hobbins ex- 
perienced all the hardships and inconve- 
niences incident to backwoods life and 
the clearing and improving of a farm in a 
new country. Even after the trees were 
felled the stumps and roots remained, and 
having no modern appliances for remov- 
ing them, he could not use a plow suc- 
cessful!)', and was obliged to do the best 
he could with a grub-hoe. Money was 
very scarce, so, in order to obtain enough 
for their needs, our subject worked, dur- 
ing the winter season for several years, in 
the lumber camps of Brown county. But, 
in spite of the dangers and privations, he 
remained on the farm, laboring earl\- and 
late to hew himself a comfortable home 
from the dense forest, and he has lived to 
see his place transformed from a wilder- 
ness to a beautiful productive tract of 
land, the result of long years of unrelent- 
ing toil. As will be seen, he has resided 
here continuously forty-four years, during 
which period he has watched the progress 
and development of his section, taking no 
small part in the work himself. He is 
now the oldest living settler of Rockland 
township, where he is well known and 
highly esteemed by a wide circle of friends 
and acquaintances. He has served his 
township in various positions of honor and 
trust, having held the important office of 
chairman several years, was school di- 
rector eighteen years, and has also been 
assessor. In political affiliation he is a 
stanch Democrat. In religious faith he 
is a Catholic, and was among the first to 
take active steps in the formation of St. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



309 



Francis Church at De Pere, of which he 
is now the oldest Hving member, and 
which at first was the place of worship 
for all nationalities. Mrs. Hobbins passed 
from earth February 1 1, 1886, at the age 
of seventy-three years, and was laid to 
rest in De Pere cemetery; since her de- 
cease our subject has lived a compara- 
tively retired life, making his home with 
his eldest son, John (the only surviving 
member of his family), who now conducts 
the farm. 

John Hobbins was born in April, 1845, 
in County Tipperary, Ireland, whence, 
when a year old, he was brought by his 
parents to the United States, and was five 
years of age when the family settled in 
Rockland township. Here he was reared 
to manhood on the pioneer farm, receiv- 
ing a thorough training to agricultural 
pursuits, and, at the same time, obtaining 
such an education as the early district 
schools afforded. In July, 1867, he was 
united in marriage with Miss Bridget 
Ryan, who was born in County Tipperary, 
Ireland, in 1848. She is a daughter of 
Patrick Ryan, who died in Ireland, leav- 
ing a widow and seven children — four sons 
and three daughters — and in 1853 this 
family immigrated to the United States, 
locating first in New York State, and sub- 
sequently coming to Wisconsin. This 
union has been blessed with the following- 
named children: James, Thomas, Alice, 
Nora, Mary, Ellen, Patrick, and Flossie, 
all living at home. Mr. Hobbins, like 
his father, is a stanch member of the 
Democratic party, and has served as 
school clerk for thirteen years. In relig- 
ious connection he and his wife are mem- 
bers of St. Francis Church, De Pere. 



DR. WILLIAM BEAUPRE, the 
well-known oculist and aurist, 
whose skill in his profession has 
gained for him a wide and envi- 
able reputation, is a native of Canada, 
born in what is now the Province of Que- 
bec (Canada Bas) in 1830. 



As his name indicates, the Doctor is 
of French descent, his grandfather, who 
was a military man, having been a native 
of "La Belle France," whence in very 
early times he emigrated to Canada, and 
in the lower province (now Quebec) made 
a settlement. There his son, H. N., 
father of subject, was born and educated, 
in early manhood taking up the mercan- 
tile business, which was his life work. He 
married Mile. Argauge Bargeron, also a 
native of Canada East, and children as 
follows were born to this union: Mary, 
who married Edward Pelicier, of Canada, 
and died in 1864 ; Angeline, who became 
the wife of Frank Pelicier, and died in 
1878 ; Maxime, a merchant, living in St. 
Michel's, Canada ; Joseph, a professor, 
who was well known in Green Bay, Wis. , 
died in 1891 in Montreal, Canada ; Philip, 
married, living in St. Cloud, Minn., where 
he is a judge of the Probate Court ; Eliza- 
beth, wife of John Geer, of Ford River, 
Mich. ; Dr. Reauseau, a physician of Ford 
River, Mich. ; Catherine, who died in 
Canada, unmarried ; and William. The 
father died of cholera, in 1832, in Quebec, 
the mother passing away in St. Michel, 
same province, in 1853. 

The subject of this sketch was reared 
and educated at his native place till the 
age of fifteen (1845), at which time he 
came to Wisconsin, landing in the then 
village of Green Bay on November i. 
Here for four years he served as clerk in 
the store of John F. Lessey, after which 
he sailed the lakes from the port of Green 
Bay until the breaking out of the Civil 
war, when his military ardor, inherited 
from his grandfather, kindled into activity 
by the youthful desire to "seek the bub- 
ble reputation, e'en at the cannon's 
mouth." In 1861 he assisted in raising 
Company G(" French Mountaineers, " a 
mounted company). Seventeenth Wiscon- 
sin Infantry, which was attached to the 
army of Tennessee. His command par- 
ticipated in Sherman's march to the sea 
and in the Carolina campaign. On March 
1 1, 1862, he was commissioned first lieu- 



310 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



tenant, and August 3 i following was pro- 
moted to the captaincy of the same com- 
pany. On June 6, 1864, he was wounded 
by a grapeshot at Marietta, Ga., but de- 
clined hospital service. At Pocotaiigo, 
W. Va., he was honorably discharged, 
January 19, 1865, and returned to his 
home in Green Bay. In 1867 he com- 
menced reading medicine under the pre- 
ceptorship of Dr. H. A. Woodbridge, 
studying until 1871, and making a spe- 
cialty of the eye and ear. Immediately 
commencing the practice of his profession, 
he traveled a circuit, visiting, among 
other places, in Wisconsin and Michigan, 
Menomonee, Escanaba, Marquette, Han- 
cock, Red Jacket, Lake Linden, Wausau, 
Grand Rapids, Merrill, Antigo, Ironwood, 
finally, after an absence of four years, 
locating in Green Bay, where he has 
since been in the continuous practice of 
his profession, his office being established 
on Cherry street, between Washington 
and Adams. 

Dr. Beauprc has been three times 
married, each time in Green Bay, on first 
occasion to Miss Jane Matilda Beaudoin, 
a native of France, daughter of Francis 
Beaudoin, of the same nativity, who emi- 
grated to the United States, taking up 
his residence in St. Ignace, Mich. ; in 
1840 moving to Green Bay, and making 
his final home in Shantytown, where he 
died. This wife was called from earth in 
185 I, the mother of two daughters: Jane, 
wife of S. B. Cornish, of Antigo, Wis., 
and Emily, wife of H. H. Raiche. of 
Menominee, Mich. In 1854 the Doctor 
married Miss I. Raiche, who was born in 
Green Bay, a daughter of Theodore 
Raiche, a native of Canada, whence, in 
T840, he came to Green Bay, dying there 
in 1886. By this union there were two 
sons: William A., who died in St. Louis, 
Mo., in 1888, and James, now a resident 
of Drummond, Wis. The mother of these 
was called from earth July 2, 1862, and 
for his third wife, our subject, in 1866, 
wedded Miss Olive Trudell, born in Green 
Bay, a daughter of Theodore Trudell, of 



Canadian birth, coming, in 1S45, to Green 
Bay, where he was engaged in the grocery 
business; he now resides in South Bend, 
Wash. By his last marriage the Doctor 
had six children, all girls, a brief record 
of whom is as follows: Mary married 
Frank Duchateau, and died October i i , 
1892; Lydia Ann, born January 26, 1869, 
died September 22, 1891, wife of S. W. 
Lieblien; Rose Delenia, born January 24, 
1871, died May 24, 1873; Lucy Martha, 
born May 26, 1873, is the wife of Theo- 
dore Remington, of Menominee, Mich. ; 
Eva Lottie, born November 17, 1875, 
resides in Menominee; Minnie Matilda, 
born April 27, 1878, died July 2, 1S79. 

Dr. Beaupre, in his political associa- 
tions, was a Democrat till 1886, when he 
changed his views and his colors, becom- 
ing as zealous a Republican as he had 
been a Democrat. He is a member of 
the Catholic Church, and a highly re- 
spected, useful citizen of Green Bay, 
which, since his first arrival in the place, 
fifty years ago, he has seen transformed 
from a village of a few houses to a fine 
city with a grand future yet before it, and 
toward whose prosperity he has con- 
tributed a goodly share. 



CORNELIUS LEARY, prominent 
among the prosperous agricultur- 
ists and early pioneers of Glen- 
more township. Brown county, is 
a native of County Kerry, Ireland, born 
in 1 8,24, a son of James and Margaret 
(Catler) Leary, who had eight children — 
four sons and four daughters. 

When Cornelius was nine years of 
age the family came to America, sailing 
in the month of August from Cork on the 
"Thomas Hanford," which arrived, after 
a voyage of seven weeks, at St. John, New 
Brunswick, where they lived five years. 
They then moved to Boston, Mass., later 
to Springfield, and resided in various parts 
of the State until the spring of 1850, 
when the father concluded to try his for- 
tune in Wisconsin. In the month of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



31' 



April they traveled by rail to Buffalo, and 
one week later emtarked on a vessel 
bound for Milwaukee, thence continuing 
their journey by stage and boat to Green 
Bay, via Fond du Lac, Menasha, etc. 
In Glenmore township, Brown county, 
Mr. Leary purchased one-half of Section 
22, and shortly afterward a quarter of 
Section 15. At that time but three 
other families — the Pattons, Ryans and 
Caseys — lived in the township; no roads 
had been laid out, and Cornelius and his 
brother John cut a road from their farm 
to De Pere. Mr. Leary built the first 
house in Section 22, a cabin of logs 
covered with boards, which stood a short 
distance from the present residence. Wild 
animals were numerous, and no clearing 
whatever had been done, the trees being 
so thick that a space had to be made for 
the dwelling. Mrs. Leary died shortly 
after the location in Glenmore, and Mr. 
Leary passed away on his farm in 1880. 

Cornelius Leary received but a limited 
education, and in early boyhood com- 
menced to work in the cotton mills in 
New England. He was in the very prime 
of life when he came with his parents to 
Wisconsin, and, being the eldest son, 
found plenty of work ready for him on the 
land which his father had undertaken to 
clear. About 1854 he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Julia Brennan, a native 
of County Kerry, Ireland, daughter of 
Frank Brennan. This union was blessed 
by children as follows: Margaret, living 
at home with her parents; James, who 
died when five years old; Julia (Mrs. 
James Dougherty), of Escanaba, Mich. ; 
Catherine, deceased at the age of twenty- 
three years; John, who died when twenty- 
four years old; Morris, deceased when 
one year old; Alice, of Escanaba, Mich.; 
Annie, living at home; Hattie, Mrs. John 
Clune, of Escanaba, Mich. ; and Theresa, 
at home. 

Mr. Leary has been a successful 
farmer, and now owns 160 acres of good 
land, all of which he has seen trans- 
formed from a wilderness to a highly cul- 



tivated farm, a work in which he has 
taken no small part. He is well known 
and highly respected throughout his sec- 
tion, for his industry and straightforward, 
honest methods have placed him in an 
enviable position among his fellow citi- 
zens. Though now past three-score and 
ten, he is well-preserved and hearty, and 
still continues to direct the affairs of his 
farm, though he does little of the active 
work. In his party affiliations he is a 
Democrat, and has served as roadmaster; 
but he has given little attention to poli- 
tics, preferring to devote his time e.xclu- 
sively to his private affairs. In religious 
faith he is a member of St. Mary's Catho- 
lic Church, at Glenmore. 



ALBERT WILLIAMS, a promi- 
nent and influential citizen of Fort 
Howard, is a native of Belgium, 
and is a son of John B. and 
Rosalie (Vandeborne) Williams, natives 
of the same country, where they lived 
and died. 

Our subject was reared and educated 
in his native land, where he learned the 
trade of a bricklayer and worked at same 
until his removal, in 1871, to the United 
States. In that year he located at Fort 
Howard, subsequently purchasing forty 
acres of land in Wrightstown. After two 
years he settled permanently at Fort 
Howard, where he has since been engaged 
in farming and market gardening, at 
which occupations he has been very suc- 
cessful. His present veneered brick resi- 
dence was erected in 1873. Mr. Will- 
iams, who is an independent reasoner in 
political matters, has been the recipient 
of certain official favors at the hands of 
his constituents, and for a number of 
years has served them as supervisor from 
the Second ward of the city. He is 
recognized as a valuable, upright citizen, 
and commands the respect of all. In 
1864, while yet a resident of Belgium, he 
married Miss Rosa Vandeborne, and to 
these worthy parents have been born six 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



children: William, foreman of the Mil- 
waukee & Northern shops; Bernard; 
Lewis; Felix; Mary, wife of Albert 
Brunette, of the town of Howard; Nettie, 
wife of Jack Osterman, of Green Bay. 
Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of 
St. Willibrord's Church, Green Bay. 
They came to Fort Howard at a time 
when it lacked very much of being the 
flourishing city it is at present, and have 
witnessed its steady development. 



JOHN SHAUGHNESSY, one of the 
well-to-do and highly-respected old 
citizens of Glenmore township, 
Brown county, was born in 1824 
in County Limerick, Ireland. His parents, 
George and Hannah (Murphy) Shaugh- 
nessy, were farming people, who worked 
industriously to support their large family, 
which consisted of fourteen children — 
eight sons and si.\ daughters. 

John Shaughnessy attended the com- 
mon schools until fifteen years of age, and 
then assisted his father on the farm until 
he reached his majority. At this time, 
receiving money from his parents to pay 
his way to America, he bid his early home 
and friends farewell, and took passage at 
Cork on the "Louisiana," bound for 
Quebec, where he landed in the month of 
August, after a voyage of six weeks and 
three days. He first found employment 
with farmers, harvesting, and afterward 
came to Milwaukee, Wis., taking the 
water route, via Oswego, N. Y. Mr. 
Shaughnessy purchased a horse and 
wagon, and commenced the draying busi- 
ness in Milwaukee, continued in that un- 
til 1850, in the meantime saving some 
money. Several railroads were then in 
course of construction in New York State, 
and he went to Buffalo, where he obtained 
employment as a laborer on the New York 
& Erie railway. 

On May 29, 1850, Mr. Shaughnessy 
was married in Buffalo to Miss Catherine 
Flaherty, who was born June 24, 1828, 



in County Kerry, Ireland. [These facts 
have been taken from an authentic record 
in the possession of Mrs. Shaughnessy]. 
She is a daughter of Thomas and Mary 
(Lynch) Flaherty, farming people of Ire- 
land, and she came to the United States 
when twenty years old, with friends, sail- 
ing from Cork on the " Lady Elgin," and 
landing in Quebec, after a voyage of five 
weeks and five days. She subsequently 
came to Milwaukee, where she met Mr. 
Shaughnessy. After their marriage they 
kept boarders for about two years, and 
then returned to Milwaukee, ^^'is. , where 
he again took up draying for two years. 
In 1854 he came to Brown county, and 
purchased eighty acres of wild land in 
Section 21, Glenmore township, for eighty 
dollars, and when they moved to their 
new home there were still no roads to it, 
and their nearest neighbor was three 
miles distant. The forest was so dense 
that a site had to be cleared for their 
cabin, which was the first house in Sec- 
tion 21, and, as he himself says, his hogs 
to-day have a better house than the one 
he first lived in. Wild animals were 
numerous, deer were frequently seen near 
the house, and bears and wolves played 
havoc with the stock of the early settlers. 
With an axe and a grub-hoe (the latter 
made by "Old Newton," the blacksmith 
of De Perc, who made many tools for the 
pioneer farmers), the work of clearing was 
begun and persevered in until a comfort- 
able property had been taken from the 
woods. When they had butter or eggs 
to sell they carried them to Green Bay, 
sixteen miles distant, making the entire 
journey on foot. On April 14, 1865, they 
removed to Section 32, Glenmore town- 
ship, where he had purchased a tract of 
forty acres, and here lived in a shanty 
until the completion of their log cabin, in 
the erection of which the neighbors for 
miles around assisted. Here Mr. Shaugh- 
nessy has since continued to reside, and 
was actively engaged in agriculture until 
1 89 1, when he disposed of his property 
and retired. The farm at one time con- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



313 



tained 160 acres, eighty of which he gave 
to his sons. 

Mr. and Mrs. Shaughnes.sy have had 
nine children, of whom three sons and 
two daughters died young: George, born 
in New York, is a farmer of Glenmore 
township; Thomas, born in Milwaukee, 
is a butcher of Escanaba, Wis. ; William, 
born in Glenmore, is a resident of De- 
Pere township; John, born in Glenmore, 
lives in Milwaukee. Mr. Shaughnessy has 
always been a stanch Democrat in poli- 
tics, and held the office of roadmaster, 
but has never been an aspirant for office. 
In religious connection he and his family 
are members of St. John's Church, in 
Morrison township. Mr. and Mrs. 
Shaughnessy are among the few old 
pioneers left in Glenmore township, who 
have seen the country converted from a 
forest wild into smiling, productive farms. 
They are well known and much respected 
in their section. [Since the above was 
written, we have been notified of the 
death of Mr. John Shaughnessy, which 
occurred October 3, 1894. — Ed. 



ANDREW SIMONS, a thrifty, well- 
to-do farmer of Humboldt town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native 
of same, born April 5, 1850, on 
the farm where he yet resides, which was 
then included in Scott township. 

His parents Christoph and Anna M. 
(Muller) Simons, early pioneers of this 
section, were natives of Prussia, Germany, 
and the father was a carpenter by trade. 
They were married in their native coun- 
try, and three children were there born 
to them : Catherine, and Charles and 
Seraphim (twins), with whom, in 1 843, they 
came to the United States. From the 
port of landing they pushed westward at 
once to their destination. Duck Creek, 
Brown Co., Wis., during which journey 
the twins, Charles and Seraphim, died of 
small-pox. After their arrival at Duck 
Creek the father was taken sick with the 
ague, then so prevalent, and as soon as 



possible moved to Preble township, where 
he took up forty acres of government 
land, on which they lived three years. 
Owing to the dampness of that locality 
Mrs. Simons suffered greatly from rheu- 
matism, and accordingly they removed to 
Humboldt township, where they took up 
another forty acres of land and thereon 
made a permanent home. Mr. Simons 
died on this farm November 5, 1871, and 
here his widow, now aged eighty years, 
still makes her home, living with her son, 
Andrew. 

Andrew Simons was born on his pres- 
ent farm, and here received a thorough 
knowledge of farming, commencing work 
early in life, faithfully remaining at home 
and assisting his parents. After the death 
of his father the place came into his pos- 
session, and by hard labor and good man- 
agement he has improved and added to it, 
now owning ninety acres of highly culti- 
vated land. On November 26, 1878, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Hattie 
Heim, daughter of Lawrence and Hattie 
Heim, which union has been blessed with 
nine children, viz.: Andrew W. , Law- 
rence C, Louis P., Agnes A., Mary N., 
KillianH., Joseph (deceased), Harriet B., 
and Lena K. (deceased). During his 
youth Mr. Simons had rather limited edu- 
cational opportunities, and, appreciating 
the value of a good literary training, he is 
endeavoring to give his children all the 
advantages possible in that line. In re- 
ligious connection the family are members 
of the Catholic Church. 



DR. ALBERT HAYDEN ELLS- 
WORTH comes of one of the old 
New England families which was 
founded at a very early day in the 
history of this country by three brothers 
who settled in Connecticut. They were 
farming people, but many of their de- 
scendants were well-educated men, be- 
coming prominent in professional circles 
throughout the State. 

The Doctor was born July 14, 1823, 



314 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in Windsor, Hartford Co., Conn., and 
acquired his education in the public 
schools of his native town. He also took 
the high-school course, and afterward at- 
tended school in Suffield, Conn., for one 
year, and also in Ellington, Conn. He 
then engaged in teaching school, being 
thus employed for one year in the State 
of his nativity, and for one year in Nfon- 
mouth, N. J., after which betook up the 
study of dentistry under Dr. Sherwood, a 
prominent dentist and highly-respected 
citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. He applied 
himself assiduously in his new field of la- 
bor, and, after a year of thorough and sys- 
tematic study, located in Milwaukee, Wis., 
in November, 1848. He was one of the 
first dentists of that city, and met with 
most flattering success, doing a large and 
lucrative business, which kept constantly 
increasing until failing health caused him 
to retire. He was doing an excellent 
business, having probably the best prac- 
tice in the State, and to-day, in years of 
continuous labor, he is the oldest prac- 
ticing dentist in Wisconsin. 

Dr. Ellsworth was a prominent mem- 
ber of the Plymouth Congregational 
Church of Milwaukee, knd took a very 
active part in its work and everything 
pertaining to its growth and upbuilding. 
He was also an honored member of the 
I. O. O. F. , belonging to Menomonee 
Lodge. In social circles he and his fam- 
ily occupied an enviable position, and he 
is well remembered by the pioneers and 
early settlers of MihVaukee. 

In July, 1852, Dr. Ellsworth came to 
Green Bay to spend his few remaining 
months, as he supposed, for his life was 
despaired of by his physicians, and he 
thought that his days were numbered; 
but the vigorous and bracing atmosphere 
soon brought new life and strength to him, 
and he is to-day one of the hale and 
hearty old gentlemen of Green Bay, pos- 
sessed of the vigor of many a younger 
man, his three-score-and-ten years rest- 
ing lightly upon him. As soon as his 
health permitted he began the practice of 



his profession in Green Bay, and his skill 
and ability soon again won recognition in 
a large and lucrative patronage. He has 
ever been a thorough student along the 
line of his profession, and as a result has 
been very successful. As his financial re- 
sources increased the Doctor made sev- 
eral judicious investments, which have 
proved to him quite profitable, and gained 
him a comfortable competence. 

Since coming to Green Bay Dr. Ells- 
worth has been identified with the Pres- 
byterian Church. In his political views 
he is a Democrat, but has never sought 
or desired official preferment, giving his 
entire time and attention to business and 
otlier interests. He is a warm friend of 
the cause of education, and, when the of- 
fice of city superintendent of schools was 
created, he was elected to that position, 
which he has filled fourteen years. His 
unselfish devotion and his untiring labors 
have been productive of much good in the 
educational field, and the present gener- 
ation and the young people of the future 
will have cause to hold him in grateful 
remembrance for his earnest labors. 



CHARLES J. LUCIA, a prosper- 
ous farmer of Suamico township. 
Brown county, was born July 15, 
1836, in Clinton county, N. Y., of 
French descent on the paternal side. 
His parents, Alexanderand Phebe (Bessie) 
Lucia, natives of New York, had a family 
of two sons and four daughters, of whom 
the sons and two of the daughters are 
still living. The family were all reared 
on the farm, and the parents both lived 
to advanced ages, the father dying when 
eighty years old, and the mother when 
seventj'-five. 

Charles J. Lucia left the home place 
when fourteen years old and worked out 
by the month until 1854, went he came 
west, and located first in Suamico town- 
ship, Brovvn county, laboring in the 
woods by the month. He also worked 
in a sawmill in the same township, then 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



315 



for a jear or more was employed in 
Oconto, in draying, sawing, and as wood- 
man, after whiich he returned to Suamico. 
On April i, 1858, he married Miss Caro- 
line Cook, who was born February 28, 
1839, in Clinton county, N. Y., a 
daughter of John and Ann Cook, and to 
this union have been born six children, 
as follows: Irving J., born May i, 1859, 
married in August, 1883, to Miss Cora 
Barker, and they have one son and one 
daughter; he is now a merchant of Bes- 
semer, Mich. William H., born Septem- 
ber 12, i860, was married June 28, 1882, 
to Sarah Allen, who has borne him two 
sons; he is now a merchant at Hurley. 
Ella J., born January 19, 1867, was mar- 
ried July 29, 1890, to Lawrence Head, 
of Ashland, and has two sons. AnnaE., 
Dorn January 4, 1869, was married July 
29, 1 891, to Ed. A. Dunham, a farmer 
of Minnesota. Charles C, born Octo- 
ber I, 1876, and George O. , born March 
12, 1882. 

After his marriage Mr. Lucia was em- 
ployed in logging, etc., then bought 
seventy-seven and a half acres, of which 
fifteen were cleared, and settled on his 
place in 1865; to this land he has added 
until he now owns about two hundred 
acres, all purchased from his own earn- 
ings, which were at the first $10 per 
month. He is a Republican in his poli- 
tical proclivities, but in local affairs votes 
for the best man, regardless of party. 
The family are all attendants of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 



LARS JENSEN, prominent among 
the agricultural citizens of New 
Denmark township. Brown county, 
was born August 12, 1843, in Den- 
mark, son of Jens Hemmengson and Anna 
(Nelson) Jensen, thrifty farming people 
of that country. They had a family of 
seven children: Lars, Anna (deceased), 
Peter, Hemmeng, Anna, Margaret and 
Nels. 

Our subject remained at home with 



his parents until he reached the age of 
fourteen years, receiving in the common 
schools a somewhat limited education. 
The next two years he worked on a farm, 
and then commenced to learn carpentry, 
serving an apprenticeship of three years 
at the trade, which he subsequently fol- 
lowed six years. In his early manhood 
he served two years in the army. On 
June 28, 1868, he was united in marriage 
with Miss Ellen M. Gerhardson, daughter 
of Gerhard Nelson and Anna M. (Jensen) 
Gerhardson, who were the parents of 
seven children, viz. : Karen, Ellen, Stine, 
Margaretta, two that died in infancy un- 
named, and Wilhelmina. Shortly after 
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jensen came to 
the United States, crossing to New York 
in sixteen days, where they landed with a 
capital of ninety-nine dollars, with which 
to commence life in the Western World. 
Journeying by rail to Green Bay, Wis., 
via Chicago, they came thence to their 
present place in New Denmark township, 
Mr. Jensen purchasing thirty-four acres in 
the midst of the forest, from which they 
have made a comfortable home. For 
about a year they lived with an uncle of 
our subject, who followed his trade dur- 
ing that time, and then set about the 
erection of a log house on his land. But, 
while engaged in hewing the timbers, a 
falling log struck his limb and fractured 
the bone, making it necessary for him to 
stop work for several weeks, and the 
money he had saved to pay on the land 
went to the doctor. After his recovery 
he completed the house, and made his 
home therein for twelve years, during 
which time he was busily engaged in clear- 
ing and improving his land, from time to 
time making other purchases, his farm 
now containing 104 acres of highly-im- 
proved land. He is truly a self-made 
man, his present prosperity being due 
solely to his own unceasing labor, and he 
has won the respect of all who know him 
by his square, honest methods in all his 
dealings with his fellow men. Politically 
he is a Democrat, and has held various 



3i6 



COMMEMOIiATIVE DIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



local offices of trust, serviog his town- 
ship faithfiill}- as supervisor and school 
treasurer. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Jensen have been 
born twelve children, as follows: Gerhard 
H., James C, Nels C, Toiirwal A., 
Charles Edwin, Lawrence N., Anna C, 
Toilette M., and four that died in infancy; 
of these, Gerhard H. and Nels C., at- 
tend the Normal School at Oshkosh; 
James is a miner in Montana; Tourwal 
lives in Green Ba\'; and the remaining 
fonr live at home with their parents. 



PETER JOSEPH BECKER, a 
prosperous farmer of Green Bay 
township. Brown county, is a 
German by birth, born November 
2 1, 1839, in the Kingdom of Prussia. 
He is a son of Bartholomew and Maria 
Eva (SchnciderjBecker, well-to-do farm- 
ing people, who had four children, as fol- 
lows: Peter Joseph, whose name opens 
this sketch; Mary, Mrs. Burkhart, of 
Green Bay; Barbara, who married, and 
died at the age of twenty-eight years, 
leaving a husband and two children — 
Eva and Marj' — to mourn her early 
death; and Eva, wife of Dr. Rhode, of 
Green Baj'. 

In 1843 Bartholomew Becker sold his 
property in Germany and came with his 
family to America, arriving in New York 
after a voyage of fort\'-nine dajs, and 
immediately pushing westward to Akron, 
Ohio, where he found employment on 
the canal for about a year. Part of this 
time the family lived in a blacksmith 
shop, but later purchasing an old log 
house (for which they paid twelve 
dollars) made that their home, and 
they also cleared a small piece of 
land near Akron. After a residence of 
six and a half years in Ohio, they came to 
Wisconsin, where for three years they 
lived on a rented farm near Milwaukee. 
Here the father died in 1852, and in the 
spring of 1853 the widowed mother came 
with her family to Green Bay township, 



Brown county, the journey, which occu- 
pied seven days, being made in a wagon 
drawn by oxen. In Green Bay township 
they purchased eighty acres of timber 
land, all in its primitive state, but which 
has since been cleared and improved by 
our subject. Mrs. Becker died here in 
1888, aged eighty-three years. 

Peter J. Becker received an ordinary 
common-school training in Germany, and 
was reared to farming, in which vocation 
he has been engaged the greater part of 
his life. On June 9, 1861, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Rosaline Aussloss, daughter 
of Xavier and Johanna (Labus) Aussloss, 
and to this union have been born nine 
children, namely: Peter, Henry, Eva, 
Anton, Mary, Catherine, Joseph, Anna, 
and John. Since his settlement in Green 
Bay township in 1853, Mr. Becker has 
made his home continuously on his pres- 
ent farm, except from 1870 to 1873, dur- 
ing which period he lived in the city of 
Green Bay. He has added forty acres to 
the original purchase, having at present 
120 acres of fine land, highly improved 
and cultivated, where he successfully con- 
ducts a general farming business. Our 
subject takes a lively interest in the wel- 
fare of his township, of which he was the 
first chairman, and he also served two 
years as assessor, discharging the duties 
of his office faithfully and satisfactorily. 
In political affiliation he is a Democrat, 
and in religious faith he and his family 
are members of the German Catholic 
Church at New Franken. 



WILLIAM BASSETT WOOL- 
FORD, general yardmaster for 
the Chicago, Minneapolis & St. 
Paul railroad, at Green Bay, 
enjoys the enviable distinction of having 
a record second to none as an efficient 
railroad official, careful, faithful and 
trustworthy. 

He is a native of Ohio, born in Day- 
ton, June 18, 1853, of English ancestry, 
his grandfather having been a prosperous 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



319 



farmer in England. William Woolford, 
father of our subject, was one of a family 
of six children born on the farm, and the 
first few years of his life were divided be- 
tween attending the parish school and 
helping his father in his agricultural pur- 
suits. When old enough, he learned a 
trade, and in after years turned his 
attention to railroad contracting, becom- 
ing successful. But, while still young, 
seeing a wider field in America for a man 
of his broad caliber, he emigrated, and 
after landing on the shores of the New 
World at once proceeded westward to 
Ohio, where, for a time, he assisted on the 
construction of a railroad and the build- 
ing of a bridge over the Susquehanna 
river. His next venture was in Illinois, 
where he had contracts on the North- 
western railroad, then in course of con- 
struction, and he proved to be one of the 
most successful operators in his line of 
business. Possessed of a great amount of 
natural ability, he was a good business 
manager and a close calculator on plans 
and specifications. He also conducted a 
farm in Illinois. Now, at the age of sev- 
enty-eight years, hale and hearty, he is 
living retired with his faithful wife, at 
Rockford, Wright Co., Minn., in the full 
enjoyment of the esteem of all who know 
him. In religious faith he is a member 
of the Methodist Church. His wife, 
Eunice (Smithj, is a native of Point 
Albino, and is the mother of ten children, 
seven of whom — three sons and four 
daughters — lived to maturity. 

William B. Woolford, the subject 
proper of these lines, received his educa- 
tion at the schools of Palatine, 111., and 
at the age of sixteen commenced to assist 
his father on the farm. A year after- 
ward, however, he took to railroading, 
entering the service of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad Company as brake- 
man, at which he continued four years, 
when he was promoted to conductor. 
In the latter capacity he served un- 
til 1888 a period of fourteen years, 
and then resigned in order to accept the 

18 



position of trainmaster for the Wisconsin 
Central railroad. In 1890 he was ap- 
pointed to his present incumbency, and 
removed to Green Bay. 

On July 6, 1872, Mr. Woolford was 
united in marriage in Janesville, Wis., 
with Miss Alice McCaffrey, daughter of 
James and Mary (Burns) McCaffrey, na- 
tives of County Fermanagh, Ireland, of 
Scotch descent. Five children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Woolford, named 
as follows: Mary A., Eunice B., William 
B., Isabella A. and Henry E. Our sub- 
ject has been a prominent member of the 
F. & A. M. since uniting with the 
fraternity in Milwaukee; he is associated 
with Wisconsin Blue Lodge No. 13, 
Chapter No. 7, Commandery No. i, and 
the Consistory, having attained the thir- 
ty-second degree. Mrs. Woolford is a 
member of the Catholic Church. 



GS. LAWRENCE, a pioneer 
farmer of Pittsfield township, 
Brown county, was born in Jeffer- 
son county, N. Y., August 4, 
1837, ^ son of Charles and Lucy (Wals- 
worth) Lawrence, and grandson of Elijah 
Walsworth. There were seven children 
in the family of Charles Lawrence, viz. : 
Charles, who died at the age of twenty- 
four; Harriet, wife of Oliver Crumb, of 
Marshalltown, Iowa; Alpheus, a carpen- 
ter, of Milwaukee, Wis., now in the 
Soldiers Home; Alvin, who died at the 
age of twenty; G. S., our subject; John, 
who died at the age of thirteen; and Mor- 
timer, of Marshalltown, Iowa. The father 
of this family died in 1841, of heart 
disease, and was buried at Clayton, 
New York. 

At the age of twelve G. S. Lawrence 
was given to Eber Stevens; but, before he 
had been with him a year, his mother had 
moved to Chicago, and had there mar- 
ried Peltier Barter, a sailor and ship car- 
penter, and our subject was brought to 
his mother and stepfather. Soon after 
his marriage Mr. Barter bought forty 



320 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGEAPHICAL RECORD. 



acres of land at Beaver Island and went 
to farming; but had lived there only five 
years when he was drowned. Left a 
widow the second time, the mother sold 
the farm a year later, and moved to Green 
Bay, living with Mrs. Oliver Crumb two 
years, and thence going to Oconto, where 
she made her home with her son, Al- 
pheus, about three years. She then re- 
turned with her son to Chicago, and died 
therein i860. After his mother's death, 
our subject returned to Oconto, and 
worked in sawmills, etc. , about two years, 
when he came to Pittsfield and purchased 
fort}' acres of timber land, on which he 
had to clear a space large enough to per- 
mit the eretion of a log cabin about 12x18 
feet in dimensions, in which he li\ed alone 
for about a year. On January 27, 1863, 
he married Miss Mary Jane Tripp, daugh- 
ter of Robert and Sarah (Ledger) Tripp, 
who had a family of nine children, viz. : 
Alvira, Sarah Ann, Mary Jane, Willard 
B., Anna, Emeline, James W. , Ellen A. 
and Harriet M., of whom seven are still 
living. The father, who was a carpenter, 
came from New York to Wisconsin in 
1855, first taking up a piece of land in 
Suamico township, where he remained 
one year; was then taken sick, sold out 
and bought forty acres in Pittsfield; on this 
he lived si.\ years, sold again, went to 
Fond du Lac county, remained there a 
year, then came back to Pittsfield and 
bought another piece of land, on which 
he resided fifteen years, and finally moved 
to Stephenson, Mich., where he and his 
family still reside. 

After his marriage Mr. Lawrence set 
himself steadily to work at clearing up 
his land, enduring every hardship of pio- 
neer life, but adding to its comforts every 
year, until, at the end of five years, he be- 
came the proud possessor of a team. He 
had had, however, a small pony, and when 
he was in need of provisions he would 
fell a pine tree, shave it into shingles, and 
set off for Green Bay to make his pur- 
chases with the proceeds, the round trip 
requiring two days, as the roads were 



bad. When he had cleared sufficient 
ground, potatoes and corn were the first 
crop planted among the stumps, and the 
first wheat was sown by Francis Ledger, 
Mrs. Lawrence's grandfather, who was 
ninct\'-nine years old at this time. Mr. 
Lawrence prospered with his toil, until 
to-day he owns 120 acres of well-im- 
proved land. To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence 
have been born three children: James 
Mortimer, born January 31, 1S64; Charles 
Lee, born February 14, 1866; and Emme- 
line, born October 7, 1880; Annie, an 
adopted daughter, born January i, 1873, 
has lived with them all her life. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lawrence are Seventh-Da\' Advent- 
ists; politically he is a Republican, which 
fact, however, is only made manifest by 
his punctual atendance at the polls. [Since 
the above was written Mr. Lawrence 
passed from earth, and a notice of his 
death, given at the time, is as follows: 
"G. S. Lawrence, of the town of Pitts- 
field, died shortly after midnight, Decem- 
ber 10, 1894. Through his death Brown 
county loses a man of sterling character, 
much perseverance and loyalty to his 
friends and country. He was one of the 
few remaining pioneers, and will be missed 
by a large circle of friends." 



REV. WILLIAM ROWBOTHAM, 
of West De Pere, Brown county, 
is a native of the city of Sheffield, 
England, and was born November 
10, 1 8 19, a son of Amos and Lucy 
(Hutchinson) Rowbotham. The former 
was a cutler by trade, and when the son 
William was nine months old, moved to 
the village of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, 
where he followed his trade, also keeping 
a store for the sale of cutlery, and here 
both he and his wife passed the remainder 
of their lives. 

At the age of twelve our subject was 
apprenticed for six years to a tailor in 
Horncastle, and, after serving his appren- 
ticeship, worked for some years as a jour- 
neyman; then, for two years, was engaged 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



321 



on his own account as a merchant tailor 
at Wrangle, in the same county. On 
April 15, 1 84 1, he married, at Boston, 
Lincolnshire, Mary Aisthorpe, and in 
1844 came to America, his family then 
consisting of his wife and two children — 
Amos and Naomi. Landing at New 
York City, he there worked at his trade 
nine months, and then, in July, 1845, 
moved to Milwaukee, Wis., where, after 
working as a journeyman for a while, he 
established a merchant tailor's store op- 
posite the present site of the " Plankinton 
House, ''in which business he continued 
ten years. In the fall of 1855 he moved 
to Green Bay, where for ten 3'ears he 
conducted a clothing house, and then, for 
nine years — 1865 to 1874 — was overseer 
of the Brown County Poor House; next 
he occupied the adjoining farm for sev- 
eral years. 

Mr. Rowbotham began his ministerial 
labors when but eighteen years of age, 
having been then licensed as a local 
preacher in the Wesleyan Methodist 
Church at Horncastle, England, where 
he was in constant service until his coming 
to America; he was ordained a deacon 
at Kenosha, Wis. (then Southport), in 
1848, by Bishop Morris, and as an 
elder by Bishop Wile}', at the Division 
Street M. E. Church, Fond du Lac, 
October i, 1882. He had served the M. 
E. Church at Sturgeon Bay during the 
year 1880, and in the years 1882 and 
1883 served at West Pensaukee ; then 
three years at Seymour, four years at 
Amherst, and was retired in 1890. The 
first wife of Rev. Rowbotham died at 
Amherst April 28, 1888, having borne 
him three children after arriving in Amer- 
ica, viz. : Lucy Jane, Mary Sophia, and 
Martha Elizabeth. His second marriage 
took place December 31, 1889, to Mrs. 
Martha Phelps, widow of Henry Phelps, 
of De Pere, and since 1890 Mr. and Mrs. 
Rowbotham have resided in West De- 
Pere, highly honored and beloved by all 
all who know them. [Since the above 
was written we have received information 



of the death of Rev. Rowbotham late in 
the fall of 1894. — Ed.] 

Henry Phelps, the deceased husband 
of the present Mrs. Rowbotham, was a 
native of Jefferson county, N. Y. On 
January i, 1844, he married Martha S. 
Wright (now Mrs. Rowbotham) at the 
town of Henderson, in his native county. 
This lady was born February 15, 1824, in 
Herkimer county, N. Y., a daughter of 
Eli and Nancy (Kellogg) Wright, but was 
reared by an uncle, Peter N. Cushman, 
from the age of four years to fifteen, and 
first came to Waukesha, Wis., in 1838, 
where Mr. Cushman ended his days. 
When Mr. Cushman settled in Waukesha 
there were only three buildings in the 
place, but he purchased 600 acres one 
mile south of the village, and lived to see 
the village become a populous town. 
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Phelps 
located in Milwaukee, where Mr. Phelps 
worked at his trade of ship-carpenter, and 
later at Janesville, but permanently set- 
tled in De Pere in 1855, where, for about 
fourteen years he lived on his farm of 
ninety-six acres, but still followed his 
trade of carpenter and joiner until his 
death, which occurred in De Pere Octo- 
ber 11, 1888. He left no children. Mrs. 
Rowbotham has been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church since 1850, 
but in youth had been reared within the 
pale of the Congregational denomina- 
tion. 



DFLATLEY.whoisone of the most 
obliging liverymen in Green Bay, 
was born in County Sligo, Ireland, 
in 1836, a son of Patrick and 
Catherine (Flinn) Flatley, both of whom 
died in Ireland, leaving five children: 
Mary, D. (our subject), Anna, Ellen and 
Sarah. Of these Mary was the first to 
come to America, and about the year 
1 849 was followed by our subject, who 
landed in Quebec, being then thirteen 
years of age. 

After some experience as a coachman 



322 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



he reached Green Baj- in 1855, and for 
six years was employed at lumbering for 
J. Ingalls; was next an assistant engineer 
for a year at Fort Howard; then clerked 
for two years for a half-brother, and was 
next street superintendent for two years 
untler Mayor Klaus of Green Bay. In 
1869 he went into partnership in the liv- 
ery business with Don Harrison, on Pine 
street, Green Bay, but bought out his 
partner's interest a year later. He met 
with much success, and about the year 
1884 built his present commodious barns, 
where fourteen horses are stabled, for the 
accommodation of his prosperous trade. 
In 1862 Mr. Flatley was married to 
Miss Anna Redmon, daughter of Edward 
Redmon, and to this union were born five 
children: Edward, Catherine, E. W. , 
George, and Idah (now Mrs. Hemnitz). 
Mrs. Flatley was called to her last resting 
place July 4, 1884, dying in the Roman 
Catholic faith. Mr. Flatley is a devout 
Catholic, and is a member of the Order 
of Catholic Knights of Wisconsin. He 
is fair and square in all his business trans- 
actions, and has won for himself a repu- 
tation of which any man might well feel 
proud. 



ANDREW A. EISENMAN, a pros- 
perous young citizen of Bellevue 
township. Brown county, is a son 
of John and Apollonia (Barth) 
Eisenman, early settlers of that county. 
They had ten children who grew to ma- 
turity- — four sons and six daughters — of 
whom Andrew A., the second son, was 
born in Eaton township. Brown county, 
November 1 1, 1867. 

He received a good common-school 
training in the district .schools of the home 
neighborhood, and intended to finish his 
education in a college, but he was obliged 
to abandon study on account of failing 
eyesight. He was reared to farming pur- 
suits, and, his father dying March i, 1882, 
he remained on the home farm until his 
marriage, assisting his widowed mother. 



except for one winter, which he spent in 
the lumber regions of northern Wiscon- 
sin. For three years he and his brother 
John also operated a steam threshing 
machine. Mr. Eisenman was married, 
October 18, 1888, in Green Bay, to Miss 
Annie Peterson, who was born in New 
Denmark township. Brown count3% daugh- 
ter of Erasmus Peterson, who came to 
the United States from Denmark. For 
a short time the young couple li\ed on 
the Eisenman homestead, and then for a 
year made their home in Pine Grove, 
where he had purchased a saloon busi- 
ness. He then purchased his present 
place in Lot 16, Bellevue township, and 
here they have resided since May i, 1891, 
Mr. Eisenman conducting a saloon busi- 
ness. In his political preferences he is a 
Republican, and now serves as treasurer 
of School District No. 2. In religious 
connection he and his wife are members 
of the Lutheran Church at Pine Grove. 
They have one child, Henrietta, born No- 
vember 18, 1892. 



JOHN C. EISENMAN, a prosperous 
farmer of De Pere township, Brown 
county, where he is well known and 
highly respected as an honest, up- 
right citizen, is a member of one of the early 
pioneer families of the section. He was 
born September 11, 1855, in Eaton 
township. Brown county, eldest in the 
family of John and Apollonia (Barth) 
Eisenman. 

Our subject received his education in 
the common district schools of the period, 
proving an apt scholar; but work being 
plentiful on the farm, and he being the 
eldest son, there was but little time to give 
to his literary training. The home farm 
was not yet cleared, and he spent many 
days in the woods, faithfully assisting in 
the arduous task of transforming the forest- 
covered land to a fertile farm, and re- 
ceiving a thorough training to pioneer farm 
life. On October 25, 1879, he was mar- 
ried in Green Bay to Miss Caroline Schoen, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



323 



who was born in Humboldt township, 
Brown county, daughter of Frederick 
Schoen, a native of Germany, and an 
early settler of Humboldt township. After 
his marriage Mr. Eisenman came to the 
farm he yet owns and resides upon, in 
Section 25, De Pere, but five acres of 
which were at that time cleared, the re- 
mainder being still in its primitive state, 
and contained no improvements of any 
kind, and he built the first house on the 
place. But he set to work courageously, 
and by industry and persevering toil has 
cultivated and developed the farm, until at 
present he has a productive fertile tract, 
comprising ninety broad acres. In ad- 
dition to general agriculture, he has, for 
the past eighteen years, been engaged in 
threshing, in the pursuit of which occu- 
pation he has become unusually well ac- 
quainted throughout the county. Mr. Eisen- 
man has been a life-long resident of his sec- 
tion of the county, and has always done 
everything in his power to encourage and 
promote the advancement and improve- 
ment of same, and, being much esteemed 
for his sterling worth, he wields consider- 
able influence for good. In politics he 
was formerly a Republican, but of late 
years he has identified himself with no 
party, preferring to vote according to the 
fitness of the candidate and the dictates 
of his own conscience; he is not an aspir- 
ant to office; but has served his town- 
ship as path master and clerk of the 
school board. 

Mr. and Mrs. Eisenman have had born 
to them children as follows: Louis, 
Arthur, Edward, John, Jr. , Fred, George, 
and Charles, all living. The family are 
all members of the Lutheran Church at 
Pine Grove. 



REV. MATTHEW BONGERS, 
rector of the Church of the Holy 
Martyrs of Gorcum, in Preble 
township. Brown county, is a na- 
tive of Holland, born December 27, 1832, 
at Arnhem, in the Province of Gelderland. 



His classical studies and his philo- 
sophical course were completed under the 
Jesuit Fathers at the seminary in Culen- 
burg, and he studied theology at the 
seminary of the Archdiocese of Utrecht. 
In May, 1861, he accompanied Bishop 
Kistemaker to the West Indies, and was 
ordained to the priesthood June 25, same 
year, at St. Joseph's Church, Curacoa, 
by the above-named bishop. He was 
appointed the bishop's secretary, also had 
charge of the Sisters of Charity, and at- 
tended the lepers for one year. After- 
ward he labored earnestly as a missionary 
in six different islands belonging to the 
Netherlands until 1885, when, on account 
of failing health, he was compelled to 
leave the tropics for a cooler and more 
congenial climate. Accordingly he came 
to America, ostensibly to visit his sister, 
Mrs. A. L. de France, Oconto, Wis., ar- 
riving there June 5. On September i, 
same year, owing to the ill health of Rev. 
Father Brown, our subject was appointed 
assistant to the latter at St. Patrick's 
Church, Fort Howard, Brown Co., Wis., 
and in December following the death of 
Father Brown, he received the appoint- 
ment of rector of the same church. In 
October, 1886, he was removed to Green 
Bay, Wis., to take charge of St. Willi- 
brord's Church, with which congregation 
he continued three years and three 
months — during which time he procured 
a free school for 200 children — and on 
February 6, 1890, he assumed his present 
charge. 

He had much experience during his 
twenty-four years of missionary life, and 
found some time for literary work as well. 
He published a work on the education of 
children (entitled "Virtue and Duty of 
Parents "), in the West Indies language 
(" Papiamentoe"). He was the first in 
the Diocese of Green Bay to establish the 
free-school system, and he is known as 
an able speaker. 

During the thirty-three years of his 
priesthood Father Bongers has, by his 
tireless industry, zeal and devotion to his 



324 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



work, won the love and respect of all 
with whom he has come in contact, and 
he still receives a pension from the Hol- 
land Government, in recognition of the 
good work done b}' him in the cause of 
the Church. 



AHREND S. BUCKMANN (de- 
ceased), who, during his lifetime, 
ranked with the most prosperous 
and influential farmers of New 
Denmark township. Brown county, was a 
native of Oldenburg, Germany, born Oc- 
tober 5, 1816. 

Mr. Buckmann was married in Ger- 
many, October 17, 1843, to Miss Henri- 
etta Bartels, who was born there July 22, 
18 1 3, daughter of Diedrich and Matie 
(Maiborn) Bartels, the former of whom ) 
was a saloonkeeper, and whose family 
consisted of ti\e children, namely: Jo- 
hanna, Matie, Herman, Henrietta (who 
remained at home until her marriage), and 
Margaret. Mr. Buckmaim carried on a 
saloon, and was also engaged in farming, 
on rented land, continuing thus until 
1 860, when he came to America with his 
wife and family of four children, all of 
whom were born in Germany, their names 
and dates of birth being as follows: 
Catherine, June 28, 1844; Diedrich, De- 
cember 13, 1846; Metta, March 2, 1853; 
H. F. , March 24, 1855; (one son Henry, 
born November 10, 1850, died in Ger- 
many when one year old). They em- 
barked at Bremen and landed at Balti- 
more, Md., thence coming direct to New- 
Denmark township. Brown Co., Wis., 
where Mr. Buckmann purchased eighty 
acres of partly improved land, whereon 
stood a log house, in which the family 
lived for eleven years, when it was re- 
placed by the beautiful frame dwelling in 
which they now reside. Mr. Buckmann 
was one of the most industrious of men, 
and, by giving his undivided attention to 
his business interests, increased the area 
of his farm to 240 acres, all of which he 
improved and brought to a high state of 



cultivation. He also took great interest 
in the welfare and advancement of his 
township, and tilled several positions of 
trust, serving as supervisor (five years), 
pathmaster, and for twenty-seven con- 
secutive years as school-treasurer, winning 
for himself an enviable position among 
his fellowmen for his integrity and ster- 
ling worth. On October 17, 1893, he and 
his wife celebrated the golden anniversary 
of their wedding, and three weeks later, 
on November 6, he passed from earth, 
aged seventy-seven years; his remains 
now rest in New Denmark cemetery. 
Since his decease his widow has continued 
to reside on the farm, making her home 
with her son H. F., who now owns the 
place and successfully carries on the agri- 
cultural work. 

H. F. BUCKMANN was five years 
old when he came with his parents to 
America, and received his education in 
the common district schools of New Den- 
mark township. On May 25, 1881, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Adeline 
Lange, daughter of Herman and Anna 
(Meyer) Lange, and they immediately 
took up their residence with his parents 
on the farm. Like his father before him, 
Mr. Buckmann is a stanch member of the 
Democratic party. 



CORNELIUS DOUGHERTY. 
Prominent among the early set- 
tlers and leading progressive citi- 
zens of Brown county is found 
this gentleman, who is a native of the 
Emerald Isle, born about 1825 near the 
town of Killarney, County Kerry, son of 
James Dougherty, who was a weaver by 
occupation. The mother of our subject, 
who was a Sullivan, died when he was 
eighteen months old, leaving a family of 
five children — four sons and one daughter 
— of whom Cornelius is the youngest. 

Our subject was reared by the older 
members of the family, and, during his 
youth, received a common-school edu- 
cation. In April, 1847, having received 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



325 



money from his brother Daniel, who had 
immigrated the year previous, he con- 
cluded to come to America, and, bidding 
the home of his boyhood farewell, he 
proceeded from Cork -to Liverpool, from 
which port he set sail April 15, and, on 
May 15, arrived in Boston, where he was 
obliged to remain in quarantine five da3'S. 
A few days later his brother sent him 
money to come to Chicopee, Mass., and 
here he obtained employment as clerk for 
a large merchant, John Haley, with whom 
he remained two years. He then went 
to Brookfield, Mass. , where he learned 
the trade of shoemaker, but, tiring of 
that, removed to Holyoke, and later to 
Springfield. In the latter city he was 
united in marriage, in 1854, with Miss 
Ellen Wrin, also a native of County 
Kerry, Ireland, and, shortly afterward, 
they set out for Wisconsin, coming to 
Green Bay on the "Old Michigan." On 
their arrival in that cit\- they had but 
twenty-five cents, so they walked from 
Green Bay to De Pere, and thence to Glen- 
more township, Brown county, where she 
remained at the home of his brother 
Daniel. Mr. Dougherty found work on 
the Kaukauna canal, then in course of 
construction, and, being strong and active, 
he made a good workman. 

Mr. Dougherty finally managed to save 
thirty dollars from his hard-earned wages, 
which he invested in forty acres of 
land in Section 22, Glenmore town- 
ship, locating thereon about 1856, and 
here he has ever since resided. The 
land was entirely new, the trees being 
so thick they had to clear a space for 
a cabin, and he was the first one to 
do any clearing on the tract. Having 
but few implements, the work at first 
progressed slowly, but he persevered, 
and soon the place began to assume a 
cultivated appearance. For a long time, 
however, the wolves played sad havoc with 
his stock, and he well remembers one 
night when these animals attacked a large 
steer, the only one he had. The noise 
drew him to the scene, and he succeeded 



in frightening the wolves away, but the 
animal died. However, the wild beasts 
were gradually driven out, and, with the 
influx of civilization, the forests gradually 
gave way to beautiful, well-kept farms. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty were born 
children as follows: James, now a resi- 
dent of Ortonville, Minn. ; John, a 
farmer, who is postmaster at Glenmore; 
Mary, Mrs. Michael J. Clark, of Wau- 
saukee, Wis. ; Catherine, wife of Robert 
Wilson, a barber, of Crystal Falls, Mich. ; 
Josephine, Mrs. Mathias Matzke, of Glen- 
more; and three children that died young. 
The mother of these passed from earth 
in May, 1867, and was buried in the 
Catholic cemetery at De Pere. In Feb- 
ruary, 1868, Mr. Dougherty wedded, for 
his second spouse, Mrs. Julia Murphy 
(widow of Daniel Murphy), nee Donohue, 
who was also a native of County Kerry, 
Ireland, where Mr. Dougherty knew her 
before his emigration. 

Since his settlement in Glenmore town- 
ship our subject has continued to follow 
agriculture, and at one time had 120 
acres under cultivation. He has given 
each of his sons eighty acres, having 
bought eighty acres more in Section 7, 
Glenmore township, which he had deeded 
to his son James. All his property has 
been accumulated by years of toil and 
persevering industry, and too much credit 
can not be given to these old settlers for 
the part they have taken in the develop- 
ment of the country. In his dealings 
with his fellow men he has been straight- 
forward and honest, and he is respected 
by all who know him for his integrit}' and 
upright bearing. Though now nearly 
seventy years of age, he is still active and 
well-preserved, and few men in the vicin- 
ity are better or more favorably known 
than "Con Dougherty," as he is famil- 
iarly called. He is foremost in every 
movement of benefit and interest to his 
community, and has been selected to fill 
numerous offices of trust, serving for 
thirty-two years as chairman of Glen- 
more township, was township superin- 



326 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



tendent of schools, and for years a justice 
of the peace. PoHtically he has always 
been a Democrat and a leader of the 
party in his section. In religious con- 
nection he and his wife are members of 
St. Mary's Church, Glenmore, in which 
he served as trustee five or six years, and 
also as treasurer. 

On October 4, 1864, Mr. Dougherty 
enlisted at Green Bay, Wis., in the 
Twenty-second Wis. V. I., and served as 
clerk for Col. Chapman at Camp Randall. 
He was honorably discharged May 18, 
1865, and returned at once to Glenmore. 



JOHN BROEREN, one of the repre- 
sentative well-to-do farmer citizens 
and mechanics of Holland township, 
Brown county, deserves, because of 
the lessons presented in his busy life, more 
than a passing notice in the pages of this 
volume. He is a native of Holland, born 
March 16, 1828, youngest in the family 
of eight children — four sons and four 
daughters — born to Peter Broeren, who 
was by occupation a farmer and maker of 
straw thatching. 

Our subject was reared on his father's 
farm, receiving in his boyhood a meager 
education at the schools of the neighbor- 
hood of his home. He also learned the 
trades of wooden shoe and thatch making, 
which, in company with his brother 
Mathias, he followed after the death of 
their father, and in this wa)' was enabled 
to make a few dollars over and above what 
he required for living expenses, for he was 
always industrious and frugal. In 1856, 
then twenty-eight years old, being de- 
sirous of bettering himself, and casting 
longing eyes in the direction of the West- 
ern World, whither many of his country- 
men had already betaken themselves, he 
decided to emigrate and try his fortune 
under new skies, where homes are cheaper 
and wages higher. At Rotterdam he 
boarded the American ship ' ' South Caro- 
lina, " bound for New York, which port 
she reached after a somewhat lengthy 



passage of fifty-seven days, during which 
he suffered much from sea-sickness. From 
New York he came directly to Chicago, 
and in some part of Illinois he found work, 
cutting grass on the prairie. While so 
engaged he attended church regularly each 
Sunday, the nearest Catholic one being 
seven miles distant. In the fall of the 
same year he came to Green Bay by boat 
from Chicago, and being a natural me- 
chanic, and having with him his tools used 
in making wooden shoes, he found some 
carpenter work to do until winter, receiv- 
ing in wages about ten dollars per month. 
One day, meeting some farmers from 
Calumet county, he was induced by them 
to return with them to their part of the 
State, in order that he might there 
make wooden shoes for the country peo- 
ple; and at this sort of employment he 
was engaged all winter. The following 
spring (1857) he again came to Green 
Bay, where, for the three following years, 
he worked at carpentry. In the fall of 
i860, trade in his line being dull, and 
having saved a few dollars, he thought it 
would be a good opportunity to revisit his 
native land; so, in company with three 
other Hollanders, he set out on the journey 
via New York, where the party took 
steamer for Southampton, landing there 
in thirteen days from time of sailing. 
From that port they proceeded by rail to 
London, thence down the Thames and 
across the North Sea to Rotterdam, Hol- 
land, and from there our subject soon 
reached his old home and friends. In the 
following spring he returned to the United 
States by steamer, via Rotterdam and 
New York, thence by rail to Chicago and 
Appleton, at which latter point (the rail- 
road terminating there at that time) he 
took boat down the Fox river to Green 
Bay, where, after a few weeks rest, he re- 
commenced carpentry work with his old 
employer. Soon after coming to Green 
Bay Mr. Broeren built himself a small 
boat — sixteen feet in length, with a wheel 
paddle- in the rear — the craft, which was 
propelled by a crank turned by hand, being 




^irmA ^^r^ti^ 





COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



329 



quite a curiosity at the time and attracting 
much attention. He passed many pleas- 
ant hours with it on the waters of Green 
Bay, and a perfect model of the boat — 
wheel-paddle and all — now surmounts 
his barn. 

On February 17, 1862, Mr. Broeren 
was united in marriage, at Little Chute, 
Wis., with Mrs. Hannah Goerkes, («cV 
Siemons), widow of John Goerkes, who 
was drowned in the canal lock at Kau- 
kauna, where he was lock-keeper at the 
time. She is a native of Prussia, born 
September 16, 1834, a daughter of Rine- 
hart Siemons, a Hollander, who came to 
the United States in 1848, and was one of 
those who first settled Holland township. 
Brown county, in that year. After mar- 
riage Mr. Broeren continued to work in 
Appleton at carpentry and pattern-making 
until the spring of 1865, when, in com- 
pany with Cornelius Gerrits, having pur- 
chased of Hoel S. Wright, of Wrights- 
town, a farm of forty acres, with a water- 
power sawmill thereon, he moved thither 
with his family. Soon afterward he 
bought out his partner's interest, and in 
about two years converted the water- 
power of the sawmill into steam-power. 
To these forty acres he subsequently added 
forty more, and in Woodville township, 
Calmuet county, he also purchased land, 
now owning in all 140 acres. When he 
first came to his farm it was completely 
covered with timber and underbrush, but, 
by indefatigable industry, heroic work, 
and tireless energy, he has made the 
quondam howling wilderness to blossom 
as the rose. In connection with agricul- 
ture, he has continued to conduct the 
sawmill, to which he has added a plan- 
ing-mill. 

Mr. Broeren, in his political prefer- 
ences, is a stanch Democrat, and served 
his township as supervisor one year; he 
and his wife are members of St. Francis 
Catholic Church, and are held in the highest 
esteem in the community. Their chil- 
dren, eight in number, were: Peter, in 
California; George, a farmer in Holland 



township. Brown county; Francis W. , 
who died December 10, 1869; Anna M., 
organist of St. Francis Church; Cecilia 
B., at home; Theodore, in Portland, Ore. ; 
and Wilhelmina and William, both at 
home. By her first husband Mrs. Broe- 
ren had three children — Henry, John and 
Mary — of whom the last named married 
Martin Vandezagt, and died leaving no 
children. Henry went to the Pacific coast 
in 1882, soon afterward making a trip to 
Australia; but, not liking the country, he 
returned after a short stay, after which 
time his home was, for the most part, in 
Tulare county, Cal., until 1893, when he 
removed to Alaska, and is now engaged 
in mining along the Yukon river. John 
went to the Pacific coast four years later 
than Henry, and in the spring of 1894 also 
went to Alaska, where he is now engaged 
in mining with his brother. After Henry's 
arrival in that country it was six months 
before he reached the mines, being de- 
tained on account of the snow. The 
brothers are both practical mechanics, 
with the ability to turn their hands to 
almost any kind of work, a fact which 
accounts in a great measure for their suc- 
cess in all their undertakings. 

Gifted, as he is, with more than aver- 
age natural ability and intellect, yet de- 
nied in his boyhood and youth aught but 
the most limited school advantages, there 
is to be found in the career of Mr. Broeren 
a potent lesson to the youth of this or any 
other land, who, commencing life as he 
did, an uneducated, penniless lad, is 
striving to hew out for himself an honest 
competence and honored name. Mr. 
Broeren is never idle; whether in the field 
among his crops, in his mills listening to the 
hum of the machinery, or by his domestic 
fireside in the bosom of his family, his 
hand and mind are ever employed — his 
hand in labor, his mind in perusing Eng- 
lish literature or the current events of the 
day; and now his homestead is spoken of 
by the newspapers of Outagamie and 
Brown counties as the "model farm of 
Holland township." 



33° 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



THOMAS DUFFY, one of the pros- 
perous farmers and representa- 
tive citizens of Holland township, 
Brown county, is a native of Berk- 
shire county, Mass., born July 28, 1852, 
son of James and Margaret (Martin) Duffy. 
James Duffy was born in County Mon- 
aghan, Ireland, where he learned the 
trade of weaver, and when a young man 
came to the United States, first locating 
in Massachusetts. He was married in 
that State, for his second wife, to Miss 
Margaret Martin, a native of County Gal- 
way, Ireland, and they remained there 
until 1858, Mr. Duffy working in the 
paper mills. Mr. Duffy had several chil- 
dren by his first marriage, and in 1858, 
with his entire family, which then con- 
sisted of ten children, he came to Wis- 
consin, land being cheap in that then new 
country. They located in Brown county, 
purchasing forty acres in Section 27, Hol- 
land township, the tract having no im- 
provements whatever except a small log 
house, in which the family made their 
home. The task of clearing was a great 
one, for, having no improved machinery — 
an axe and a hoe being almost the only 
implements used — it took many years of 
toil to make the land tillable. He passed 
through all the vicissitudes of pioneer life, 
and lived to see his farm converted from 
the woods into a fertile tract. In later 
years he purchased another forty acres. 
Mr. and Mrs. Duffy spent the remainder 
of their days on the farm where they first 
located, he passing away in July, 1887, 
and his wife following him to the grave 
in September, same year; their remains 
now rest in Holland cemetery. They 
were devout members of the Catholic 
Church, and were everywhere respected. 
In politics Mr. Duffy was a stanch mem- 
ber of the Democratic party, and served 
creditably in several positions of trust; 
in 1863-64, and again in 1874, he served 
as township treasurer, and he also held 
offices in his school district. 

Thomas Duffy was the third son of 
James and Margaret (Martin) Duffy. 



When six years old he came with his par- 
ents to Wisconsin, and, having never at- 
tended school up to that time, he received 
all his educational training in the district 
schools of Holland township, his first 
teachers being Martin Finnerty and 
Michael Vandenberg. But in those earl}' 
dajs the schools were far from thorough, 
and the education acquired, even when 
attending regularly, was somewhat limited. 
But work at home was the first con- 
sideration, and he received a thorough 
training to agriculture under his father 
on the home farm, which he now resides 
upon. On November 23, 1880, he was 
united in marriage, in East Holland, to 
Miss Ellen Clancey, who was born in 
Holland township, Februarj' 17, i860, a 
daughter of \^'illiam Clancey, who came 
from County Limerick, Ireland. The 
}oung couple took up their, residence on 
the homestead which he now owns, as. 
well as eighty acres across the road, and 
here he has always resided, excepting for 
a few months when he lived in Kaukauna. 
To this union children have been born as 
follows: John, August 17, 1 881; Maggie 
Ellen, June 16, 1883; Mamie A., Septem- 
ber 6, 1884; James. October 8, 1886; 
Willie, June 19, 1889; Jennie Elizabeth, 
July 22, 1891; and Florence L., July 
19, 1893. 

Mr. Duffy is a progressive, go-ahead 
farmer, and has, to a great degree, been 
the architect of his own fortune, for, being 
one of a large family, he had to do for 
himself. He is very popular in his locality, 
where he has many friends and is well 
known. In political connection he is a 
Democrat, and one of the local leaders 
of the party, being stanch in the support 
of its principles. He has served as treas- 
urer of his township for a longer term 
than an}' other one man, having held the 
office continuously since 1881, with the 
exception of a year, discharging the duties 
of his position in a highly satisfactory 
manner. In religious connection he and 
his family are members of St. Francis 
Church, of Holland. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



331 



JOSEPH LEITERMANN, a success- 
ful farmer of Glenmore township, 
Brown county, was born February 
28, 1847, in Bohemia. Austria, son 
of Peter Leitermann, a farmer. The latter 
had nine children — four sons and five 
daughters — Joseph being the eighth in the 
order of birth and the third son. 

When si.\ years old our subject com- 
menced to attend school, continuing until 
he reached the age of twelve or thirteen 
years. He then began the trade of 
wagon-maker, following that about eight 
years, or until the spring of 1867, when 
he concluded to emigrate and seek his 
fortune in America. His father gave 
him money to pay the expenses of the 
journey, and, sailing from Bremen he 
landed in New York after a voyage of 
nineteen days, immediately after arrival 
proceeding to Manitowoc, Wis. Having 
found work near that city as a farmhand, 
he resided there a year and a half, when 
he came to Brown county, and purchased 
forty acres in Section 25, Glenmore town- 
ship, going in debt for same. The only 
improvement on this place was a log 
shanty, which stood five or si.x rods 
southeast of his present residence, and 
the land was entirely new. In Novem- 
ber, 1869, Mr. Leitermann was married, 
in Glenmore, to Miss Mary Hebel, also a 
native of Austria, who was born May 10, 
1844, daughter of Mathias Hebel, and 
the young couple at once commenced 
housekeeping in the log house above 
mentioned, where they made their home 
until the erection of their present com- 
fortable dwelling. Here their children 
were all born, as follows: Barbara, born 
December 20, 1870, now Mrs. Xavier 
Rank, of Kewaunee county, Wis. ; Peter 
J., born April 6, 1873; Joseph, born 
April 7, 1874; Mary, born July 19, 1875; 
John, born October 8, 1876; Annie, born 
February 4, 1879; Louis, born June 4, 
1884, all residing at home; and one that 
died in infancy unnamed. 

It required many years of stern toil 
to clear and improve the farm, and Mr. 



Leitermann not only did that, but from 
time to time added to his original pur- 
chase, and now has a fine farm of 120 
acres, thoroughly equipped with substan- 
tial outbuildings. His family have as- 
sisted him greatly with the general farm 
work, and he has also been a hard worker, 
by good management and systematic meth- 
ods making a success of his life work. In 
connection with general farming he is also 
engaged in stock-raising to some extent. 
He has been a Democrat in politics, but 
not an active party man, preferring to 
give all his time to his farm. In religion 
he and his family are members of St. 
Mary's Catholic Church, at Glenmore, 
and they are highly respected throughout 
their communitv. 



IVI 



ATHEW RIPP, an industrious 
young farmer of Green Bay 
township. Brown county, is a 
son of Peter and Christina (Van- 
hatten) Ripp. Christina Vanhatten was 
born February 14, 1844, in Germany, 
and in 1853 came to America with her 
parents, Peter and Elizabeth Vanhatten, 
whose family at this time consisted of four 
children: Christina, Elizabeth, Catherine 
and Mary. One child, Margaret, was 
born in America. The family landed in 
New York after a remarkably pleasant 
voyage of twenty-three days, and imme- 
diately after arrival proceeded to a place 
about thirty miles distant from Rochester, 
N. Y. , where they purchased sixty-one 
acres of wild land, which they cultivated, 
and made their home there for thirteen 
years. They then migrated westward to 
Wisconsin, and took up their residence 
about thirty miles from Milwaukee, re- 
maining there seven years, or until 1873, 
when they came to Brown county, settling 
on a farm in Green Bay township, where 
the parents passed the remainder of their 
lives. 

In 1862 Christina Vanhatten was 
united in marriage with Peter Ripp, and 
their union was blessed with six children. 



332 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



viz. : Elizabeth, Katie, Mathew (who 
married Miss Blundy), Mary (Mrs. Blundy), 
Anna, and Margaret (deceased). Mr. and 
Mrs. Ripp came to Green Bay township 
with the Vanhatten family in 1873, and 
here he died about six weeks later. Mrs. 
Ripp purchased a tract of eighty acres in 
Green Bay township, which her son 
Mathew has cleared and cultivated, and 
on which they make their home; in ad- 
dition to this place he owns and cultivates 
a piece of land in Humboldt township. 
Since his father's death he has been the 
principal support of his widowed mother, 
proving a faithful and devoted son in every 
respect. 



SYLVESTER BOEHM, now living 
retired in the township of Belle- 
vue. Brown county, with whose 
agricultural interests he has been 
actively identified for nearly forty years, 
is a native of Bavaria, Germany, born De- 
cember 30, 1828. His father, George 
Boehm, a hard-working, thrifty farmer in 
the Fatherland, had a family of eight 
children — four sons and four daughters — 
of whom our subject is the seventh in the 
order of birth. 

Sylvester Boehm attended the schools 
of his native place, receiving a liberal 
common-school education. When seven- 
teen years old he commenced to learn the 
stone-mason's trade, at which he served 
an apprenticeship of three years, and then 
embarked in the business for himself, his 
earnings being all turned over to his par- 
ents. In the spring of 1853 he proceeded 
to Liverpool, from which port he sailed 
for America, landing in Philadelphia after 
a voyage of fifty days. Going at once to 
New York he obtained employment as a 
mechanic (his wages being fifty cents per 
day), continuing thus but a short time, 
however, for he went to Detroit, Mich., 
where he worked at his trade. In 1857 
he was married in New Baltimore, Mich., 
to Miss Theresa Wygal, who was born 
September 8, 1830, in Prussia, daughter 



of Joseph Wygal, who came to the United 
States in 1854, and located near Detroit. 
Shortly after his marriage Mr. Boehm 
came to Green Bay, Wis., and for one 
summer followed his trade; then, in 1859, 
purchased forty acres of heavily wooded 
land in Bellevue township, going into 
debt for same, and on this tract, in a 
log cabin 12 .\ 12, he and his wife took up 
their residence. He has since devoted 
his attention exclusively to agriculture, in 
which he has met with most encouraging 
success, the just reward of industry and 
thrift. On that farm he remained until 
1892, in which year he came to his pres- 
ent home, a pleasant farm of twenty-eight 
acres, where he now lives a partly re- 
tired life. He has been a self-made man, 
for, when he landed in the United States, 
he had a capital of only five dollars with 
which to commence life in the New World, 
and from this small beginning he has ac- 
cumulated a comfortable property. He 
and his wife are known as good, kind- 
hearted neighbors, and their hospitality is 
almost proverbial. They had seven chil- 
dren: Louis, now a resident of Florida; 
Catherine, Mrs. Frank Rinehart, of Duck 
Creek, Wis. ; Margarette, Mrs. Ferdinand 
Ellinger, of Bellevue township; Caroline, 
Mrs. Frank Nachtwey, of Bellevue town- 
ship; and three children — one son and two 
daughters — that died young. Mr. Boehm 
is an adherent of the principles of the 
Democratic party, but in voting he usually 
selects the best man, regardless of politics. 
He and his wife are members of the 
Catholic Church. 



HUGH FINNEGAN, an influential 
farmer-citizen of Holland town- 
ship, Brown county, is a worthy 
representative of one of its early 
pioneer families. 

Patrick Finnegan, his father, was born 
in 1 8 19 in County Sligo, Ireland, where 
he married Margaret Graham, and in 
their native country one child was born — 
Andrew. Mr. Finnegan was a tenant 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



333 



farmer, and, though a hard-working man, 
he could barely make a comfortable liv- 
, ing. In the spring of 1848 he concluded 
to immigrate to the United States, where 
the workingman had a chance to better 
himself, and, gathering together what 
capital he could — a few dollars realized 
from the sale of his effects and a small 
sum he had saved — he left his home, and 
proceeded with his little family, via Dub- 
lin, to Liverpool. Here they took pas- 
sage on a sailing vessel bound for New 
York City, where they landed after a 
weary voyage occupying several weeks. 
Their first home in the New World was 
made at Schenectady, N. Y. , where Mr. 
Finnegan found employment as laborer 
on the canal, and there they resided a 
few years, or until about 1S51, when, at- 
tracted no doubt by the cheap homes of- 
fered to early settlers, he decided to set- 
tle in the then new State of Wisconsin. 
They took passage at Buffalo on the ' ' Old 
Michigan," then plying on the lakes be- 
tween that city and Green Bay, and, after 
arriving at the latter city, came up the 
Fox river to Kaukauna, where they re- 
mained several years, Mr. Finnegan work- 
ing as a laborer on the canal. He then 
purchased 160 acres of new land in Sec- 
tion 22, Holland township. Brown county, 
totally unimproved, and he built the first 
house thereon — a small log structure, 
which stood a short distance east of the 
present family residence. Not a stick 
had been cut from the land, and, although 
he set about the clearing of the farm at 
once, it yielded no support for himself and 
his family for several years, and he con- 
tinued to work in Kaukauna during the 
summer time. Having but a limited sup- 
ply of farming implements, and no im- 
proved machinery, the work of improving 
and cultivating progressed slowly; but he 
persevered, keeping ever before him the 
prospect of one day having a comfortable 
property which he could call his own. 
With constant care and industry his quar- 
ter-section of land finally was converted 
into a smiling, productive farm, to which. 



in later years, he added an adjoining forty 
acres, the whole making a fine tract. The 
log cabin was in time supplanted by a 
substantial farm residence, in which he 
passed the remainder of his life, dying in 
November, 1878, and he was laid to rest 
in Holland township. His first wife passed 
from earth in 1858, and was buried in 
Holland township, and Mr. Finnegan 
subsequently married Miss Ellen McBride, 
a native of Ireland, who survives him. 
The children born in the United States to 
his first marriage were: Bridget, now 
Mrs. Joseph Redline, of Green Bay; Mi- 
chael, a resident of Ingalls, Mich. ; Hugh, 
a sketch of whom follows, and Thomas, 
of Menomonee, Wis. Andrew, the eldest 
of this family, who was born in Ireland, 
also resides in Menomonee. To the sec- 
ond marriage came children as follows: 
Mary, Mrs. Peter Golden, of Wrights- 
town; and Maggie, Mrs. John Cox, of 
Holland township. 

In politics Mr. Finnegan was a strong 
supporter of the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party, but he never aspired to office, 
preferring to give all his attention to his 
farm. In religious faith he was a mem- 
ber of St. Francis Church, De Pere. One 
of the earliest settlers in Holland town- 
ship, he lived to see his farm and the sur- 
rounding country converted from a dense 
forest to a productive tract of land, 
changes which those pioneers effected by 
many years of stern toil. He was a self- 
made man, for, though in comfortable cir- 
cumstances at the time of his death, he 
began life with nothing but a willing 
heart and hands, and won success by in- 
dustry and good business management, 
and his honesty and fair dealing won him 
the respect of all who knew him. 

Hugh Finnegan, son of this old 
pioneer, was born July 13, 1855, in Hol- 
land township, on the farm where he yet 
makes his home. He received such an 
education as could be obtained at the 
common district schools of his time, his 
attendance being somewhat irregular, for 
he was reared to farm life, and, as the 



334 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



home place was still in its primitive con- 
dition, there was plenty of work at home 
to f)ccupy his time. F"rom the time of 
his mother's death, up to the age of thir- 
teen, he was reared by his grandmother 
Finnegan, who then lived in Holland 
township, after which he made his home 
with his father. On November 9, 1887, 
he was married in Holland township, to 
Miss Ellen Finerty, who was born there 
January 13, 1859, daughter of Thomas 
and Catherine (Keaton) Finert}'. After 
their marriage the young couple immedi- 
ately came to the home farm, where they 
have ever since resided, and which Mr. 
Finnegan now owns; it comprises 200 
acres of prime land, all in Holland town- 
ship. This union has been blessed with 
three children, viz.: Carrie M., born 
September 17, 1889; Thomas A., born 
April I, 1 891; and Robert P., born De- 
cember 15, 1893. Mr. Finnegan has 
been very successful in his farming opera- 
tions, and to-day ranks among the most 
prosperous citizens in his township. He 
takes an interest in every movement which 
tends to promote the welfare of his local- 
ity, and is foremost in the rank of pro- 
gressive farmers Politically he is a 
Democrat, but, though stanch in his sup- 
port of the party, gives no time to politics, 
being fully occupied with his business af- 
fairs. In religious connection the family 
are members of St. Francis Catholic 
Church, De Pere. 



PETER CALLAHAN, a well- 
known farmer citizen cf Glen- 
more township. Brown county, 
was born in November, 1837, in 
County Monaghan, Ireland, son of James 
Callahan. When Peter was but a boy 
his ]iarents immigrated to Canada with 
their family of eight children — four sons 
and four daughters — and here he was 
reared. His mother died when he was 
about fifteen years old, and, this event 
breaking up the home, he then com- 
menced sailing on the lakes, a business in 



which he continued, "off and on," for 
some years. His father conducted a 
livery stable and hack line, and during 
the winter season Peter assisted him. 

In 1863 our subject came to Brown 
county. Wis., sailing from Buffalo to 
Green Bay, and here obtained work as 
wheelsman and fireman on the "Arrow" 
and the "Van Epps. " He remained on 
the " Arrow " until she gave out, and in- 
tended to continue his work on the 
" Dunlap, " to which vessel the machinery 
from the "Arrow" was being transferred; 
but, in the fall of 1863, he enlisted at 
Green Bay, in Company H, Thirty-fifth 
Wis. \'. I., and went to Camp \\'ash- 
burn, Milwaukee. The command \Nas 
sent to Louisiana, and they engaged in 
various skirmishes, but their first regular 
engagement was at Spanish Fort. Then 
followed the engagements at Fort Blakely, 
whence they were sent to Mobile, and 
later to Brownsville, Texas, protecting 
the frontier from the encroachments of 
the Mexicans during the disturbances in 
that country. Mr. Callahan was dis- 
charged in Brownsville, Texas, in March, 
1866, and returned to Madison, Wis., 
thence to De Pere, where he made his 
home for about a year; while in the 
service he had suffered from exposure, 
and returned with his health seriously 
impaired. During his residence in De- 
Pere he worked in the stave mills, and 
in 1867 he came to Glenmore township, 
where he was employed in the sawmill of 
Bowen, Thompson & Hulburt, who were 
getting out lumber. In i 868 he removed 
to his present farm, in the N. W'. |, 
Section 14, Glenmore township, which, 
at that time, was an eighty-acre tract of 
new land (with the timber thereon re- 
served by others), and here he built the 
first house, and made all the improve- 
ments on the place. The work of clear- 
ing this farm involved a great deal of 
hard work, but, by continued industry, 
he has reduced it to a fertile condition. 
In 1892 he built a store on the northwest 
corner of his farm, where he now con- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGIIAPHICAL RECORD. 



335 



ducts a saloon, in addition to carrying on 
his ac;;ricultural work. In politics he is a 
Democrat, and always supports the prin- 
ciples of that party in State and National 
elections, but in local affairs he votes in- 
variably for the best man. He is a close 
reader, and keeps himself well informed on 
general topics and the issues of his party, j 

In the fall of 1863 Mr. Callahan was 
married, in Green Bay, to Miss Johanna 
Dwyer, a native of County Tipperary, 
Ireland, daughter of John Dwyer, and to 
this union were born two children: Mary 
E., now Mrs. Warner, of Montana, and 
James E., of Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. 
Callahan are members of St. Mary's 
Catholic Church, of Glenmore. 



LAMBERT WELLENS. Many of 
the thrifty, industrious, well-to-do 
citizens of Brown county can 
boast of Holland birth, and promi- 
nent among these ranks the subject of 
these lines, who is a resident of Bellevue 
township. He was born December 6, 
1836, in the village of Schaijk, near the 
city of Grave, Holland, son of John H. 
Wellens, a farmer, and the youngest of 
eight children — all sons — four of whom 
grew to maturity. 

Lambert Wellens received a good 
common-school education in the schools 
of his neighborhood, was reared a farmer 
boy, and remained at home until he 
reached the age of twenty, at which time 
he decided to seek his fortune in America. 
His father had died, and having the 
money received from the estate to pay his 
expenses, he set sail from Antwerp, land- 
ing in New York after an ocean voyage 
of twenty-one days. It was his original 
intention to go to De Pere, Wis., but 
being influenced by an acquaintance he 
went instead to Grant county, that State, 
where he arrived with but five dollars, and 
immediately hired out as a farm hand, con- 
tinuing to follow agricultural pursuits for 
two years, during five months of which time 
he worked with his two brothers, Seeman 



and Albert, who had come to the United 
States a few months after him. In the 
spring of 1859 these three brothers were 
seized with the "western fever," and 
taking a team of o.xen to haul provisions, 
they set out across the plains for Pike's 
Peak, the journey occupying six weeks. 
But not being satisfied with the prospects 
there, they remained only ten days, and 
then pushed on farther westward to Cali- 
fornia with the same team, taking five 
months and ten days to make the trip. 
They prospected in Shasta county, Cal. , 
remaining there four and a half years, and 
then went to Idaho Territory, where they 
sojourned four years, prospecting and 
mining the greater part of the time, and 
making about $5,000 apiece. In the fall 
of 1867 they returned by stage to Sacra- 
mento, Cal., thence by water to San 
Francisco, and from there, via the Nicar- 
agua canal route, to New York, where 
they took passage for Liverpool, and in 
October, 1867, arrived at their old home 
in Holland. 

In January, 1868, our subject was 
married at his old home in Holland, to 
Miss Barbara Johnson, who was born 
October 25, 1840, in the same neighbor- 
hood, daughter of John Johnson, a farmer, 
and to this union have been born six chil- 
dren, viz. : John, Mary, William, Albert, 
Theodore and Nettie, all living but Theo- 
dore, who died on the present farm in 
Wisconsin in March, 1888. After return- 
ing to his native land, Mr. Wellens took 
up farming, and at the same time con- 
ducted a grocery and a mercantile busi- 
ness, continuing in this until 1883, when 
he again concluded to come to America. 
In the spring of that year he and his 
family sailed from Rotterdam on the 
" P. Caland," arriving in New York after 
a voyage of eighteen days, and, their des- 
tination being De Pere, Wis., they im- 
mediately proceeded thither. In Bellevue 
township. Brown county, Mr. Wellens 
purchased eighty-four acres of partly im- 
proved land, where he has ever since made 
his home, devoting his attention pricipally 



336 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to the cultivation and improvement of his 
farm. The place has undergone many 
chanj^es since he has had charge, and it 
is now one of the best improved farms in 
the township; he has also added sixty 
acres adjoining, and is engaged extensively 
in general agriculture, his remarkable suc- 
cess in this hne being directly due to his 
good business management and shrewd 
financiering, for which he is well known. 
He is a representative self-made man, 
active and intelligent, having accumulated 
a goodly share of this world's goods by 
hard work and perseverance. He has 
traveled considerably, more than the 
average farmer, having crossed this coun- 
try from New York to San Francisco, 
visited Central America, and, in 1 893, took 
a six-weeks' pleasure trip to his native 
country; he has crossed the Atlantic four 
times. Politically he is a Democrat, but 
he gives little attention to party affairs, 
preferring to devote his time to his busi- 
ness interests. The family are all mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church at De Pere. 



JOSEPH E. DUAfME, a representa- 
tive thorough-going agriculturist, of 
Lawrence township. Brown county, 
was born May 16, 1841, in St. 
Francis, Canada, and is of French descent. 
Our subject received the greater part 
of his education from his mother, who 
was a French scholar, and had been a 
school teacher. His father, Bruno Du- 
aime, was a ship carpenter, and among 
other boats built the "Fanny Fisk." On 
July 15, 1850, the family came to Green 
Bay, Wis., and, the parents being in only 
moderate circumstances, Joseph com- 
menced to work at an early age, for when 
fifteen years old we find him in the lum- 
ber camps of northern Michigan, where 
he earned from twelve to fifteen dollars 
per month. At the breaking out of the 
Civil war he was working on a farm near 
Fond du Lac, Wis., and he enlisted at 
once in the Union army, but his father 
succeeded in obtaining his release. Later, 



however, he went to Brown count}', and 
in the spring of 1864 again enlisted, this 
time in Company C, Twelfth Wis. V. I., 
with which he went south to Cairo, 111., 
soon afterward joining Sherman at Big 
Shanty, Ga. Their first regular engage- 
ment was at Kenesaw Mountain, thence 
following the campaign to the coast. On 
July 28, 1864, near Israel's Chapel, to 
the right of Atlanta, Mr. Duaime was 
wounded, receiving a ball in the neck, 
and was sent to Marietta Hospital, where 
he remained thirty da\s. He then came 
home on furlough, and. Green Ba}' sur- 
geons failing to extract the ball, he went 
to Harvey's Hospital, at Madison, Wis. , 
where it was removed by Dr. Culverson. 
In March, 1865, he went by rail to New 
York, and thence by boat to Morehead 
City, N. C, where he joined his com- 
mand about two weeks before Lee's sur- 
render. He was present at the Grand 
Review in Washington, D. C. ; was mus- 
tered out July 15, 1865, at Louisville, 
Ky., received an honorable discharge at 
Madison, Wis., and immediately returned 
to Brown county. 

On September 11, 1865, Mr. Duaime 
was married to Miss Mary Boyea, who 
was born April 5, 1844, in New York, 
daughter of August Boyea, who came to 
De Pere in 1855. At this time our sub- 
ject had saved some two hundred and fifty 
dollars, and with this money he purchased 
a lot in Green Bay, on which he built a 
house, and lived there two years. He 
obtained employment in the lumber mills 
of Marshall, Speer & Co., at Sturgeon 
Bay, and his former experience in this 
line, coupled with natural ability as a 
mechanic, which he possessed to a marked 
degree, made him so competent a work- 
man that for eight years he was foreman 
and filer for this firm. Being thrifty and 
economical, as well as a steady worker, 
he saved a considerable sum, and in a few 
years was able to purchase a farm in 
Lawrence township, for which he paid 
two thousand dollars cash. Here he made 
his home for ten or twelve jears, follow- 




ef'. ^.&^Uy^ 



f^^^'7'7^ZJ2,^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



339 



ing fanning, and in the spring of 1882 
purchased the tract of ninety acres, where 
he now hves, and removed thereon. 
Since then he has improved the tract in 
many ways, erecting new buildings, re- 
pairing old ones, and systematically cul- 
tivating the land, to which he has also 
added forty-seven and one-half acres, 
now owning a fertile, productive farm of 
1 37^ acres. Though not a lifelong farmer, 
Mr. Duaime has proven himself the equal 
of any in his township, and has made a 
complete success of his vocation. He and 
his wife have had five children born to 
them, namely: Joseph E. (who is a 
teacher, and a correspondent for the De- 
Pere Dciiiocra t),]o?,e^\\me (a dressmaker), 
William (a carpenter), Emma (a teacher), 
and Sophie (also engaged in teaching). 
In his political preferences Mr. Duaime 
was former!}' a Republican, but since 
1884 he has supported the principles of 
the Democratic party, though in voting he 
usually considers the fitness of candi- 
dates, especially in township and county 
elections. He has been elected to vari- 
ous offices of trust; served with credit as 
•chairman, and, for ten or twelve years, 
as supervisor of the township board. He 
was repeatedly elected to the office of 
clerk of the school board, by which the 
school profited by his untiring efforts to 
make it a pleasant and progressive place. 
After the northwestern fire of 1 871, he 
was chosen commander of a small army 
■of twenty men got together to bury the 
dead in Williamsonville, Door county. 
The horror of the time is indescribable. 
As a sailor he has filled the place of cap- 
tain on a sailing vessel. In religious con- 
nections he is a member of the Roman 
•Catholic Church. 



A 



land, 



NTON VAN DYKE, a respected 

well-to-do farmer of Rockland 

township, Brown county, was 

born November 30, 1853, in Hol- 

son of John Van Dyke, a farmer. 



19 



The latter died when Anton was twelve 
years old, and, his mother having passed 
from earth si.\ years before, our subject 
lived with his older brothers until he was 
twenty-two years of age, principally en- 
gaged in farm work. He had received 
his education in the common schools of 
his birthplace, which he attended up to 
the age of eleven years. 

In the spring of 1881, having managed 
to save a small sum from his hard-earned 
wages, Mr. Van Dyke left his native 
country, and, going to Liverpool, took pas- 
sage on a vessel bound for New York, 
arriving in that city July 4. He imme- 
diately came westward, via Chicago and 
Milwaukee, to De Pere, Wis., where he 
had. a cousin, Martin Van Dyke, and 
shortly afterward commenced to work for 
John Coenen, with whom he remained 
some time. He then came to Rockland 
township to work for Martin Hubers, one 
of the early settlers of this locality, who, 
coming to Wisconsin from Holland a poor 
boy, had settled on the farm our subject 
now owns, and by industry and thrift rose 
to an enviable position among the farmers 
of his township, where he was highly 
respected. He had but one child, Mary 
Hubers, born November 28, 1861, on the 
farm where she yet resides, and on De- 
cember 28, 1882, she and Anton Van- 
Dyke were united in marriage. To this 
union have come children as follows: 
Mary, Annie, George and Martine, living, 
and John, who died in infancy. Since 
his marriage Mr. Van Dyke has always 
remained on the farm, which he now 
owns. It comprises fifty-seven acres of 
prime farming land, to the cultivation of 
which he gives his exclusive attention. 
He is a hard worker and a self-made 
man in the strictest sense of the word, 
and by his honesty and fairness he has 
won for himself the respect of all who 
know him. Politically he is a Democrat, 
but not active in party affairs, and in 
religious connection he and his wife are 
members of St. Mary's Catholic Church, 
De Pere. 



34° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



THOMAS McLEAN. The " North 
of Ireland!" What a wonderful 
race of men has been sent to all 
parts of the civilized world from 
the region to the northward of a line 
drawn through the baj's of Dublin and 
Galway, and more especially from the 
district embraced in the Province of Ulster. 
How familiar are the names Donegal, 
Londonderry, Antrim, Down, Tyrone, 
Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan and 
Cavan, counties comprising the province 
named. The sturdy, Scotch-Irish ele- 
ment, which has peopled numerous locali- 
ties in the United States, has proved the 
loyalty of its blood through many a con- 
flict where the right was assailed, and al- 
most without exception has arrayed itself 
on the side which readers of its history 
might be led to expect. The Scotch-Irish 
are a proud race, and they have earned 
the privilege. 

Thomas McLean was born November 
20, 1 816, in the Parish of Finway, town 
of Darragh, County Antrim, Ireland, and 
when not yet twelve and a half years of 
age, sailed with the family of his father. 
Hector McLean, for America, the party 
consisting of the father, mother and four 
children — Nail, Mary, Thomas and Alex- 
ander. They started April 14, 1829, 
from Belfast, the trip being made on the 
ship "Helen,'' of Aberdeen, bound for 
Quebec. John, Elizabeth and Ann, the 
other children, had crossed the previous 
fall. The elder McLean was a poor man, 
and was obliged to start in the humblest 
manner. He settled upon and cleared a 
farm in York township, twenty miles from 
the city of Toronto, Canada, he and his 
wife residing there until 1842, when they 
joined their son Thomas, at Milwaukee, 
Wis. Here the mother died at the age of 
sixty-eight, the father's death occurring 
subsequently at the home of the same 
son in Stockbridge, Calumet Co., Wis., 
when he was aged seventy-two. 

Thomas McLean, a worthy son of a 
worthy sire, was enabled to have but six 
month's schooling, but it may be imagined 



he made the most of his opportunities 
during that time. He continued to re- 
side with his parents until 1841, when he 
removed to Milwaukee, Wis., then a vil- 
lage of but 900 people. With money he 
had succeeded in saving from his earnings 
in America he purchased a farm four miles 
northwest of the place, partly cleared, 
together with some village propert)'. The 
fourth brick house in Milwaukee was 
erected by Mr. McLean, at the corner of 
Fifth and Chestnut streets. On May 25, 
1843, in the then insignificant "Cream 
City," Mr. McLean was united in mar- 
ried with Catharine Flood, who was born 
May 9, 1822, in the Parish of Killellen, 
Pickettstown, County Meath, Ireland, 
daughter of Patrick and Bridget (O'Keiley) 
Flood. Mrs. McLean sailed from Liver- 
pool for the United States in 1834, on 
the " Chesapeake," the voyage occupying 
about four weeks, and landed at New 
York, proceeding thence to her destina- 
tion, the city of Rochester, N. Y. At a 
later date she removed with a married sis- 
ter to Wisconsin. 

For ten 3ears Mr. McLean and his 
family resided in their brick dwelling in 
Milwaukee, removing thence to Calumet 
county and locating on a farm in the 
village of Stockbridge. Twenty years 
later, in 1873, they removed to Brown 
county and located on a farm of 125 
acres near Green Bay, which has since 
been their home, the present homestead 
consisting of twenty-five acres adjoining 
the corporation of Green Bay; a fine 
brick residence was erected the year of 
their removal. The children of this 
couple are: Catharine, now Mrs. Pat. 
McCool, of Chilton, Wis. ; Patrick, a 
farmer of Allouez township; Jane, who 
married Hugh Dougherty, and died at 
Green Bay; Harriet, now Mrs. Daniel 
Lynch, of Oakes, S. Dak. ; Mary, de- 
ceased in infancy; Eliza, who became 
Mrs. Frank Robinson, and died at Chil- 
ton; Josephine, now Mrs. James Dough- 
erty, of Oakes, S. Dak. ; Mary, now Mrs. 
Joseph O'Callihan, of Sagola, Mich. ; 



COMMEMOUATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



341 



and John, residing at home. Mr. Mc- 
Lean, during his residence in Milwaukee, 
was engaged in merchandising on Chest- 
nut street. He has also at different 
periods followed the occupation of 
a wagon-maker, a brickmason and a 
farmer, and for a time conducted a mill 
at Stockbridge, Wis. He has ever been 
a citizen of undisputed public spirit, and 
has contributed liberally of his time and 
means toward the furtherance of various 
enterprises. He has been able to assist 
his children to some extent, and the 
needy have always found in him a friend 
and helper. That his generosity may 
have been at times taken advantage of 
by unscrupulous people is possible, as few 
men of his disposition will live to old age 
without in some instances incurring e.x- 
pensive experiences along such lines, but 
he has everywhere won the respect of his 
fellow-citizens, and in his old age is able 
to look back upon a life well spent. Politi- 
cally he is a Democrat, and in 1864 was 
elected by his party to the State Legis- 
lature, as representative from Calumet 
county, fn religious faith he and his 
wife are earnest and consistent Catholics, 
and the Church has more than once felt 
its obligations to him for substantial 
favors extended. He was a member of 
the committee that built St. John's 
Cathedral in Milwaukee, and is the sole 
survivor of that committee. At one time 
he was the owner of i, 100 acres of land 
in Calumet county, and was interested in 
various industries. He built a church at 
Stockbridge and donated it to the Catho- 
lics, presented the priest with a sleigh, 
and boarded him for nearly a year. His 
zeal in behalf of his church has always 
been marked, and no enterprise tending 
to its benefit ever lacked his support. 

When a half century of wedded life had 
been rounded out, the children at home, 
in May, 1893, planned a golden wedding 
for their parents. Notwithstanding the fact 
that the latter were both sick when the 
eventful day arrived and the festivities 
were interrupted in consequence, the oc- 



casion was not without its pleasures. 
With the best wishes of all who know 
them, they approach the sunset time in 
the calm enjoyment of the fruits of a cor- 
rect and happy life, and their people will 
at the end rise up and call them blessed. 



PATRICK BAILEY, a leading rep- 
resentative self-made farmer of 
Glenmore township. Brown coun- 
ty, was born about 1821 in Coun- 
ty Kerry, Ireland, son of John and Nellie 
(Bresnehen) Bailey, who had three sons, 
of whom Patrick is the only one living. 
The mother died when he was three 
years old, and about a year later the 
father remarried. 

Patrick Bailey had fair educational 
advantages in his youth, and was reared 
from boyhood to farming, remaining at 
home until he reached the age of nine- 
teen years. Wages were low in Ireland, 
so when Patrick determined to come to 
America his father supplied him with 
means to pay his way, and in the spring 
of 1843 he sailed from his native town, 
Blennerville, on the "Joan." landing in 
Quebec after a voyage of six weeks. 
Here he was given employment helping 
to unload the vessel and then to reload 
her with lumber, and, after this, went to 
Montreal, where he worked for some 
time on the Lachine canal. He next 
went to New York City, thence after a 
few days to Boston, Mass., and thence to 
Lowell, where he found employment as a 
laborer between Lowell and Andover for 
a few weeks, working on improvements 
along the Merrimac river. His next move 
was to Fitchburg, same State, where he 
worked on the Fitchburg & Massachusetts 
railroad, and he subsequently worked in 
various places in Massachusetts, in almost 
every part of the State; thence went to 
Keene, N. H. , working there as laborer 
on a railroad, and later engaged in the same 
line of work at Brattleboro, Vt., after 
which he again came to Massachusetts, 
and worked in South Hadlev. 



342 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



On January 8, 1848, Mr. Bailey was 
married, in Cabotville, Mass., to Bridget 
Moran, who was born about 1830 in 
South Boston, daughter of John and Kate 
(Donohue) Moran, both natives of Ire- 
land. In the summer of 1848 our subject 
went to Buffalo, N. Y., and there worked 
on citj' improvements for a while; thence 
removed to Springfield, Ohio, where he 
was employed on a railroad to Cincin- 
nati, then in course of construction, and 
subsequently lived for a time in Sidney, 
Ohio. The ague being prevalent here, 
another move was made, this time to 
Chillicothe, Ohio, where Mr. Bailej' also 
worked on railroads, and he next worked 
on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern 
railroad, near Marietta, Ohio, and partly 
bargained for a farm in Washington coun- 
t}', but hearing of the cheap land offered 
to settlers in the then new State of Wis- 
consin, he concluded to abandon railroad 
work and commence farming on his own 
account. Three children had been born 
to them in Ohio — John, in Sidney; Ellen, 
in Chillicothe; and Mary A., in Wash- 
ington county; and, with his wife and 
family, Mr. Bailey came to Wisconsin in 
the summer of 1854, journeying via Co- 
lumbus to Cleveland, where they took 
the boat for Green Bay, landing in that 
city in Jul}-. Leaving the family in Green 
Bay, Mr. Bailey went to Kaukauna, where 
he obtained employment on the canal 
then building, and shortly afterward pur- 
chased eighty acres, at $2. 50 per acre, in 
Section 7, Glenmore township. Brown 
county, which tract was totally unim- 
proved, and the family li\-ed with a neigh- 
bor, Thomas Lawlor, while their log cabin 
Was being built. The forest was so dense 
that a space had to be cleared even for 
the small dwelling, into which they moved 
October 10, 1854, and at this time there 
was no road to this farm, only a path 
through the woods. They had hired a 
man to bring out their few household 
goods, but the driver, finding it difficult to 
proceed with the horse and wagon the 
latter part of the way, the goods were 



left in the road, where Mr. Bailey found 
them, and it took him several days to 
get them to the house, one of the 
neighbors, "Con" Leary, loaning him 
an ox-team for the purpose. The work 
of clearing was begun at once, but it 
was man}- jears before the farm became 
productive, and Mr. Bailey worked at 
lumbering during the winter season to 
earn enough to support his family. A 
large amount of lumber was cut, but as 
there was scarcely any demand for it 
then, they had to burn many thousand 
feet of valuable beech and maple to rid 
the land of it. Those pioneers endured 
many trials and privations in improving 
and cultivating their tract, but they suc- 
ceeded in converting the dense forest into 
a comfortable farm, and Mr. Bailej' has, 
by his own unaided efforts, risen to a 
position among the respected, prosperous 
agriculturists of this section, his life show- 
ing what may be accomplished by energy 
and determination, coupled with perse- 
verance and honesty. He now owns 160 
acres of excellent land, on which he con- 
ducts a successful farming business. He 
has served two terms as supervisor in his 
township, giving satisfaction to all; but 
he prefers to give his attention to his pri- 
vate affairs, and is not an active partisan, 
voting for the man he considers best 
qualified for the office. In religious faith 
he is a member of St. Francis Church, 
De Pere. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have had four- 
teen children, three of whom were born 
in Ohio, as above recorded, and the others 
in Wisconsin, a brief record of them be- 
ing as follows : John is a resident of 
Minneapolis, Minn. ; Ellen is the wife of 
Mila.n Smith, of Fond du Lac, Wis. ; 
Mary A. is the wife of John Sloan, of 
De Pere ; Kate is living in Ashland, Wis. ; 
James died when eighteen months old ; 
Bridget is the wife of James Jennings, of 
Scott township, Brown county; Agnes is 
the wife of John Rutnmel, of Ashland, 
Wis. ; Lizzie is the wife of James Mills, 
of Ashland ; Alice is living at home ; 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



343 



Thomas is a resident of Montana; George 
is living in Washington; Steven lives in 
Glenmore township; Patrick is at home; 
and one child died in infancy. 

On March 13, 1S65, Mr. Bailey en- 
listed in Company F, Fiftieth Wis. V. I., 
and did duty through northern Missouri, 
at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., and Fort 
Rice, Dak., during his service contracting 
rheumatism, from which he has ever since 
suffered. He was discharged in July, 
1866, and returned at once to his home 
and family. Our subject is well and 
favorably known throughout his section, 
and stands prominent among Glenmore 
township's most respected citizens. 



JOHN BARTELME. one of the prom- 
inent, influential farmer citizens of 
New Denmark township. Brown 
county, was born November 25, 
1810, in France, of German descent. His 
parents, George and Mary (Schneider) 
Bartelme, were well-to-do farming people 
of Germany, who reared a family of nine 
children (of whom our subject is the eld- 
est), as follows: John, Peter, Johanna, 
Nicholas, Michael, Christoph, George, 
Frank, and Belthasar. 

John Bartelme remained in his native 
land until twenty-five years of age, work- 
ing principally in a nail factory from early 
boyhood. In the spring of 1836, receiv- 
ing help from friends, he came with sev- 
eral others to America, landing in New 
York in July, after a weary voyage lasting 
seven weeks. He obtained employment 
at once in a nail factory, and worked thus 
some time, but the factory closing, he lost 
one hundred and two dollars, and found 
himself with but a dollar in money. Again 
borrowing from his friends he proceeded 
to Albany, N. Y. , and for live years worked 
on a farm near that city, receiving one 
hundred dollars a year for his services, 
out of which he managed to save and pay 
back all the money he had borrowed. 
Then, in company with two other men, 
he invested three hundred dollars in a 



canal-boat, but the venture proved a fail- 
ure, and he lost all but a hundred dollars. 
His younger brother, Belthasar, having 
come from Germany, Mr. Bartelme now 
went to New York to meet him, and, after 
remaining another nine months in that 
city, set out for the then "Far West," 
coming first to Two Rivers, Wis., where 
he remained about a year. At the end 
of that time he came to De Pere and 
purchased forty acres of new land in New 
Denmark township, the nucleus of his 
present fine well-improved farm of 180 
acres, which he has acquired by unceasing" 
labor and good management. The first 
dwelling on this place was a rude log 
house, which in later years was supplanted 
by the fine stone dwelling in which the 
family now reside, this being but one of 
the many improvements which had been 
made on the place. 

When our subject came to this place 
the old Manitowoc road was the only one 
which passed through the town, and he 
was actively interested in building the 
roads to De Pere and Cooperstown, tak- 
ing a prominent part in that, as well as all 
other movements for the benefit of his 
locality. He was the first postmaster at 
Denmark, and held the office for thirty- 
six years from the time of his appoinment, 
in 1854. For twelve years he filled the 
important office of chairman of his town- 
ship, and for six years was township 
treasurer, invariably giving satisfastion to 
all concerned by his ability and efficiency 
in every capacity. 

Mr. Bartelme was married at Two 
Rivers, Wis. , to Miss Almenia Ench, and 
their union has been blessed with five 
children, viz. : John (who is sheriff of 
Brown county), Balthasar, Catherine, 
Frank, and Michael, of whom Balthasar 
lives on the homestead, caring for his aged 
parents; his mother has been totally blind 
for the last eighteen years. 

Balthasar Bartelme has been twice 
married: his first wife died leaving two 
children, Jacob and Catherine, and he 
wedded for his second wife. Miss Lizzie 



344 



COMMEMORATH'E BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



Machtel, to which marriage have come 
five children, namely: Minnie, George, 
\J\zz\e, Nettie, and Frank. In religious 
faith the family are all Catholics. 



JOSEPH BOEHM. This getleman, 
who is now living retired in the city 
of De Pere, has for many years been 
prominently identified with the agri- 
cultural interests of Brown county, where 
he is still an extensive landowner. 

Mr. Boehm was born March 13, 1833, 
in Bavaria, Germany, son of John George 
Boehm, a farmer. Joseph received his 
education in the common schools of his 
native place, and was reared to farm life, 
which he continued to follow in Germany- 
till he was about twenty-four years of age, 
working for small wages. Being hard- 
working and economical, he had managed 
to save a little from his hard-earned 
wages, and, concluding he could find bet- 
ter opportunity for advancement in the 
United States, he bid farewell to his home 
and friends, and in May, 1857, set sail 
from Bremen, on the "Gungson," this 
being her second trip. They crossed the 
Atlantic in thirty-five days, and on June 
30, 1857, our subject landed in New 
York, with just seventy-five cents in his 
pocket. His ticket carried him to De- 
troit, Mich., where he' arrived almost 
penniless, a total stranger, but honest and 
willing to work. In the course of three 
or four weeks he had earned enough to 
bring him to Green Bay, Wis., where he 
arrived in the latter part of July, 1857, 
making the trip from Detroit on the old 
steamer " Michigan." He came to De- 
Pere, and first worked on the " Old Stone 
Schoolhouse," which was then in course 
of construction, after which he went to 
Kaukauna, where he found employment 
on the canal. We next find him in Belle- 
vue township, chopping cordwood for 
three shillings a cord, and boarding him- 
self, and, although the work was hard and 
the wages small, he did it rather than re- 
main idle. At the age of twenty-five he 



recei\ed but ten dollars a month for his 
services as a farm hand, and found it was 
useless to expect more. In 1859 he went 
to the Lake Superior country, and there, 
for three and a half years, followed 
mining. While here he was married to 
Miss Marcella Boyle, a native of Ireland, 
and to this union were born six children, 
viz. : Christ, a farmer of Bellevue town- 
ship; Anna C, widow of Joseph Long, of 
Green Bay; John, a farmer of Bellevue 
township; Theresa, now Mrs. Joseph 
Vandermost, of Rockland township; Mary, 
who died young, and one that died in in- 
fancy, unnamed. The mother of these 
died in Bellevue and was buried in De- 
Pere. 

In 1862 Mr. Boehm removed to Belle- 
vue township. Brown Co., Wis., where 
he had purchased forty acres of entirely 
new land, upon which, at that time, there 
was not even a house. He set to work at 
once to clear and improve the place, and 
by dint of incessant toil and perseverance 
succeeded in converting it into a good 
farm, from time to time he also making 
additions to his first purchase, until he 
now owns over 300 acres of prime land 
in Bellevue and Rockland townships. He 
continued to follow farming until 1889, 
when he moved into the town of De Pere, 
and here he has since lived a retired life. 
He is strictly a self-made man, having 
from a start of nothing accumulated a 
comfortable property and a snug compe- 
tence. In connection with agriculture he 
was for many years engaged in cattle 
dealing, and during his long experience in 
that line became an excellent judge of 
stock. He has seen great changes in his 
section of the country, and has taken 
an active part in its development and 
progress. He has held various township 
of fices, having served as school clerk, 
supervisor, path-master, etc., with sat- 
isfaction to all. In his political prefer- 
ences he is a Democrat, and in religious 
connection he and his wife are members 
of St. Francis Catholic Church, De Pere. 
On January 29, 1889, our subject was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



345 



married, in De Pere, for his second wife, 
to Mrs. Margaret Raster, widow of Peter 
J. Raster. She was born February 2, 
1836, in Prussia, daughter of Francis 
George and Anna (Pies) Wentling, who 
came to the United States in 1852, going 
first to Liverpool, whence they sailed for 
New York. In Utica, N. Y., Mr. Went- 
Hng was taken sick, and the family re- 
mained there two months, after which 
they went to Milwaukee, Wis. , where 
they lived two years, thence coming to 
Green Bay, where they made a perma- 
nent home. 



EDWARD BAUMGART. This gen- 
tleman, who is ranked among the 
public-spirited progressive farmer 
citizens of Bellevue township, 
Brown county, is a native of Schlesien, 
Germany, born July 5, 1851, son of 
August and Gertrude Baumgart. 

August Baumgart was by trade a 
butcher, and he also owned a farm and 
•engaged in the manufacture of bricks, 
having often as many as fifty or sixty men in 
his employ. He had considerable prop- 
erty in Germany, but in 1868 he disposed 
•of all his interests and came to America, 
bringing his family. They sailed from 
Bremen on the "Schiller," and, after a 
voyage of eight weeks and three days, 
landed at Baltimore, Md., from which city 
they immediately proceeded to Brown 
•county. Wis., coming over the B. & O. 
R. R. via Columbus, Ohio, where they 
were on July 4. Mr. Baumgart purchased 
seventy-two acres of new land in Bellevue 
township, on which at that time there was 
not even a dwelling, and resided there 
until 1883, when he removed to his 
present farm in the same township. 
Here he and his wife are yet living, 
and, though now seventy-five years old, 
he is still an active man. To them 
were born seven children, as follows: 
Charles, who died young, in Germany; 
Joseph and August, of Glenmore town- 
ship; Edward, our subject; John, of Mani- 



towoc county. Wis. ; Paul, a farmer of 
Bellevue township; and Caroline, Mrs. 
Joseph Landmer, of Duck Creek, Wis- 
consin. 

Edward Baumgart attended the schools 
of his native place until he reached the 
age of thirteen, and was seventeen years 
old when he came with his parents to 
America. He remained under the pa- 
rental roof until he was twenty-four years 
old, doing farm work, or anything else 
at which he could earn an honest dollar, 
and turning his wages over to his parents. 
On February 22, 1876, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Annie Hutter, who 
was born August 7, 1845, '" Manitowoc 
county, Wis., daughter of Joseph Hutter, 
a native of Bavaria, Germany. After his 
marriage Mr. Baumgart located on a new 
farm, which he at once began to clear and 
improve, and there made his home until 
1880, when he came to his present farm 
in Bellevue township, which contains one 
hundred acres. Though now a well-cul- 
tivated tract, it was then all in the woods, 
and he has done all the clearing and made 
all the improvements himself. To Mr. 
and Mrs. 13aumgart have come children 
as follows: Joseph, Edward, Caroline, 
Annie, Henry, John, Mary, Rosa, Anton, 
and one that died in infancy. Mr. Baum- 
gart is not identified with any political 
party, but votes independently, selecting 
the man best qualified for office, regardless 
of politics. He has served his township 
as roadmaster, supervisor, and for two 
years as chairman, and he is recognized 
as a thoroughly progressive citizen, al- 
ways ready to assist in any enterprise for 
the benefit of his township and county. 
He and his wife are members of the Ger- 
man Catholic Church at Green Bay. 



M 



ARTIN BARTH, who, for the 
past forty years, has been a 
farmer of Glenmore township. 
Brown county, is a native of 
the Fatherland, born June 18, 1825, in 
Wurtemberg, son of Jacob and Lena 



346 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



(Schenauer) Barth, who were the parents 
of nine children. The father, who was a 
tailor by trade, died when Martin was 
five years old. 

Our subject was reared and educated 
in the land of his birth, and there learned 
the weaver's trade. In his early man- 
hood he served three years and seven 
months in the German army, and shortly 
afterward came to America, landing in 
New York, July i6, 1854, after an ocean 
voyage of forty-seven days. He imme- 
diately came to Wisconsin, arriving in 
Green Bay, August 3, with $1 1.75 in his 
pocket, and thence went toNew Franken, 
where he remained with an uncle ten 
days. For three weeks he worked for a 
Mr. Eisenman in De Pere, and then went 
to Oconto, where he was employed three 
months in a mill, after which he returned 
to New Franken. Again coming to 
Oconto, he worked here ten months raft- 
ing lumber, and then returned once more 
to his uncle, with whom he made his 
home until he bought land of his own. 
His first purchase was eighty acres of 
totally wild land, on which the timber 
was so dense that a space had to be 
cleared for the 14 .\ 18 log cabin which 
he built himself. At this early date the 
Indians had not all left the countrj', and 
wild animals were numerous and trouble- 
some, especially the wolves, who made 
night hideous with their howling. There 
were no roads, and Mr. Barth has made 
many a trip on foot to Green Bay, over 
an Indian trail through the woods. In 
order to earn a living he had to do various 
kinds of work, as the farm yielded no 
support the first few years, and the work 
of clearing progressed slowly, for he had 
only a few rude implements, and it was 
twelve years after his settlement here be- 
fore he owned a yoke of oxen. One year 
he worked forty-seven days on the road 
for nothing. 

On February 22, 1865, Mr. Barth en- 
listed in Company F, Fiftieth Wis. V. I., 
served sixteen months in Missouri, Kansas 
and Dakota, and was honorably discharged 



June 17, 1866, returning to his home in 
Brown count)'. Mr. Barth was united 
in marriage January 29, 1867, with Miss 
Emma Kahren, daughter of Peter and 
Maggie (Zimmer) Kahren, farming people, 
who were the parents of ten children, 
vi2. : Maggie, Jacob, Lizzie, Kate, Joseph, 
Joseph, Kate, Emma, Kate and Michael. 
When Mrs. Barth was three years old they 
came to America, landing in New York 
City, thence coming to Milwaukee, Wis., 
and thence to Illinois, where they lived for 
some time. They then returned to Mil- 
waukee, and later, about three years after 
their landing in this country, came to 
New Denmark township. Brown county, 
where they invested in i 20 acres of land. 
Here Mr. Kahren passed the remainder 
of his days, dying July 8, 1862; his wife 
survived until July 19, 1880. They were 
well-known among the early settlers in 
their locality, and were highly respected 
for their sterling worth. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Barth lived a year in the small log house 
he had first built, and then moved into a 
more commodious dwelling, also of logs, 
in which they remained until the present 
comfortable residence was erected. Their 
union has been blessed with eight chil- 
dren, named as follows: Lena, Mary, 
Martin, Jacob, John, Louis, Andrew and 
Henry. Mr. Barth is a Republican in his 
political affiliations, but takes no interest 
in politics except as a regular attendant 
at the polls. He and his wife are, in 
religious connection, members of the 
Lutheran Church, in which he has been 
director. 



ANDREW ANDERSON, a repre- 
sentative farmer of New Denmark 
township. Brown county, is a 
native of the Kingdom of Den- 
mark, born May 24, 1828, son of Andrew 
and Karen (Anderson) Hansen, farming 
people, the former of whom died when 
our subject was thirteen weeks old. He 
left a family of eight children, viz. : Peter, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



347 



James, Lars, Elizabeth, Kersten, Hans, 
and Andrew and Karen (twins). 

The mother, having thus to provide 
for a large family, the children were obliged 
to assist as soon as they were old enough, 
and our subject commenced to work at 
the early age of seven years, herding 
sheep, in which occupation he engaged 
until he reached the age of fourteen 
years, receiving only his clothing for his 
services. He remained in his native land 
until he was twenty-eight years old, when, 
having saved enough to bring him to the 
United States, he decided to seek his 
fortune in the New World. He sailed 
from Hamburg, and, crossing the ocean in 
si.\ weeks, landed at New York, coming 
thence without delay to Brown county, 
Wis., where in New Denmark township 
he invested in forty acres of new land, 
which he at once commenced to clear and 
improve. Ten years later he purchased 
another forty acres, which he also cleared 
himself, and has since added sixty acres 
more, now having a fine farm of 140 
acres, all highh' improved and under cul- 
tivation. This property has all been ac- 
quired by his own honest toil, for he 
commenced with no capital but a pair of 
willing hands, and he is everywhere re- 
spected for his honesty and industry. 

In i860 Mr. Anderson was married, in 
New Denmark township, to Miss Mary 
Hansen, a daughter of Hans Paulson and 
Karen Hansen, who reared a family of 
five children, as follows: Maren Sophia, 
Andrews, Mary, Anna C, and Peter. 
When thirty-four years of age she came 
to America with a brother and sister, and 
ten years after her marriage her parents 
also came to Wisconsin, making their 
home with her as long as they lived. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born 
six children, namely: Aldrich, Tine (Mrs. 
Anderson, of Marinette, Wis.), Laura, 
Olof, Peter, and Hans, of whom Olof 
lives at home, and has the principal care 
of the farm work. The family are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church, in which 
Mr. Anderson takes an active interest 



and has served as treasurer and trustee; 
in his political preferences he is a Repub- 
lican, and he takes a deep interest in all 
movements tending to promote the wel- 
fare of his community. 



JOHN SULLIVAN, who tor many 
years has been well-known in Brown 
county, and especially in Lawrence 
township, as a prosperous, system- 
atic agriculturist, is a native of the 
"Emerald Isle," born December 24, 
1830, in Kenmare, County Kerry. His 
parents, James and Ellen Sullivan, had a 
family of seven children — six sons and 
one daughter — of whom John is the eldest. 
At an early age our subject commenced 
to attend the common schools, and at the 
same time was reared to agricultural pur- 
suits under his father's tuition, the latter 
being a well-to-do landowner and farmer. 
However, the father died when John was 
yet a lad, and the mother subsequently 
married, for her second husband, Jere- 
miah Sullivan. In 1845, disposing of the 
property, the entire family immigrated to 
America, first taking passage on the 
" Ajax " from Cork to Liverpool, where 
they remained a few days at ' ' Sheflin's 
Hotel." They then embarked on the 
" Moses Wheeler," Capt. King, bound for 
Boston, in which city they landed after a 
voyage of twenty-two days, strangers in 
a strange land. They located in the town 
of Winchendon, Worcester Co., Mass., 
and John commenced to learn the trade 
of tanner and currier, at which he served 
an apprenticeship of seven years, receiv- 
ing at the very beginning one dollar a 
day, which materially assisted his mother. 
A brief record of her family is as follows: 
John is the subject proper of this sketch; 
Patrick is a resident of Winchendon, 
Mass. ; Daniel lives in Melbourne, Aus- 
tralia; Dennis lives in Winchendon, 
Mass. ; Mortimer resides near Winchen- 
don; Bartholomew died in this country 
when young; Mary is the wife of William 
Devins, of New Hampshire. By her 



348 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



second marriage Mrs. Sullivan had one 
child, Patrick, now a barber of Fitchburg, 
Mass. The mother is yet living at an 
advanced age. Her husband died some 
years ago. 

John Sullivan remained in Winchen- 
don, following his trade, for over fourteen 
years, his wages, up to the time of his 
marriage, all going to his mother, and on 
his wedding day she gave him two hun- 
dred dollars in gold. On October i, 
1854, he was married in South Boston, 
Mass., by Rev. Father Linden, to Miss 
Ellen Harris, who was born in County 
Kerry, Ireland, daughter of Gerald and 
Ellen (Lynch) Harris, and came to the 
United States when a young girl to live 
with her sister in Boston. The young 
couple commenced housekeeping in Win- 
chendon, where he had purchased a home, 
and there he continued to follow his trade 
imtil failing health compelled him to 
abandon it. His employer, Ephraim 
Murdock, at one time the most extensive 
wooden-ware manufacturer in the world, 
was a large land-owner, and Mr. Sullivan 
located on one of his farms, a change 
which proved beneficial to his health, and 
he remained three years, succeeding well 
in agriculture. He had been correspond- 
ing with an old school teacher of his, 
whom he had known in Ireland, and who 
then lived in Leavenworth, Kans. , and our 
subject concluded to emigrate to that 
State. His family at this time consisted 
of three children, all of whom were born 
in Winchendon, namely : Ellen, now Mrs. 
Charles Davis, of Lawrence township. 
Brown county; Mary, Mrs. Michael Eagan, 
of De Pere, Brown county: and James, a 
farmer of Lawrence township, who lives 
with his father (he married Geneva Mc- 
Abee, and they have one child, Ellen, 
born March 3, 1892). 

On August I. 1864, Mr. Sullivan and 
his family started for the then "Far 
West," going to Chicago, 111., via the N. 
Y. C. &. H., and the Lake Shore rail- 
roads, thence by the Burlington and the 
Hannibal & St. Jo railroads to St. 



Joseph, Mo., thence to Weston, Mo., 
and thence to Leavenworth, Kans. , by 
boat, as there was no railroad to the city 
at that time, although it was the largest 
in Kansas. There he conducted a hotel 
for about a year, when he entered the em- 
ploy of the St. Jo Railway Co., keeping 
boarders and acting as overseer of a num- 
ber of men. Subsequently he was em- 
ployed on the Atchison & Pike's Peak 
railroad, then in course of construction, 
as overseer, his family meantime residing 
in Weston, Mo., whither he returned 
later, owing to a suspension of work 
caused by an absconding paymaster. 
One day, while talking with a Wisconsin 
soldier in Weston, he accidental!}' heard 
of a sister of his wife, living in Ue Pere, 
Wis., who had come to the United States 
many years before, and of whom they 
had lost all trace. A correspondence was 
at once opened, which eventually led to 
their emigrating to Wisconsin in about 
1866, the family taking up their home in 
De Pere, Brown county, with Mrs. Sulli- 
van's sister, while Mr. Sullivan went to 
look for work. He found employment at 
his trade in Two Rivers, Manitowoc Co., 
Wis., with the Wisconsin Leather Co., 
and after remaining with them ten months 
returned to De Pere, where for a short 
time he worked for the Chicago Tight 
Stave Co. He then purchased eighty 
acres of land at five dollars per acre, all 
of which was still in the woods — not a 
stick having been cut — and was without 
improvements of any kind, and on the site 
of his present residence he built a log 
house which served as a home for the 
family for several years, until in 1880 the 
comfortable dwelling they now occupy 
was erected. Under Mr. Sullivan's man- 
agement, this place has been gradually 
cleared and improved, and has also been 
added to, till it now consists of 1 20 acres 
of excellent farming land. He has met 
with success in his farming operations; 
but it is only the just reward of years of 
thrift and persevering toil, for he has been 
a hard worker, and, though now over sixty 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



349 



years of age, is yet active, and able to 
perform a good day's work. 

Mr. Sullivan is well known in his com- 
munity, and has for the past twenty-three 
years held various offices of trust in his 
township, invariably discharging the du- 
ties of his position with satisfaction to all; 
he has also served as deputy sheriff of 
Brown county. In his political faith he 
is a stanch adherent of the principles of 
the Democratic party, to which he gives 
his unfailing support. In religious con- 
nection he and his wife are members of 
St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Wrights- 
town, in which he is trustee. One child 
has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan 
on their present farm, John M., a bright 
intelligent lad, who was given good edu- 
cational advantages, and intended to study 
law, but on May, i, 1887, he passed from 
earth, deeply mourned by the bereaved 
family. He was buried in Snider cemetery. 



M 



ARK ENGLISH, who, in every 
respect, is an admirable speci- 
men of the self-made men of 
whom this country is so proud, 
often modestly declares that he owes his 
success to the greatness of his friends, 
but on the other hand it is confidently 
affirmed that he owes his friends to his 
own grit, energy and integrity. 

Mr. English is an Ohioan by birth, a 
native of Cuyahoga county, having been 
born November 20, 1837, ^o Mark and 
Christina C. (Collins) English, natives of 
Connecticut and Ohio, respectively. They 
came from Ohio to Michigan in 1839, and 
in the town of Jackson he carried on a 
dry-goods business for several years, dying 
there January 28, 1854; his widow re- 
turned to Ohio, where on September 24, 
1873, she, too, passed away. Children 
were born to them as follows: Dorlisca 
Marilla, born June 22, 1832, is the wife 
of Edson Herrington, of Ionia, Mich. ; 
Christina Grace, born July 30, 1834, is 
the wife of Thomas Newsom; Mark is the 
subject of this sketch; George Q., born 



March 6, 1843, is married and resides in 
Escanaba, Michigan. 

Mark English was but a small boy 
when his parents brought him to Jackson, 
Mich., where he was reared and educated 
and also learned the mason's trade. In 
the spring of 1853, being then si.xteen 
years old, he went to Marquette, Mich. ; 
where he first engaged in the fishery 
business, afterward in contracting, taking 
the contract for and erecting the Union 
school building, which was the first brick 
building erected in Marquette. In Octo- 
ber, 1865, he came to Green Bay and or- 
ganized the Lake Superior Stage Co., of 
which he was made president and super- 
intendent, establishing a stage route from 
Green Bay to Escanaba (Mich.) by way 
of Oconto, Marinette and Menomonee. 
It was a daily line, employing 120 horses 
in all, each Concord coach, in summer, 
or sleigh, as the case might be, being 
drawn by four horses, which were changed 
every ten miles. At Escanaba the line 
connected with the upper peninsular 
division of the Chicago & North Western 
railroad. In addition to the American 
E.xpress it carried the United States mail 
for the entire upper peninsula, the aver- 
age weight of which alone was over 
1 500 pounds. This important under- 
taking Mr. English carried on from 1869 
to 1877, at which time, the railroad hav- 
ing been completed to Monomonee, he 
sold out and turned his attention to other 
affairs. He soon became one of the or- 
ganizers of the "Green Bay Iron Co. ," 
and was one of its board of directors for 
a short time. In 1885 he interested him- 
self in vessel property, becoming the 
owner of the schooner "Cascade" and 
afterward of the propeller "Union," 
which vessels plied on the lakes and were 
principally engaged in the carrying of 
freight. He also became quite extensively 
interested in contracting and building — a 
vocation which still claims his attention. 
He is also the owner of a stone quarry at 
Kewaunee, from which he ships stone to 
all points on the lakes. 



35° 



COMMEMOHA TI 1 'A' BIO GRA PHICA L llECORD. 



It may with propriety be said that 
Mr. EngHsh is one of the best known men 
in northern Wisconsin, and his entire 
career has been one of action and enter- 
prise. Coming to Marquette in his early 
manhood, when but about twenty-four 
years of age, he was from the start a 
prominent figure and factor in its busi- 
ness, social and political life. In 1861 
he was made city marshal of Marquette, 
a position that required, at that time, 
a man of courage and resolution, as 
the city was filled with a floating popula- 
tion of 6,000 or 7,000, consisting princi- 
pally of miners and sailors of an unruly 
and roistering disposition. He held the 
office four years, during the war also 
serving as United States enrolling of- 
ficer, and was a United States deputy 
marshal four years. He was elected and 
served two years as high sheriff of the 
county, thus serving as a public officer 
for eight consecutive years as incumbent 
of some one of the above-named posi- 
tions, during which time he made a repu- 
tation highly honorable to himself, and 
was an actor in many stirring scenes while 
in the discharge of his official duties. He 
was the first city marshal of Marquette, 
and the only one while he resided in that 
city, with the exception of about three 
months when he was recovering from in- 
juries received while discharging his duties, 
after which he was again induced to take 
the office for $1,000 a year and one-half 
the fines. When the locks were built on 
the Fox river at Appleton, Wis., he was 
appointed United States Government In- 
spector, and the lock at that point, known 
as No. 2, was built under his supervision. 
Mr. English has passed through many 
experiences, and doubtless realizes, in a 
keener degree than many, the vast changes 
that have taken place in the past thirty- 
five years in the means of transportation 
from one distant point to another. Pre- 
vious to his organization of the stage line, 
during one winter in the early "sixties," 
he conveyed the United States mail from 
Marquette to Houghton (Mich.) on a 



sled drawn by dogs. In politics Mr. 
English is a Republican, and he and his 
wife are members of the M. E. Church. 
He is also a member of the Knights of 
Honor, Navarino Lodge, No. 1,384. 

On June 25, 1859, Mr. English was 
married, at Port Sarnia, Canada, to Miss 
Mary Amivilla Hall, a daughter of Horace 
and Lavina (Porter) Hall, all nati\es of 
Whitby, Canada, but at that time resi- 
dents of Port Sarnia. The parents moved 
to Marquette, Mich., and later to Green 
Bay, Wis., where they both died in 
March, 1882, and were buried the same 
day. To Mr. and Mrs. English have 
come two children — Nettie C. , born July 
6, 1864, and Lester A., born March 19, 
1877. Since 1867 Mr. English has mad^ 
his home continuously in Green Bay, 
where he has a commodious and pleasant 
residence. 



M 



ICHAEL MARTIN (deceased), 
who, during his lifetime, was a 
well-known farmer of Rockland 
township. Brown county, was a 
native of County Carlow, Ireland. He 
was born in 182S. son of Bernard and 
Mary (McCabe) Martin, farming people 
who had a family of seven children — five 
sons and two daughters. 

Our subject received a common-school 
education and was reared to farming pur- 
suits. In early manhood he emigrated 
from his native land to the United States, 
and coming to Herkimer county, N. Y. , 
remained there four years, in the vicinity 
of West Winfield, working for Lorenzo 
Brown, a farmer. In 1854 he was mar- 
ried, in Utica, N. Y. , to Miss Mary Foley, 
a native of County Carlow, Ireland, born 
in 1832, daughter of James Foley, who 
died in 1840. In 1850 she left her birth- 
place, and proceeding to Liverpool took 
passage on the *' Columbus," bound for 
New York, in which city she landed after 
a voyage of six weeks, thence continuing 
her journey to Utica, near which city she 
worked until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPMICAL RECORD. 



35' 



Martin resided in Utica for two years, and 
then, in about 1856, came westward to 
Wisconsin, leaving their only child, Mary 
Ann, in New York with Mr. Martin's 
mother. They came to Milwaukee by 
rail, thence to De Pere, and shortly after- 
ward purchased eighty acres in Section 9, 
Rockland township, the price of the tract 
being two hundred and forty dollars, two 
hundred of which he paid down. It was 
all new land, covered with timber, and a 
small log house, built by Mr. Martin 
himself, was the first dwelling on the 
place. The clearing of the place was com- 
menced at once, but, being equipped with 
only the rude tools of those early days, the 
task was a long and difficult one. But 
those years, though full of hardship and 
privation, were hapyy ones, for the pros- 
pect of having a comfortable home and 
farm which they could call their own was 
everbefore them and cheered them through 
the hardest trials. In a few years a more 
substantial residence supplanted the log 
cabin, the land became productive and 
fertile as a result of their perseverance 
and unremitting care, and prosperity re- 
warded their early years of toil. 

On this farm the remainder of their 
children were born, as follows: Ellen, 
Mrs. William Michaud, of Talbot, Mich. ; 
Edward, living on the home farm, which 
he works; James, at home; Michael, a 
school-teacher; John, living at home, who 
is one of the leading Democrats in the 
township, and has served as chairman; 
William (twin of John), who died when 
si.\ years old; and Bridget E. and Anna 
C, at home. Mary Ann, the oldest child, 
is the wife of John Milan, of Pound, 
Wis. The father of this family was ac- 
cidentally killed January 13, 1874, by a 
falling limb, and his lifeless body was 
found by his wife when she went to call 
him to his mid-day meal. He was buried 
in the Catholic cemetery at De Pere, and 
his funeral, which was attended by a great 
number of people from the surrounding 
country, was one of the largest ever seen 
here up to that time. He was a member 



of St. Francis Church, De Pere. In his 
party preferences he was a Democrat, 
and, though not particularly active in 
politics, held several offices of trust, serv- 
ing on the school board and as pathmaster 
of the township. A kind, indulgent 
father and an accommodating neighbor, 
he was very popular, and was respected 
by all who knew him, for his industry and 
sterling integrity. At the time of his de- 
cease he was the owner of 160 acres of 
good land, all of which had been accumu- 
lated by hard work, for when he landed 
in this country he had no capital but a 
pair of willing hands. After his death 
his widow took charge of the farm,- and 
continued in the management until her 
sons became competent to relieve her. 
In 1 891 a comfortable residence was 
erected, in which the family now live. 
They are all members of St. Francis 
Church, De Pere, and are highly esteemed 
in the community in which they reside. 



NIELS PETERSON. Among the 
respected self-made farmer citi- 
zens of New Denmark township, 
Brown county, none is more de- 
ser\-ing of mention than this gentleman. 
He was born October 2, 1832, near Mar- 
ibo, Denmark, a son of Peter and Mary 
(Jensen) Peterson, the former of whom 
was a farmer by occupation. There were 
six children in the family, of whom two 
are deceased ; of the others, Stine still 
lives in Denmark, while Jens, Niels (our 
subject), and Rasmus are in New Den- 
mark township, Brown Co., Wisconsin. 
Our subject lost his parents by death 
when he was but eight years of age, and 
from that time on was in the employ of 
farmers in the neighborhood of his birth- 
place. At the age of twenty-seven years 
he immigrated to America, proceeding 
from his native land to Hamburg, whence 
he sailed to New York, the voyage occu- 
pying forty-nine days. After landing he 
came at once to Brown countv. Wis. , and 



35^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in New Denmark township engaged in 
farm labor for two and a half years fol- 
lowing, or until his enlistment, May 2, 
1S62, in Company K, Thirty-third Wis. 
V. I. He was in active service until the 
close of the war, participating in many 
important engagements, among which 
were Cold Water, Vicksburg, Jackson, 
Meridian, Pleasant Hill, Centerville, 
Marksville, Yellow Bayou, Tupelo, Nash- 
ville, Spanish Fort and Fort du Russy. 
His record for bravery and gallantry is 
one of which he may well feel proud, and 
in recognition of his noble conduct the 
government presented him with a silver 
medal, on which are inscribed the names 
of the battles in which he took an active 
part. He was twice injured, on one oc- 
casion receiving a bullet wound in the 
left side, and at another time having his 
hearing forever destroyed by a blow upon 
the right ear ; he now receives a pension. 
On August 9, 1865, Mr. Peterson was 
honorably discharged at Vicksburg, and, 
returning to New Denmark township, 
once more resumed the pursuits of peace, 
for almost ten years working at the shoe- 
maker's trade. 

On March i i , 1 867, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Marline Jen- 
sen, daughter of Hans and Maren (Ras- 
mussen) Jensen, and about that time pur- 
chased the forty acres of land where he 
yet resides. He constructed a small log 
house, in which they lived for the first 
year, and then erected another dwelling 
(now occupied by his nephew), which in 
turn was supplanted by the commodious 
residence they now occupy. The farm is 
equipped with all necessary outbuildings, 
put up by Mr. Peterson himself, and is 
well improved in every way, and under a 
high state of cultivation, yielding the 
owner a comfortable income. His success 
has been the result of honesty and in- 
dustry, and he has won the esteem of all 
who know him. by his upright methods in 
all his dealings with his fellowmen. He 
is a Republican in political preferences, 
but takes no active interest in party affairs. 



PETER MARCUSSEN, farmer of 
New Denmark township, Brown 
county, was born Jul)' 9, 1854, 
in Denmark, son of Marks Peter- 
son, a laborer. The latter married Mary 
Peterson, and they reared a family of four 
children, as follows: Peter, whose name 
opens this sketch; Charles, now a resident 
of New Denmark township, Brown Co., 
Wis.; Sophia, living in Washington; and 
August, of New Denmark township. 

In 1858 this family immigrated to 
America, embarking at Liverpool and 
landing in New York after a voyage of 
six weeks. From there they came to 
Manitowoc, Wis., and thence directly to 
New Denmark, in which township the 
father purchased twenty acres of land 
and cleared a space large enough for a 
log house, wherein the family resided for 
some time, and which is still standing, 
near Fontenoy postoffice. There the 
father passed the remainder of his days, 
dying in July, 1865. The year following 
the widow married Fred Mogland, and to 
this union were born two children, both 
of whom died in infancy. After a short 
residence in New Denmark township Mr. 
and Mrs. Mogland removed to Franklin. 
Wis., where he owned a farm, and there 
made their home until Mrs. Mogland's 
death, after which her husband sold the 
place and came again to New Denmark 
township. Brown county, where he is 
now living. 

When about twenty years of age Peter 
Marcussen went to Pensaukee, Wis., 
where he was employed in a sawmill for 
three summers. For six winters he 
worked for the Two Rivers Company in 
New Denmark township, logging, and 
then, during the spring, engaged in driving 
logs, continuing in this vocation up to 
the time of his marriage. On October 
16, 1875, he wedded Miss Minnie John- 
son, daughter of John and Carrie (Nelson) 
Peterson, and, for the first two years 
thereafter, the young couple lived in a 
rented house near Fontenoy, Mr. Mar- 
cussen working for D. Benkle in the sum- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPBICAL RECORD. 



353 



mer and in the woods during the winter, 
until he bought the farm of forty acres in 
New Denmark township, where he now 
makes his home. He erected the present 
dwelHng house, and the}' immediately re- 
moved to the farm, which was then yet 
in its primitive condition, not a tree having 
been cut from the place: but he has since 
been busily engaged in clearing and im- 
proving it, and, in addition, has worked 
to some extent at the carpenter's trade. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Marcussen have been 
born seven children, as follows: John, 
Josie, Agnes, Arthur, Emma, Louis and 
Tony, all of whom are living at home. 
Mr. Marcussen, having been given but 
little opportunity during his youth to ob- 
tain a good education, is a hearty sup- 
porter of the common schools and takes 
great interest in their advancement and 
improvement in his section. Politically 
he is a Democrat, has served his township 
faithfully as assessor for four years, 1887- 
91, and in the spring of 1894 was elected 
supervisor. 



HE. MOWERS, of Pittsf^eld town- 
ship. Brown count}', was born 
January 20, 1844, in Schwarz- 
burg-Rudolstadt, Germany. His 
parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Rust) 
Mowers, had but two children, H. E., 
our subject, and Frederick, the latter of 
whom died at the age of about six and a 
half years. 

In 1853 Henry Mowers, with his wife 
and son, came to Wisconsin, for about 
one year living in Green Bay, and then 
went to Stiles, later movingback to Green 
Bay and remaining two years. He then 
went to Bellevue township. Brown coun- 
ty, where he pre-empted eighty acres of 
wild land, on which the family lived five 
years, and had cleared about twenty acres, 
when, ;n 1861, the land was sold for a 
very small price, and the family moved to 
Scott township and rented a farm for 
two 3'ears. The father then went to work 
in a sawmill for about three years, 



next engaged in teaming for Willard 
Lamb's mill two years, and moved into 
a house on the mill grounds and continued 
in its employ another year. He then 
went to Suamico township, and worked 
for Lamb, Watson & Co. for seven years 
with his team, and then for five years 
with our subject. After this he went to 
various places, returning twice, and died 
in 1893, at the age of seventy-six years. 

On March 4, 1865, H. E. Mowers en- 
listed in Company D, Fifty-second Wis. 
V. L, served in Missouri and Kansas, and 
was discharged at Fort Leavenworth 
July 28, 1865. Returning to Green Ba}, 
he made a neat sum in a speculation in 
standing pine timber; then, the follow- 
ing spring, teamed for Willard Lamb on 
the dock, and in the fall bought a thresh- 
ing machine for $725 in company with 
Milo Burkert, and worked through the 
countr}'. The winter following he bought 
more standing timber and one team of 
horses and one team of oxen, but did not 
succeed well, and sold the threshing ma- 
chine. In the spring of 1867 he worked 
around a mill, and in the fall went to 
Flintville and teamed two years, then 
sold the team and worked in the mill un- 
til 1870, when he was made foreman in a 
sawmill on Section 23, 'n the town of 
Pittsfield, where he had charge of forty- 
five men, five pairs of horses and seven 
A'oke of cattle; the next spring he had 
charge of the drive; he then worked two 
}-ears on the river, flooding logs : and 
next for two years drove a supply team 
for his old employers, Lamb, Watson & 
Company. 

On March 15, 1874, Mr. Mowers mar- 
ried Miss Amelia, daughter of Frederick 
and Minnie (Schultz) Gothe. Mr. and 
Mrs. Gothe were born in Germany, and 
were the parents of eight children, viz. : 
Hannah, Ferdinand, Amelia, Caroline, 
Earnestine, August, Louise, and Herman. 
The parents came to the United States 
in 1853, lived temporarily at Duck Creek, 
where the father worked for twenty-five 
cents a day, and then settled in Pittsfield, 



354 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



where he made a homestead, on which 
he hved until 1890, when he went to 
Marinette county, returninj^ thence in 
1894. When Mr. Mowers married he 
bought eighty acres of land at $4. 50 per 
acre, and for eleven years lived in a 
log shanty that stood on the farm, which 
has been replaced by a fine modern frame 
dwelling. For seven years he continued 
working for others, and then commenced 
to clear his own farm, now in fine con- 
dition. Four children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Mowers, viz.: George W., 
born December 18, 1874, deceased Janu- 
ary 30, 1893; Frederick H., born June 
20, 1876, deceased June 8, 1877; Edward 
E. , born July i, 1878, and Lewis O., 
born July 30, 1880. The parents are 
members of the Methodist Church, in 
which Mr. Mowers is class leader, trustee 
and Sunday-school superintendent. Po- 
litically he is a Republican. He was a 
member of the town board in 1876, and 
served as town clerk from 1883 to 1890, 
inclusive, and was re-elected in 1894. 
He is a self-made man in every respect, 
and as such is honored and esteemed by 
all who know him or know of him. 



CAPTAIN JOHN W. JOHANN, 
proprietor of an extensive sash, 
blind and door factory in West 
De Pere, was born June 17, 1837, 
near the city of Homburg, Ivhenish l^a- 
varia, on the road usually taken by trav- 
elers through central Germany to and 
from Prussia, and made historic by the 
fact that the great Napoleon sent the 
larger part of his army over it on the ad- 
vance to Moscow, and later by the fact 
that the first battle of the Franco-Prus- 
sian war was fought in its vicinity. John 
W. Johann is a son of Nicholas Johann, 
a coal miner, who married Elizabeth 
Nieder. On March 2, 1846, Nicholas 
Johann, with his wife and three sons — 
Peter, Nicholas, and John W. — left the 
old country, landing in Milwaukee, Wis., 



the following May. Of the sons, Peter 
married Catharine Witmann, and died in 
1889, his widow now residing in Port 
Washington, Wis. Nicholas died, un- 
married, in 1 866. 

John W. Johann attended school in 
Germany from the age of five until the 
date of his leaving for America, a period 
of three years, and this comprised the 
whole of his scholastic studies. In the 
year of his arrival, 1846, the father, 
Nicholas Johann, entered eighty acres of 
wild timbered land, near Port W'ashing- 
ton. Wis., which land he subsequently 
subdued and developed from it a fine 
farm, the three sons materially assisting 
in the work. In 1862 John W. Johann 
enlisted in Company C, Thirty-fourth 
Wis. V. I., and soon after was commis- 
sioned second lieutenant. Nine months 
later he received an honorable discharge, 
and almost immediately re-enlisted, on 
this occasion entering Company F, Thirt}'- 
fifth Wis. \. I., and from the organi- 
zation served as first lieutenant — com- 
manding his compan}' until 1865, \\'hen 
he was promoted to the captaincy and 
served in that capacity until his final dis- 
charge at Madison, Wis., April 15, 1866. 
Of his active duty during this long period 
of devotion to the protection of the in- 
tegrity and freedom of his adopted coun- 
try, we can give only this brief record: 
After a running skirmish near Memphis, 
Tenn., he fought near Morganza, La.; 
then at St. Charles, Ark. ; Brownsville, 
Ark. ; Spanish Fort, Ala. ; Whistle Sta- 
tion, six miles from Mobile, Ala., this 
being among the last fights of the Re- 
bellion. On his return to Wisconsin he 
opened a general store at Port Washing- 
ton in 1866, but sold out in 1869 and 
bought an interest in the woolen mill at 
Cedarburg, Wis., and was secretary of 
the company until 18S0, when he bought 
an interest in the Hilgen Sash & Door 
Manufacturing Co. At Cedarburg he also 
served as . postmaster from 1869 until 
1884, acting in the meanwhile as secre- 
tar\' for the Hilgen Companj' until the 




5 ^ 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



357 



latter part of 1883. In 1884 he moved to 
De Pere and bought the larger part of E. 
W. Person's sash, door antl blind mill, 
which business he later organized as a 
joint-stock company, denominated the 
Nicolet Sash, Door & Blind Co., of which 
he served as president until 1891, when 
he bought the entire plant. The mill is 
of brick, with a capacity of one hun- 
dred doors per day, in addition to sash 
and moldings, and when running on full 
time Mr. Johann employs some thirty-five 
hands. 

On August 7, 1866, Mr. Johann was 
united in marriage, at Cedarburg, Wis. , 
with Miss Eliza F. Hilgen, daughter of 
Fred Hilgen, the manufacturer, and to 
this union three children have been born, 
viz.: Albert H., who married Emma 
Davis, and is living in De Pere; J. Emil 
and Nellie, both still at home with their 
parents. Fraternally Mr. Johann has 
been a Freemason since 1858, having 
joined the lodge at Port Washington in 
that year; he is also a member of Chapter 
No. 20, Green Bay, and Sir Knight of 
Palestine Commandery, No. 18, at the 
same place; also a member of the Blue 
Lodge (Master Mason, third degree), No. 
85, at De Pere; and of Harrison Post 
No. 91, G. A. R., of De Pere, in which 
he has held the offices of senior vice- 
commander, junior vice-commander, and 
quartermaster. In politics Mr. Johann 
is a stanch Republican, has served as 
delegate to State and Congressional con- 
ventions si.x different times, and was 
chairman of the county committee of 
Ozaukee county for twelve years. At 
one time he was prominently mentioned 
for State treasurer, but declined a nomi- 
nation. At Cedarburg, in 1880, he had 
the pleasure of shaking the hand of Gen. 
Grant, and also had the honor of intro- 
ducing several of his acquaintances. 
Prior to this he had seen all the more 
distinguished generals of the Civil war, 
and has met every governor of Wisconsin 
since he has lived in the State, Gov. 

Rusk having been an especial friend. 
20 



OSEPH CORMIER, one of the 

prosperous, respected agriculturists 



^ f and business men of Howard town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native of 
Wisconsin, born October 8, i 841, in Green 
Bay. 

He is a son of David and Adeline 
(Goodchild) Cormier, the father a native 
of Three Rivers, Canada, the mother of 
Montreal; she died when our subject was 
but two years of age. David Cormier 
married, for his second wife, a Mrs. Mal- 
let, by whom were born two children — 
both sons, and both now deceased. David 
Cormier was a blacksmith, and in 1837 
located in Green Bay, where he followed 
his trade for a considerable time, and for 
two years was in the government employ; 
then engaged in the fish business until 
1850, when he moved to a place near the 
present home of his son, Joseph, on which 
he died in 1888, aged seventy-one years. 
David was a son of Fabian and Geneve 
Cormier, Canadians, who came to Wis- 
consin and also located in Green Bay in 
1837. but subsequently removed to near 
our subject's home in Howard township, 
where Fabian Cormier died at the age of 
sixty, and his wife at about the age of 
eighty years. They were the parents of 
eight children — four sons and four daugh- 
ters. 

Joseph Cormier passed his years on 
the farm of his father until his marriage 
in 1864 with Miss Mary Lonzo, a native 
of Fort Howard, who was born April 30, 
1 84 1, daughter of Joseph and Judah 
(Greenwood) Lonzo, who came to Green 
Bay, Wis., about 1837, and in 1848 set- 
tled on a farm in Duck Creek, where they 
passed the remainder of their days, both 
dying at the age of seventy-five years. 
They had a family of five children, of 
whom four are still living. To the mar- 
riage of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cormier 
have come two children, viz. : Delia, born 
June 25, 1876, and George, born June 8, 
1878. Joseph Cormier and his young 
wife began their married life in a little 
log home on a forty-acre tract belonging 



358 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



to Mr. Cormier's father, and lived in this 
house for two years, when they built their 
present comfortable residence and added 
forty acres to their farm. Mr. Cormier 
also became interested in a stone quarry 
his father sold to the Chicago & North 
Western Railway Company, and was en- 
gaged in running scows on the lakes for 
ten years; his father conducted the Bru- 
nette quarry for ten years. Afr. Cormier 
is a man of most generous impulses, and 
is withal a first-class business man, al- 
though of domestic proclivities. With 
his wife he is a member of the Catholic 
Church, as were his forefathers in Can- 
ada, and he lives faithfully up to its 
teachings. His benevolent disposition 
has been manifested by the adoption, at 
the age of nine years, of a lad named S. 
E. Marcotte, who is now grown to man- 
hood, and is employed as a commercial 
traveler. 



JOSEPH NORTON. Among the 
leading farmers and extensive land- 
owners of Rockland township, Brown 
county, none holds a more enviable 
position in the esteem of his fellow citi- 
zens than this gentleman, who has been 
prominently identified with the interests 
of his section for the past forty 3ears. 
He is a native of Ireland, born January 
20, 1824, in County Wicklow, eldest son 
of James and Catherine (Kelly) Norton, 
the former of whom was an industrious 
farmer in his native country, cultivating 
a rented farm. There were fourteen chil- 
dren in the family — four sons and ten 
daughters — of whom our subject was the 
second in order of birth. 

Joseph Norton attended the common 
schools of Ireland up to the age of fifteen 
years, when he commenced farming, re- 
ceiving his first instruction in this voca- 
tion under his father. He continued farm- 
ing there until 1850, when he concluded 
to try his fortune in America, and, receiv- 
ing some assistance from his father, he left 
his home on March 17 of that year, pro- 



ceeding to Liverpool, where he took pas- 
sage on the "Kossuth," a sailing vessel 
which had been recently fitted up and 
was then one of the largest \essels afloat, 
carrying 700 passengers. Mr. Norton 
landed in New York after a voyage of 
thirty-three days, and, finding himself 
short of funds, abandoned his original in- 
tention to proceed west at once and 
commenced to work as a farm hanil in 
Onondaga county, N. Y. His employer, 
Caleb Brown, was one of the leading 
farmers of that section of the State, and 
during the five years he remained there 
Mr. Norton gathered some very useful 
ideas on agriculture. In October, 1855, 
our subject came to Dc Pere, Brown Co., 
Wis., and, with his savings, purchased 
eighty acres of wild land in Section 15, 
Rockland township, to which he added 
another eighty acres the following year, 
this being the farm of 160 acres where 
he now makes his home. Finding that 
he could make more money at sawmilling, 
for the first five years he obtained em- 
ployment with Mr. Ritchie in the sawmills 
near De Pere, and being industrious and 
steady was able to save considerable from 
his earnings. 

On July 24, 1858, Mr. Norton was 
married, in Green Bay, to Miss Bridget 
Forestal, a nati\'e of County Kilkenny, 
Ireland, whose father, Thomas Forestal, 
died before she was born, and she came 
to America with her mother and two 
brothers, Thomas and Edward; their voy- 
age across the .Atlantic occupied six weeks 
and three daj's. After his marriage Mr. 
Norton settled on his farm, on which a 
few improvements had been made, a 
house and barn built, etc. ; bat the land 
was still for the most part in its primitive 
condition, and wild animals abounded. 
After years of tireless, unremitting in- 
dustry he found himself the possessor of 
the highly productive, well-improved farm 
where the family yet reside, and which 
has supplanted the unbroken forest which 
stood there when he first came to this 
section. Mr. and Mrs. Norton have had 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



359 



the following children: Katie C, who 
lives at home; Mary A., Mrs. William 
Powers, of Nahma, Mich. , who was a 
school-teacher for some time; Sarah, 
Mrs. John Shaughnessy, of Fort Howard; 
James, Timothy and Anna S., at home. 

Mr. Norton has given agriculture his 
principal attention, and has few, if any, 
equals in that line in Brown county. He 
is now the owner of 600 acres in Wrights- 
town and Rockland townships, which he 
has accumulated through industry and 
hard work, and his success in his life- 
work shows what a young man may 
accomplish if persevering and diligent. 
Forty-four years ago he landed in New 
York with but ten dollars in money, to- 
day he is ranked among the successful 
self-made men of his community. His 
energy, economical habits and physical 
strength have been important factors in 
his success, but his business sagacity and 
good judgment have also proved of no 
small value. Honest and trustworthy, 
he has always enjoyed the confidence of 
all who have had dealings with him in 
any way. He has li\ed to see the sur- 
rounding country transformed from a for- 
est, and has himself taken an active part 
in the advancement and improvement of 
the region, especially in his own neigh- 
borhood. 

Politically he is a Democrat, and has 
always been stanch in supporting the 
principles of his party, invariably voting 
that ticket in National and State af- 
fairs, in local elections, however, giv- 
ing his support to the candidate whom 
he considers best fitted for the office. 
He has never aspired to political honors 
himself, his own extensive interests de- 
manding the greater share of his time and 
attention, but he served as school director 
in his district. In religious connection 
he and his wife are members of St. Francis 
Catholic Church, of De Pere. Though 
now over seventy years of age, Mr. Nor- 
ton is in good health, and can perform a 
a day's work that would be a credit to a 
man many years his junior. On Febru- 



ary I, 1865, Mr. Norton enlisted at Green 
Bay in Company A, Fifty-second Wis. 
V. I., and was sent to St. Louis, but saw 
no service, as he was taken ill with small- 
po.x, and received his discharge. 



GEORGE W. SENSIBA, a retired 
business man and farmer of Su- 
amico, Brown county, was born 
January 14, 1824, in Delaware 
county, N. Y., a son of Alfred Sensiba, 
who was a son of Samuel and Mary 
(Taylor) Sensiba. Samuel was a native 
of Germany, and died in Utica, N. Y. , 
an exile from his native land on account 
of his father's activity in the patriot army 
during the German war. Mary (Taylor) 
Sensiba was of English descent, and died 
in Onondaga county, N. Y., at the age of 
seventy years. 

Alfred Sensiba was one of a family of 
seven children, and was born in Massa- 
chusetts. When a boy he hired out as a 
farm hand, but sustained a permanent 
injury to his health by contracting a cold, 
and abandoned farming for canal-boating, 
running on the Erie canal three or four 
years. At the end of that time he went 
to Jordan, N. Y. , and established a soap 
and candle business, later moving to 
Seneca Falls, N. Y. , where he engaged 
in the same business a while; then, in 
1842, he went to Indiana, where he con- 
tinued to make soap and candles until his 
removal to St. Joseph, Mich. Here he 
bought a farm, but finally sold out and 
came to Suamico, Brown Co., Wis., 
where he died at the age of seventy-seven. 
Alfred Sensiba was married, when twenty- 
three years old, to Miss Nancy Houghtal- 
ing, who was born in Delaware county, 
N. Y. , and is still living at the home of 
our subject, George W., who is her only 
child. 

George W. Sensiba worked at various 
employments until 1844, when he came 
West, worked in Chicago one year, and 
then went to Lockport, N. Y., with a 
stock of goods. The next year he re- 



360 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



turned to Chicago and enlisted, in 1 846, 
in the Mexican war, but was prevented 
from going by an attack of measels. In the 
fall of the same year he came to Brown 
county. Wis., and for two or three years 
carried on a cooper shop at Green Bay, 
following which he was engaged in the 
fish trade on the lakes six or seven years. 
On August 26, 1850, he wedded Miss 
Maria Wiltsey, who was born in London, 
Canada, and during the Mexican war 
came to the United States with her par- 
ents, Hiram and Susan Wiltsej", farming 
people, vvho died in Michigan; the}' were 
the parents of seven children. To Mr. 
and Mrs. George W. Sensiba have been 
born eleven children, of whom ten are 
living, viz. : Amanda, who married and 
had three children, two of whom are 
married and have two children ; Georgi- 
ana ; Arvilla, married ; Alfred, married 
and has four children ; Frank ; William ; 
Effie ; George C. ; Burgess ; and Irving. 
Mr. Sensiba resumed the fish trade 
for several years after his marriage, and 
then went on the farm where he now 
lives, and, after cultivating it for several 
years, went north, again entering the fish 
trade. For several \'ears following he 
handled cedar posts, and about i860 re- 
turned to his old farm. In 1864 he 
shipped in the navy, serving until August 
22, 1865, when he again returned to his 
farm for a time, and next removed to 
Fort Howard, there following the grocery 
and fish trade until 1S70, in which vear 
he sold out and retired to live in peace 
and ease on his homestead in Suamico. 
Mr. Sensiba is a Republican in his politi- 
cal affiliations, and was originally an 
old-line Whig, casting his first vote for 
Gen. Zachary Taxlor. He has been 
quite active in local politics, and is now 
serving as a justice of the peace. He and 
his family are consistent members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which 
congregation Mrs. Sensiba is especially 
active, and for which she acts as Sunday- 
school superintendent. Mr. Sensiba's in- 
dustrious business career has won for him 



the admiration of his fellow citizens, 
while his persevering economy has se- 
cured for him a competency that enables 
him to enjoy his declining years, bereft of 
the cares that so long engaged his atten- 
tion. He is regarded as an upright, char- 
itable gentleman, at all times ready to 
aid, with his time and purse, any move- 
ment calculated to advance the well-being 
of his township and county and enhance 
the happiness of his neighbors, young and 
old, and in consequence enjoys their un- 
feigned esteem. 



JOHN CRAANEN, farmer and stock 
raiser, and owner of a fine farm of 
200 acres in Scott township, Brown 
count}', is a nati\e of same, born 
January 30, i860, youngest child of Chris- 
tian and Theodora (Hooken) Craanen. 

Oar subject received his early educa- 
tion in the then primiti\e log cabin schools 
of Scott township, and subsequentl}' for 
three years attended the parochial schools' 
at Calvary, Wis. He was reared to agri- 
cultural life, and, after his school days 
were over, commenced to assist his father 
on the home farm, where he always re- 
mained up to the time of his marriage. 
On April 26, 1892, he was married, at 
Bay Settlement, to Miss Jennie Noonyen, 
who was born in Scott township in 
1872, daughter of Leonard Noonyen, 
a native of Holland, and this union has 
been blessed with one child, Frank, born 
May II, 1893. -After marriage Mr. 
Craanen located in his present home, and 
here conducts a successful general farm- 
ing and stock-raising business. As before 
mentioned, he has a prime farm of 200 
acres, and is without an equal in his town- 
ship among the farmers of his age. He 
is thoroughly conversant with every depart- 
ment of his chosen vocation, having been 
engaged in agriculture from his early boy- 
hood, and to-day he ranks among the 
most prosperous of the agriculturists of 
his locality. Diligent and thorough, he 
has shown himself fully competent to sue- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



361 



cessfully manage his extensive interests, 
to which he gives his undivided attention. 
In reHgious connection he and his wife 
are menabers of the CathoHc Church at 
Bay Settlement, and in pohtics he is a 
Democrat, but gives Httle time to party 
affairs. 



JARED D. MASON, farmer of Pitts- 
field township. Brown county, was 
born June 13, 1830, in Grafton, 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y. , and is de- 
scended from Revolutionary stock, his 
great-grandfather, Capt. John Mason, an 
Englishman, having been burned at the 
stake by the Indians during that patriotic 
but fearful struggle for American inde- 
pendence. Jared D. Mason is the eldest 
of seven children born to John and Doro- 
thy Mason, who died on their farm of 160 
acres in their native State, New York, 
and were interred at Sand Lake (or Pres- 
ton Hill), Rensselaer county. 

Jared D. Mason was reared on the 
home farm, on which he remained until 
about twenty-three years of age, when 
he married. May 31, 1853, Catherine 
Lawlor, daughter of Edward and Mary 
(Fitzpatrick) Lawlor, of Irish descent. 
Mr. Mason now bought sixty acres of land 
from his father at five dollars per acre, 
on which farm some few improvements 
had been made, and here he and his wife 
lived until 1865, when they came to Wis- 
consin, stopping at Green Bay, because 
the railway stopped there, and thence 
being drawn to the woods by Henry 
Howard with a team of horses. Here 
Mr. Mason rented a log cabin, 16x20 
feet, in which he lived one year, working 
for Brown & Evins, lumbermen, for two 
dollars per day. He then bought 160 
acres of timbered land, but let a brother- 
in-law, Mr. Lynch, have eighty acres of 
the tract. All the vicissitudes of pioneer 
life were here gone through; the cabin of 
18 X 26 feet is now a comfortable dwelling, 
and the forest changed to a fertile farm, 
but all this required years of unceasing 



and patient toil by himself, his wife and 
his sons, when the latter became old 
enough to lend their aid. The children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Jared D. Mason 
were ten in number, viz. : An infant, born 
April 8, 1854, who died unnamed; Albert 
L. , born April 8, 1855, who died August 
8, 1858; Marcus J., born January 11, 
1857; Mary, born February i, 1859; 
Sarah C, born March 17, 1861, who 
died February 9, 1862; Martha A., born 
April 25, 1863, who died May 3, 1865; 
George B., born June 23, 1865; Minnie 
J., born March 26, 1866; Cora B., born 
April 26, 1870, and Bertie C, born Octo- 
ber 14, 1875. Mrs. Mason is a devout 
member of the Methodist Church. In 
politics Mr. Mason is a Democrat, and 
has served his fellow citizens with much 
credit as member of the side board for 
three years, and as town clerk for one year. 



AG. KURZ, a prominent photogra- 
pher, of Green Bay, having a fine 
studio located at Nos. 210 and 
212 Cherry street, is the only 
child of G. and Minnie (Donner) Kurz, 
both natives of Germany. The father 
came at an early date to Ripon, Wis., 
was later married in Chicago, and finally, 
in 1866, settled upon a new farm in Win- 
nebago county. About 1871 he removed 
with his family to Green Bay, established 
a marble yard, and engaged at his old 
trade of marble cutting. After a number 
of years he retired from business, and he 
and his wife are both yet living. 

Our subject was born in 1867, in Eu- 
reka, Winnebago Co., Wis., and when 
about four years of age came with his 
parents to Green Bay. Here he received 
his education in the public schools, and 
fitted himself for commercial pursuits by 
attending business college under Prof. J. 
N. McCunn. At the age of fourteen years 
he began to learn the art of photography, 
and four years later, in the fall of 1885, 
launched out in business at De Pere. His 
original preceptor in the artist's line was 



362 



COMMEMORAriVE UIOGBAPIIICAL RECORD. 



T. W. Schneider, and the lessons were 
■well learned. He formed a partnership 
with Mr. Nuss, under the firm name of 
Kurz & Nuss, with a studio on Washing- 
ton street, which was continued until 
1892. Upon the dissolution of this part- 
nership Mr. Kurz engaged in business in 
Milwaukee, but in February, 1894, located 
in Green Bay. At this place, in 1890, he 
married Miss Augusta Straubel, daughter 
of Ernest Straubel, an early settler of 
Brown county, who now resides in Green 
Bay. Two children have come to grace 
their home. Mr. Kurz is a member of 
Green Bay Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F. ; 
Pochequette Lodge, No. 26, K. of P. ; 
also of the Royal Arcanum and the Order 
of the Maccabees. In politics he is an 
earnest I^epublican. 



REV. P. J. CAUTEREELS, the 
worthy and much-belo\'ed pastor 
of the Church of the Holy Cross, 
in Bay Settlement, Brown count}', 
is a native of Belgium, born in the city of 
Antwerp, January 3, 1833. 

His elementary education was received 
at the parish schools of Antwerp, after 
leaving which he studied the classics, 
philosophy and theology in the seminary 
of Malines, in which institution he was 
appointed professor of Latin after his con- 
secration to the priesthood, at Malines 
•(or Mechlin), in December, 1857. In 
1862 he resigned this incumbency, and, 
returning to Antwerp, was given the posi- 
tion of chaplain to Ste. Elizabeth Hos- 
pital, which he filled with characteristic 
diligence and Christian zeal until 1872, in 
which year he was given charge, as priest, 
of the church at the village of Hemi.xem, 
Antwerp. At the end of ten years, in 1 882, 
he resigned his charge, and having ex- 
pressed a desire, and received permission 
from his superiors, to engage in the labor 
of love among his countrymen and others 
in the Far West of America, he was 
saluted with many a hearty ' ' bon voyage " 
on leaving Antwerp on the 25th of June, 



that year, on board the Red Star Line 
steamship " Westerland," for New York, 
where he arrived July 10 following. From 
there he came direct to Wisconsin, and 
in the township of Humboldt, Brown 
county, he was stationed as priest, hav- 
ing charge, in all of four congregations up 
to the year 1892, when he came to the 
Church of the Holy Cross, at Ba\' Settle- 
ment, his present benefice. Mr. Caute- 
reels is also rector of St. Francis Convent, 
where are employed twenty-two teachers, 
and here, as in his congregation, he is 
held in the highest regard as a pious 
Christian servant of the ^faster. 



JOSEPH HUSSIN, farmer and hotel- 
keeper in the village of Duck Creek, 
Brown county, is one of eight chil- 
dren — three sons and five daughters — 
still living of a very large family born to 
Joseph and Florence (Toussaint) Hussin, 
natives of Belgium, the former of whom 
was born in the Province of Liege in 1 8 1 2, 
and the latter in the Province of Namur 
in 18 16. 

Joseph Hussin, our subject, was born 
in the Province of Liege, and on June 20, 
1856, sailed with the family from Ant- 
werp for New York, at which port they 
arrived after a passage of six weeks, and 
next day proceeded on their way to Green 
Bay, Wis. The father at once engaged 
at his trade of stone-cutting, working at 
same until October, when he moved to 
Duck Creek and built a log cabin, 20 x 20 
feet, in the dense woods which at that 
early day still covered the country, and 
here his family resided for two years. He 
then rented a farm, on which he lived 
three or four years, and then bought his 
present farm, following his trade in the 
meantime about five years. Joseph Hus- 
sin, whose name opens this sketch, worked 
on the home farm, and at intervals hired 
out by the month until his marriage, Feb- 
ruary 8, 1869, to Miss Octavie Lumay, 
a native of the Province of Brabant, Bel- 
gium, and daughter of John J. and Fran- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



363 



ces Lumay. The Lumay family came to 
the United States about the same year in 
which the Hussin family immigrated. 
The father was a tailor, a trade he fol- 
lowed all his life, but on his arrival in 
America he rented a farm in Door county, 
Wis. , on which he died at the age of si.Kt}'- 
six 3'ears, and his wife at the age of sixty- 
two. The}' were the parents of several 
children, four of whom are living; the 
others died in infancy. 

To our subject and wife have been 
born eleven children, of whom ten are 
yet living; the eldest son is married and 
has three sons. After his marriage Mr. 
Hussin settled on a farm in the vicinity of 
his father's place; but, after a residence 
there of four years, sold out and bought 
his present property in the village, open- 
ing a hotel and saloon, where his accom- 
modating disposition and pleasing man- 
ners have won him hosts of friends. His 
surplus earnings have been invested in 
farm property, and he is the owner of one 
•or two choice tracts of land in the neigh- 
borhood. Politically he is a Democrat, 
and cast his first Presidential vote for 
Samuel J. Tilden; but he is a man who 
thinks for himself and is capable of form- 
ing his own opinions. For four years he 
served as township treasurer, having been 
elected on the Independent ticket — a fact 
which gives evidence of his great popu- 
larity with the people — and for seven or 
eight years he has served as assessor, be- 
ing the present incumbent of that office. 
He is secretary of the Grange, and is 
recognized everywhere as a man of ability. 
The familv are all devout Catholics. 



JOHN G. FINDEISEN, who for over 
forty years has been indentified with 
the interests of Scott township. Brown 
county, as a farmer and landowner, 
is a native of Wittenberg, Germany, born 
August s, 1814, son of Gottlieb Findeisen, 
a farmer, who had three children — one 
son and two daughters — of whom the son, 
John G. , is the eldest. 



Our subject received his education in 
the common schools of his native coun- 
try, which he attended from the time he 
was six years old until he reached the age 
of fourteen, also attending the Sabbath- 
school four years, as required by law. 
He was reared to farm life; but his father's 
place being a small one, he usually worked 
for others, his earnings being very meager, 
never exceeding twenty-five dollars a 
year. Yet, in three years, he had saved 
enough to pay his way to America, where 
he hoped to find better opportunities for 
advancement, and, leaving Germany, he 
proceeded to England, where he em- 
barked, at London, on the sailing vessel 
"Maggie Evans," bound for New York, 
the voyage lasting from May 13 to June 
19 (1S48). His destination being Green 
Bay, Wis., he journeyed from New York 
to Albany by boat, thence by rail to 
Buffalo, from there coming by water to 
Milwaukee, where he remained a week, 
waiting for another boat. To Peshtigo 
he came on a lumber vessel, thence by a 
smaller one to Green Bay, where he 
landed July 20. Here he found work 
cutting cordwood for a merchant, and 
subsequently came to New Franken, 
which at that time was included in Bay 
Settlement. In Green Bay township he 
purchased a tract of forty acres (for which 
h* paid $1.25 per acre), directly opposite 
his present farm, the place at that time 
being all in the woods and totally un- 
improved, not a stick having been cut 
or a habitation of any kind erected. 
He set to work and built a log cabin, 
20x28, and also commenced the clear- 
ing of the land, which for a long time 
yielded scarcely anything; but he ob- 
tained a small income by the manufac- 
ture of shingles by hand, for which he re- 
ceived one dollar a thousand. On this 
farm he remained twenty-nine years, and 
then removed across the road into the 
township of Scott, erecting another log 
house on the site of his present substan- 
tial residence, which was built in 1885. 
Mr. Findeisen now owns 155 acres of 



364 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



prime farming land, lying in Scott and 
Green Bay townships, all accumulated 
from the nucleus of forty acres of wilder- 
ness and timber land that he owned in 
1848. His success has been achieved by 
ceaseless industry and unremitting toil. 
He has seen his land transformed from a 
dense forest abountling with wild animals 
to a well-culti\ ated productive farm, 
which he and his children now enjoy, the 
trials, privations and hardships of those 
early days being forever past. Mr. I'in- 
deisen was actively engaged in general 
farming and stock-raising until about 
1 880, when he practically retired from 
the work, his farm now being conducted 
by his sons, John, Andrew and George, 
whtj have shown themselves fully com- 
petent to manage the affairs of the place. 
Few farmers in the township have met 
with more gratifying success, and Mrs. 
Findeisen also deserves her share of 
credit, for, by her economy and thrift, 
she has been of no small assistance in 
the accumulation of the property. During 
the first winter of their marriage Mr. 
Findeisen was employed in Green Bay, 
cutting wood at si.\ shillings a cord (and 
boarding himself), and during that time 
his wife remained alone in their cabin in 
the forest 

many inconveniences endured 
early days. 

Mr. Findeisen was married in Green 
Bay to Miss Margaret Hoffman, who was 
born July 13, 1824, in Wittenberg, Ger- 
many, and came to America with her 
future husband, their marriage taking 
place July 21, 1848. This union was 
blessed with children as follows: Sophia 
(now deceased), who married Henry Senn, 
and had four children; Louis W., a 
hardware merchant of Green Bay, who 
is married and has two children; Leonard, 
a member of the firm of Findeisen Bros., 
hardware merchants of Green Bay, who 
is married and has one child; Conrad, 
Andrew, George and John, all living on the 
home farm; Henry, a general merchant of 
Antigo, Wis. ; Caroline, deceased at the age 



but a single illustration cf the 

those 



of nine years; Edward, deceased at the age 
of five; and ILmma, living at home. Of 
these ANDREW, GEORGE and JOHN 
are engaged in conducting the home farm, 
and they are recognized as intelligent, in- 
dustrious young men, successful in their 
chosen vocation, in which they rank 
second to none. Two of the other sons, 
Louis W. and Leonard, carry on one of 
the most extensive and profitable hard- 
ware businesses in Green Bay. 

John G. Findeisen cast his ballot for 
.Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and since that 
time has been a stanch Republican, taking 
no active part in politics, however, though 
he is deeply interested in the success of 
his party. His seven sons are also mem- 
bers of that party, and keep themselves 
well informed in its movements. In re- 
ligious connection he and his wife are 
members of the German M. E. Church, 
in which he has been trustee, and the 
other members of the family at home are 
also identified with the same society. 



JACOB F.\LCK, a progressive busi- 
ness man of De Pere, Brown coun- 
ty, is a native of Wisconsin, born 
December 13, 1848, in Milwaukee 
county, Wis. , the eldest son of Philip 
and Catherine (Hanger) Falck. 

Our subject was but seven years of 
age when his parents came to Brown 
county, settling in Morrison township, 
where the\- purchased 290 acres in Section 
7, and also 160 acres in Section 22. On 
the first-named property Jacob was reared 
to manhood, receiving such education as 
the meager school facilities of the day 
afforded. As the eldest boy in the fam- 
ily, the greater portion of the work in 
assisting on the farm fell to his lot, and 
he was but fifteen or sixteen years old 
when a team was placed in his hands, 
with which to help the hired man. He 
labored hard and faithfully until nearly 
twenty-six years of age, and acquired 
those steady habits which have so much 
benefited him in his subsequent business 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



367 



career. In August, 1874, he established 
himself in a saloon in the basement of 
Wheeler's drug store in De Pere, where 
he made many friends and prospered for 
two years; his increasing trade caused his 
removal to a building owned by C. G. 
Wilcox in the business part of the city, 
which building, with fort}--eight feet fron- 
tage, he subsequently purchased, but in 
April, 1888, these premises were de- 
stroyed by fire. With his usual energy, 
however, he erected at once a more sub- 
stantial structure, which forms one of the 
best business blocks in the city, and here 
he is doing a better trade than ever. 

On August 28, 1878, in Manitowoc 
county. Wis., Mr. Falck married Miss 
Mary Meyer, a native of that county, born 
April 16, 1859, a daughter of Frederick 
and Sophia (Kasten) Meyer. The chil- 
dren resulting from this marriage were 
named George E., born June 14, 1879, 
and died July 10 of the same year; Alma 
E. \\., born August 6, 1880; Walter R., 
born November 6, 1882; Elsa C. S., 
born December 17, 1884; and Erven J., 
born February i, 1894. In National and 
State politics Mr. Falck usually supports 
the Democratic nominees, but in county 
and municipal matters he votes for the 
candidate he considers l)est fitted for 
office. He has himself served creditably 
two terms on the board of aldermen, but 
has declined further nomination. He 
and his wife are consistent members of 
the Lutheran Church, and both stand well 
in the esteem of the public. In 1893 Mr. 
Falck built one of the most modern resi- 
dences in De Pere. He has the reputation 
of conducting "the most orderly saloon 
in the city," and is a very popular citizen, 
is quiet and unassuming, makes friends 
with all who meet him, and retains them. 



IVI 



Erie 



ILO AMES, a successful farmer 

and lumberman of Pittsfield 

township. Brown county, was 

born January 14, 1842, in 

county, Penn., son of Nathaniel 



and Miranda (Madison) Ames, the former 
a successful carpenter and farmer; he was 
twice married, first to Miranda Madison, 
and had eleven children. 

On September 10, 1861, Milo Ames 
enlisted in Company K, Eighty-third P. 
V. I., in response to the call for 75,000 
men, and served until February 2, 1863, 
when he re-enlisted and served until July 
3, 1864. He was in every battle in which 
the army of the Potomac was engaged 
during this period, and was wounded at 
Gaines' Mills. After his recovery and 
discharge from the hospital he was ap- 
pointed dispatch courier, and served in 
this capacity until his discharge at Harris- 
burg, when he returned to his home and 
passed some time in the oil country. On 
Februar}' 22, 1S66, he was united in mar- 
riage with Loisa Baker, one of the thir- 
teen children born to William H. and 
Loisa (Stowell) Baker, the former a native 
of New York, and the latter of Vermont; 
the father is a successful farmer, and is 
still living in Erie county, Penn. , where 
he owns 500 acres of land. Mr. and Mrs. 
Ames were school children together, and 
were married in Erie county, where they 
remained nearly four years after their 
union, he being employed in lumbering on 
the Allegheny river in the meanwhile. In 
1869 they came b_v rail to Green Bay, 
Wis., and thence directly to Pittsfield, 
where for si.x years Mr. Ames was em- 
ployed by Oscar Gray in the lumber busi- 
ness. He then bought eighty acres of 
timber land, on which stood a log house, 
and he cleared this land by his own labor, 
and added to it until he at one time owned 
120 acres; but of this he sold forty acres, 
leaving him a well-improved tract of eighty 
acres. Mr. and Mrs. Ames have been 
blessed with three children, viz. : Rose, 
born July 11, 1869, now the wife of 
Charles Huntington, of Pittsfield; Emma 
M., born February 3, 1876; and Harry, 
born April 30, 1882. The parents are 
members of the Congregational Church, in 
which Mr. Ames was a deacon, and of 
which he is now trustee. Politically he 



368 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



was a Republican until last year, when 
he gave his franchise to the Prohibitionists. 
He has served as chairman of the town 
one year, andasmernber of the sideboard 
two terms, and is very highly respected 
.by all who know hini. 



WILLIAM CONEN. an upright 
citizen and successful farmer, 
of Dc Pare township. Brown 
county, is a native of Holland, 
born June i8, 1844, son of Theodore 
Conen. When four years of age he was 
brought by his parents to America, and to 
Brown county. Wis., where, in the prim- 
itive scho'^lsof that early day, ha received 
all his education. Early in life he was 
put to work on the farm, as the country 
was new, and the farmers of that period 
had to work hard to earn a living from 
their land; besides, wages were low, and 
if a boy earned his board he was doing 
well. When William was twenty years 
old his father died, and for some years 
afterward he and his brothers were in 
partnership. When the property was di- 
vided he received fort\' acres in De Pere 
township, part of his present farm, which 
at that time was all new land, without- 
a single improvement, and he himself 
built the first house on the place. 

In April. 1870, Mr. Conen was mar- 
ried in De Pere to Anna Stylties, who was 
bornAugust 22, 1840, in Germany, daugh- 
ter of Anton Stylties, a farmer, and the 
young couple immediately commenced 
housekeeping on the new farm. To their 
union have been born children as follows: 
Theodore, Anton, Anna, John, Hattie, 
and Mary, all living, and two that died 
young. Mr. Conen has all his life been 
a hard-working farmer, and his present 
prosperity is all the result of toil and in- 
dustry. He has increased the area of his 
farm from forty to 140 acres, all in De- 
Pere township, and has transformed it 
from a stumpy, brush-covered piece of 
ground to a well-cultivated and fertile 
tract. This has only been accomplished 



by years of unceasing toil, but his chil- 
dren have been of great help to him, the 
sons all remaining on the farm and as- 
sisting much with the agricultural work. 
Mr. Conen has, during his long residence 
in the count)', acquired an enviable repu- 
tation for honesty and fair dealing, and 
he is universally respected for his many 
good qualities. In religious connection 
he and his family are members of St. 
Mary's Catholic Church, De Pere; in po- 
litical preferences Mr. Conen is a stanch 
supporter of the principles of the Demo- 
cratic part)'. 



JAMES SHERLOCK, a systematic 
progressive farmer citizen of De Pere 
township. Brown county, is a native 
of the same, born April i, 1854. 
Our subject received a fair common- 
school education, and was reared to practi- 
cal farm life on the home place until sixteen 
years of age, after which he commenced to 
follow other pursuits. He spent si.xteen 
winters in the lumber camps of northern 
Wisconsin and Michigan, enduring all the 
vicissitudes and hardships of camp life in 
the winter, and also becoming familiar with 
the hazardous work of " driving logs" in 
the spring. On October 28, 1886, Mr. 
Sherlock was married in St. Francis 
Church, De Pere, by Father Rine, to Miss 
Anna Hughes, who was born in i860, 
along the Canadian and lower Michigan 
line, daughter of Hugh and Margaret 
(Dalton) Hughes, natives of Ireland, who 
settled in 1869 in Glenmore township. 
Brown Co., Wisconsin. 

Immediately after his marriage Mr. 
Sherlock settled on his present farm, 
where he has since continuously resided, 
and on which he has made many improve- 
ments. It is one of the oldest farms in 
East River valley, and consists of 115 
acres of excellent land. In State and 
National affairs Mr. Sherlock votes the 
Democratic ticket, but in local matters he 
pays more attention to the fitness of the 
candidate than to party connection. In 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGMAPUICAL RECORD. 



369 



1 89 1 he was elected chairman of the 
township, in which office he has since 
served with credit to himself and satisfac- 
tion to his constituents. He is a reader, 
and well informed on general topics. In 
religious connection he and his wife are 
both members of St. Francis Catholic 
Church at De Pere. Thej' have had five 
children, namely: Ralph J., Maggie V., 
Annie V., Mary E. and Philip E. 



HERMANN RAYMAKERS, than 
whom there is no more success- 
ful or progressive citizen in Preble 
township, Brown county, is a na- 
tive of Holland, born December 24, 1829, 
in the village of Venraij, Province of Lim- 
burg, son of Leonard Raymakers,who was 
a laborer in his native land. 

Hermann Raymakers received a com- 
mon-school education, and then learned 
the carpenter's trade, which he com- 
menced to follow when eighteen years old, 
working around at various places, and, 
being industrious and ambitious, he pros- 
pered. While engaged in this he invested 
in si.K acres of land (going into debt for 
same), the cultivation of which he carried 
on in connection with his trade. On 
April 2 8, 1856, he was united in mar- 
riage, in Holland, with Miss Alliegonde 
Vullengs, also a native of Venraij, and six 
children were born to them in Holland, 
as follows: Leonard, who is now a mer- 
chant of Green Bay, Wis. ; Christian, of 
Oakland, Cal., and Martin, Andrew, 
Catharine, and Helena, living at home. 
After carrying on his trade some years in 
his native country, \[r. Raymakers con- 
cluded he could better his condition by 
coming to the United States, and in June, 
1868, he and his family sailed from Liver- 
pool on the vessel "Nestorian," landing 
at Quebec after a voyage of nine days, 
and thence proceeding to Green Bay, 
Wis. , where they arrived sixteen days 
after leaving Liverpool. In Preble town- 
ship. Brown county, Mr. Raymakers pur- 
vchased forty acres of new land, entirely 



unimproved, on which, in a day and a 
half afterward, a rude home had been 
constructed, and in this house, which had 
not even a window, his wife and six chil- 
dren lived for a short time, until a better 
one could be built. Mr. Raymakers 
worked around at various kinds of labor, 
but could get no money, the first cur- 
rency he ever received in the United 
States coming from the sale of three loads 
of hay, which brought him eleven dollars. 
Some time after locating on the forty 
acres of land he removed to Green Bay, 
but later came back to the farm and built 
thereon a house from a twentj-five-dol 
lar pile of lumber, which was the resi- 
dence of the family until 1893, when the 
present magnificent home, the finest farm 
house in the township, was erected. The 
sons, Leonard, Martin, Henry, John, 
William, Peter, and Gerard, are all with 
their father in the business of the firm of 
H. Raymakers & Sons, which comprises 
a market garden in Preble, three miles 
from the city of Green Bay, and a gen- 
eral produce store in the city. The store 
is in charge of Leonard and Henry, while 
Mr. Raymakers operates the garden. All 
the children of our subject live at home 
with the exception of Henry, who resides 
in the city, being married, and Christian, 
who is settled in California. The entire 
farhily are members of the Catholic 
Church. 

Mr. Raymakers lived " in the woods," 
as he expresses it, and literally converted 
his farm from its primitive state to its 
present fertile condition, toiling early and 
late for sixteen years to free his home 
from debt, during which time he and his 
family endured their full share of the 
hardships incident to pioneer farm life. 
But success has rewarded his untiring en- 
ergy, as his beautiful farm and home now 
testify. When Mr. Raymakers bought the 
place the land was quite swampy, the east 
half being covered with deep muck, and, 
knowing this to be an excellent fertilizer, 
he set himself to work to make the most 
of it. Alwavs a reader, he obtained an 



37° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



idea from the 0/tio Farmer on the subject 
he was so greatly interested in, and his 
plans were no sooner formed than he pro- 
ceeded to carr)' them out. Digging; out 
the muck from the eastern part of the 
farm, which rises above the western part, 
he hauled it away to fertilize the rest of 
the land, thus leaving a reser\oir for the 
water to gather in, which is fed b\' springs 
and drains, and provides irrigation for the 
land, besides affording a constant supply 
of running water for his house, barns, 
hothouses, stock, etc. ; over ten thousand 
feet of drainage and tiling have been laid 
on the farm. The reservoir, which has 
been well stocked with German carp, is 
ninety feet wide and 600 feet long, and 
the excellent arrangements make it pos- 
sible to distribute water to the most dis- 
tant parts of the farm, in carts or hose, 
when necessary. With such facilities the 
land is excepitionally well-adapted for 
profitable gardening, and thirty acres are 
devoted to that branch alone, supplying 
various markets, especially Green Bay, 
whither a load of vegetables is sent daily, 
he and his sons conducting a prosperous 
produce business in the city; the celery 
beds on the farm are unusually fine. 

Mr. Raymakers has spared neither 
money nor pains to make an ideal farm 
and home out of what was once a dense 
wilderness, his fine residence, barn and 
other buildings are all in keeping with the 
other improvements, and he is regarded 
as one of the most enterprising, substan- 
tial farmers in Preble township. He 
takes an active interest in political mat- 
ters, studying carefully the leading ques- 
tions of the day. Formerly a I^epublican 
and Protectionist, he changed his ideas 
after much study and thought on the sub- 
ject, and is now an advocate of the Free- 
trade system. He is very fond of reading, 
keeping himself well informed on general 
topics and public issues, and his home 
contains a well-selected library. He is 
an earnest advocate of thorough educa- 
tion, and believes a country school should 
possess the same advantages and as com- 



plete an ecjuipment as a city school for 
the instruction of the young. In 1890 
Mr. Raymakers paid a short visit to his 
native country, but returned convinced 
that though Holland is good, America is 
better. 



HENRY LANCASTER, a system- 
atic, skillful farmer of Howard 
township. Brown county, was 
born in January, 1832, in Man- 
chester, England, son of Joseph and 
Catherine (Burke) Lancaster, and was 
a lad about twelve years of age when 
he came alone to this country. His 

! father was the son of a coal dealer in 
England, and was a veteran of Waterloo, 
and a pensioner ; he died when Henry, 
our subject, was still a mere lad of seven 

I or eight years. Mrs. Catherine Lancas- 
ter subsequently' remarried, and came 
with her husband to the United States 

j about 1841, Henry following in about 

j three years. 

On reaching America our subject went 
to Oswego, N. Y. , where he passed two 
or three years with his mother and step- 
father, and then worked at various places 
until 1850, when he came to Wisconsin, 
to which State his mother had removed 
about a year previous. Here she died 
at an advanced age, the mother of eight 
children, of whom but three are now liv- 
ing. Mr. Lancaster for the first two 
years after his arrival in W^isconsin, rent- 
ed land from his stepfather in Pittsfield 
township. Brown county, and then moved 
to Duck Creek, where he worked in a 
mill until his enlistment, on January 25, 
1862, in the Seventeenth Wis. V. L 
This regiment being full, however, he 
was transferred to Company L, of an 
Illinois Light Artillery regiment, and took 
part in every battle in which the com- 
mand was engaged, and in all of its 
marches, until the close of the war, with 
the exception of three months, during 
which he was confined in Libby Prison as 
a prisoner of war, and another three 



COMMEMORATrVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



months when he was in hospital on ac- 
count of a wound received in the Shen- 
andoah Valley, while fifi;htin<^ against the 
Confederate, Gen. Early. He was hon- 
orably discharged in April, 1865, and is 
now receiving a pension for his services. 
After his return to Duck Creek Mr. Lan- 
caster again worked in the mill for a 
time, and also cleared off forty acres of 
his land and bought forty acres addi- 
tional. In November, 1869, he married 
Miss Catherine Maher, who was born 
in Green Ba}-, a daughter of Edmund 
and Hannah (Handerhan) Maher, natives 
of Ireland. This union has been blessed 
with seven children, named as follows: 
Joseph, Ella, Maggie (wife of Louis 
Jagers, of Kiel, Alanitowoc Co., Wis.), 
Hannah, John, Agnes, and Nora. 

Mr. Lancaster, after his marriage, 
brought his bride to his present farm, 
which, under his skillful management, is 
now in a state of luxuriant cultivation, 
and here the}' have lived ever since, with 
the exception of one year, when they re- 
sided in Fort Howard. He raises mixed 
crops, and the general appearance of his 
fields and the air of comfort and neatness 
surrounding his dwelling and farm build- 
ings give indication of the watchful eye and 
trained industry of the master, and the 
willing, tasteful and deft employment of 
the hand of his helpmeet, who is known 
to all as a most industrious, cheerful 
woman, a good wife and a thoughtful 
mother. Socially Mr. Lancaster is an 
honored member of T. O. Howe Post, 
No. 124, G. A. R. , and he and his family 
are regarded as most desirable neighbors 
in Howard township. 



HENRY B O R M A N, one of the 
leading agriculturists of De Pere 
township, Brown county, was born 
March 18, 1846, in Belgium, son 
of Gregorie Borman, who was a farmer 
in comfortable circumstances. 

Conluding he could better his condi- 
tion by coming to America, the father of 



our subject in 1857 sold his property and 
set out with his family for the United 
States, landing in New York City. Thence 
they at once journeyed westward to Green 
Bay, Wis., and, shortly after their arrival, 
located in AUouez township, where Mr. 
Borman was for two years employed in a 
brickyard. They then came to De Pere, 
at that time but a small village, and for 
seven years made their home on a farm 
(now included in the town of De Pere) 
which they rented from John Lace}'. 
Then, in the fall of 1866, they purchased 
and removed upon the farm of seventy 
acres now owned by our subject, which 
at that time was covered with a dense 
forest. They immediately cleared a spot 
for a house, and erected a frame dwelling, 
which in later years was supplanted by a 
neat brick cottage, and here Mr. Bor- 
man passed the remainder of his days, 
dying in 1883; his wife survived him eight 
years, and their remains now rest in De- 
Pere cemetery. They were both mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, and in poli- 
tics he was a Democrat. 

Henry Borman attended school in Bel- 
gium until the family came to the United 
States, after which he completed his edu- 
cation in the then primitive schools of 
Allouez and De Pere townships. On 
June 21, 1873, he was married, in De- 
Pere, to Hortense Lhost, a native of Bel- 
gium, born March 8, 1856, daughter of 
John Lhost, who came to the United 
States in 1869 with his family of seven 
children and settled in Brown county. 
Wis. Immediately after his marriage 
Mr. Borman took up his residence on the 
farm where he yet lives, and here he has 
been engaged in general farming, of which, 
by good management and untiring energy, 
he has made a success. His farm com- 
prises seventy acres of excellent farming 
land, all of which has been taken from 
the woods, involving many years of un- 
relenting toil before the place was reduced 
to its present fertile condition. Mr. Bor- 
man is one of the best-known men in 
De Pere township, where he is highly re- 



.■>/- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



spected. He is a leader in all enterprises 
which promise to benefit his township or 
county, and is regarded as a public-spirited, 
progressive citizen. Politically he is a 
Democrat, is a stanch supporter of the 
principles ol that party, antl in 1893 was 
elected treasurer of his township, for ten 
or eleven years previous to which he had 
served as supervisor, giving complete sat- 
isfaction in that office: He and his wife 
are members of St. Francis Catholic 
Church at De Pere. They have had chil- 
dren as follows: Mary, John E., Victor J., 
Victoria, Emily, Constant, Julia, Celia, 
Willie, living, and others who died in 
infancy. 



w 



S. WHITCOMB, a long-estab- 
lished contractor and builder of 
Green Bay, was born in Ann 
Arbor, Washtenaw Co., Mich., 
August 31, 1832, a son of Levi and 
Roxalana (Putnamj Whitcomb, the former 
a nati\e of Pennsylvania, the latter of 
Connecticut. The father was accident- 
ally killed, in 1869, in Howard township. 
Brown Co., Wis., and the mother, who 
was a great-granddaughter of Gen. Israel 
Putnam, the Revolutionary hero, died in 
1865. Mr. and Mrs. Levi Whitcomb 
were the parents of six children, namely: 
Sarah, who died at the age of four; Joseph, 
who died in Brown county. Wis. , in the 
fall of 1865; Lucius, who died in Michi- 
gan; W. S., the subject of this sketch; 
Lucretia, wife of Christian Johnson, of 
Graham county, Kans., and Levi, who 
resides in McPherson count}', Michigan. 
Our subject remained in Michigan un- 
til May, 1844, when he came to Green 
Bay, and here served three years at the 
carpenter's trade, also three years at 
coopering, working twentj'-eight years in 
Green Bay at the latter business with D. 
W. Britton. In 1861 he enlisted in Com- 
pany H, Twelfth Wis. V. I., for three 
years; was assigned to the army of the 
West, and fought at Jackson, Tenn., 
Port Gibson, Raymond Hill, siege of 



Vicksburg, and at Natchez. He then re- 
enlisted in the same company and regi- 
ment for another period of three years, 
and was with Sherman on his march to 
the sea, was in the Carolina campaign, 
and in the Grand Review at Washington, 
D. C. He received an honorable dis- 
charge at Louisville, Ky., in July, 1865, 
and, returning to Green Bay, worked for 
a time at laboring, and then opened up a 
farm in Howard township. 

Mr. Whitcomb was married May 12, 
1861, to Miss Martha D. Athey, a native 
of Green Bay, and a daughter of Charles 
W. and Sarah (Gibson) Athey, the former 
of whom, a native of Virginia, when 
twenty-one years of age. or about 1839, 
came to Green Bay, worked at lumber- 
ing, and was married on Washington 
street. Green Bay. He lost his wife in 
1869, and he followed her to the grave in 
1889. To Mr. and Mrs. Whitcomb were 
born nine children, viz. : George, of Ash- 
land, Wis. ; Charlotte, who died at the 
age of twelve years; Martha, wife of 
Gustave Waters, of Fort Howard; Anna, 
wife of Emil Ammerman, of Iron River, 
Mich. ; Edward, residing at Pound, Wis. ; 
Lillian, Nona and Mabel, at home, and 
Maggie, who died at the age of four 
years. Mr. Whitcomb is a stanch Re- 
publican, and for nine years was town 
clerk of Howard township. He is a 
member of the Royal Arcanum, Iron Gate 
Lodge, No. 546, and he and his wife are 
consistent members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Mr. Whitcomb has ever mani- 
fested a lively interest in the progress of 
Brown county, and is never backward in 
lending his aid to any project calculated 
to advance its growth and prosperity. The 
family enjoy the utmost respect of the 
community. 



J 



ACQUES DUCAT, an energetic, 
hard-working farmer of De Pere 
township. Brown county, where he 
is highly respected for his honest, 

worth. 



straightford methods and sterlin 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



373 



is a native of Belgium, born August lo, 
1 83 1. He is a son of Lombard Ducat, 
a farmer, who had fifteen children, of 
whom our subject was the eldest son, and 
the youngest of three children by his first 
wife. Four of this large family died in 
Belgium, and in 1855, the parents, with 
the remaining children, came to America, 
sailing from Antwerp, and after a voyage 
of forty-eight days arrived in New York, 
thence immediately proceeding to Green 
Bay, Wis. Here, in Green Bay town- 
ship. Brown county, the father purchased 
forty acres of land, and on this farm he 
passed the remainder of his life; Mrs. 
Ducat also died in Green Bay township, 
and their remains now rest in Bay Set- 
tlement cemetery. 

Jacques Ducat was reared from boy- 
hood to farm life, at which he was en- 
gaged in his native land; but, after coming 
to Wisconsin, he found work principally 
in lumber camps, loading vessels with lum- 
ber, and as a general laborer around saw- 
mills. On August II, 1859, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Margaret Henrigillis, who 
was born June 24, 1834, in Belgium, 
daughter of Hubert H. Henrigillis, and 
the young couple commenced housekeep- 
ing in Peshtigo, Wis. For a few years 
he continued to work in lumber mills and 
camps, and then, in 1864, came to De- 
Pere township. Brown county, to the 
farm where he yet resides. He first pur- 
chased forty-six and a half acres (on 
which "there was not a stick amiss "), 
and here erected a log house, which still 
stands. During his residence of twenty- 
eight years on this farm he has cleared 
and improved it, and added thereto, until 
it now comprises sixty-two and a half acres 
of fertile land, and, in 1892, he erected 
a new residence on the place. All this 
has been accomplished by years of econ- 
omy and thrift, and unceasing industry, 
and Mr. Ducat is recognized as one of the 
hardest workers in his section. He is 
self-made in every respect, and from a 
start of nothing has prospered, having 
now a comfortable home and well-culti- 



vated farm. In politics our subject is a 
stanch Republican, and in religious con- 
nection he and his wife are members of 
St. Francis Catholic Church. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Ducat have been born children 
as follows: Alphonse J., who died at the 
age of sixteen years; Mary, who died at 
the age of ten years; Lucy, deceased in 
infancy; Eugene, a cigarmaker, of Sioux 
City, Iowa; Bernardine, now Mrs. Louis 
Evrard, of De Pere township; John, who 
died when five years old; Josephine, of 
Chicago, 111.; Eliza, of Green Bay; and 
Leona, Peter Joseph and David J., at 
home. 



PATRICK E. AND JOHN DOL- 
LARD, well-known progressive 
farmers of De Pere township. 
Brown county, were born on the 
farm where they yet make their home, 
the former in August, 1851, the latter in 
August, 1854. 

Their father, John Dollard, was born 
June 5, 1 80 1, in County Kilkenny, Ire- 
land, where he married Bridget Heffer- 
nan, and while in Ireland two children 
were born to them, viz. : Kate, now the 
wife of Joseph Whalen, postmaster at 
South Milwaukee, Wis., and Ellen, Mrs. 
Michael Murray, of St. Paul, Minn. 
About 1850 John Dollard set out, with 
his family, for America, and, sailing from 
Waterford, landed at Quebec after a 
long voyage. His brother Patrick was a 
priest in Kingston, Canada, and there the 
family remained while John proceeded 
farther west, seeking a home for them. 
After journeying over the State of Michi- 
gan, he crossed Lake Michigan to Mani- 
towoc, Wis., and thence came on foot to 
Green Bay, a distance of thirty-five 
miles, through the woods, during which 
trip he met the first wolves he had ever 
seen, and other wild animals were also 
numerous. The only road was the one 
over which the United States mail was 
carried, and frequently there was nothing 
to guide him and point out the way except 



374 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



blazed trees. After looking over the 
land around Green Bay, Mr. Dollard 
selected a tract of i6o acres, in Section 
31, De Pere township, Brown county, for 
which he paid five hundred dollars. The 
place was uncleared and totally unim- 
proved, and Mr. Dollard made a few rude 
preparations for his famil}' before return- 
ing to Canada and bringing them to their 
new home in the initlst of the forest. 
The first cabin stood about twenty rods 
from the spot where the present substan- 
tial brick residence was built in 1885. 
The father commenced the work of clear- 
ing the farm, an arduous task, and more 
especially so as during the first 3'ear he 
had no beasts of burden, and he hauled 
100,000 feet of lumber to a point on East 
river, with a hired team of cattle, before he 
became the owner of a pair of oxen. The 
first crops raised on the farm consisted of 
oats and potatoes, and for some time 
their only farming implement was a hoe. 
On this place ^fr. Dollard ]:)assed the re- 
mainder of his life, dying January 30, 
1888; he was buried in De Pere cem- 
etery. 

In his political afliliutions he was a 
Stanch Democrat, and he held almost 
every office in the gift of the township. 
He was chairman of the township, and of 
the county board; was the first township 
superintendent of schools elected under 
the new school laws, and continued to 
hold the office until it was abolished, 
being thus the only man to serve in that 
position in De Pere township. In what- 
ever capacity he acted, his service was 
ever marked by the highest ability and 
integrity and satisfactoiy discharge of his 
duties. He was a self-made man in the 
strictest sense, having won abundant suc- 
cess from a small beginning, by hard 
work and energy and application to his 
business. In his early life he had re- 
ceived a thorough education, attending 
school until he was twenty-four years old, 
and few, if any, farmers of his time and 
section were his equals in this respect. 
From the time of his settlement he re- 



sided continuously on the same farm, 
and saw it transformed from a wilderness 
abounding with wild animals to the fertile 
and productive tract it now is, taking, also, 
an active and prominent part in every 
mo\'ement of interest or benefit to his 
township generally, and was always ready 
and willing to assist any worthy enter- 
prise. He was widely and favorably 
known all over the county, and had con- 
siderable influence in his connnunitw his 
advice being sought on many questions. 
He also took a leading interest in Church 
matters, and was treasurer and trustee of 
St. Francis Catholic Church, of which he 
and his wife were both members. Mrs. 
Dollard survived her husband until April 
22, i8gi, when she was laid by his side 
in De Pere cemetery. 

Patrick E. and John Dollard were 
reared on the home farm, and received 
an education in the common schools of 
the home district. They have alwaj's re- 
mained on the homestead, which they 
now own, and where they carry on a 
general farming and stock-rairing business, 
in connection with the latter branch being 
extensive breeders of sheep. In their 
political affiliations thej' follow in the foot- 
steps of their father, manifesting great 
interest in the welfare of the Democratic 
party, but having no aspirations for office, 
as they devote their time exclusively to 
the farm. They are systematic, indus- 
trious and prosperous agriculturists, and 
quiet, unassuming men. Both are un- 
married. 



FERDINAND QUATSOE, a pros- 
perous farmer of De Pere town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native of 
Belgium, born December 8, 1847, 
son of Peter Quatsoe, and is the fourth 
in a family of five children, named re- 
spectively: Angeline, Albert, John, Ferdi- 
nand and Deziria. 

Peter Quatsoe was a farmer is his na- 
ti\'e land, in comfortable circumstances. 







XA. 



ciaS^^>^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



377 



About 1S55 he sold all his property, and 
came with his family to the United 
States, the voyage from Antwerp to New 
York, which was made on a sailing \essel, 
occupying sixty daj's. On his arrival in 
New York, Peter Ouatsoe exchanged a 
considerable amount of foreign money, 
which he had, for x\merican gold, and, in 
so doing, was observed by some truck- 
men, who, it was afterward evident, im- 
mediately planned to rob him. By mis- 
representation they induced Mr. Quatsoe 
to let them convey the family and their 
baggage to the cars, which left in two 
hours, instead of which, however, they 
took them to an obscure hotel. The 
family, becoming alarmed, refused to enter 
the hotel, and the truckmen, in trying to 
compel them, attracted the attention of a 
Belgian gentleman who lived in New 
York, and spoke both the English and Bel- 
gian languages. He stopped to ask Mr. 
Quatsoe what the trouble was, and, receiv- 
ing an explanation of the affair, called a 
policeman, who compelled the truckmen 
to carry the family to the steam ferry 
boat, which landed them at the railroad 
station, and, boarding the cars, they once 
more joined the party of countrymen with 
whom they had crossed the ocean. Their 
■destination was Green Bay, Wis., whither 
they came by rail and water, and shortly 
after their arrival Mr. Quatsoe purchased, 
in Allouez township. Brown county, forty 
acres of land along the Fox river, the 
greater part of which was heavily wooded, 
and it required no small amount of hard 
labor to clear it and reduce it to a fertile 
■condition. In connection with farming 
he also engaged in lumbering until his 
■death, which occurred in 1871. He was 
buried in Shantytown cemetery. Mrs. 
Quatsoe, who has now reached the ad- 
vanced age of eight\'-four. makes her 
home with her son Albert, in Lawrence 
township. She, as was also her husband, 
is a member of the Catholic Church. 
After the death of the father the sons 
took his real and personal property, pav- 
ang their sisters for their share. Several 

21 



j'ears previously they had embarked in 
the threshing business, operating the first 
horse-power threshing-machine in this 
section of the county; and they were also 
extensively engaged in the lumber busi- 
ness, completing several very large con- 
tracts in this line which had been secured 
b\' their father. 

Ferdinand Ouatsoe was but seven or 
eight years old when he came with the 
rest of the family to America, and such 
education as he received was obtained in 
the primitive schools which flourished in 
the neighborhood at that early day. At 
an early age he was put to work on the 
farm, assisting in the clearing of the 
same, and he resided at home, helping 
his parents, until the death of his father, 
when he commenced life on his own ac- 
count. On January i, 1880, he was 
united in marriage, in Duck Creek, to 
Miss Lizzie Ver Hulst, a native of that 
town, born July 22, 1858, daughter of 
John B. and Catherine Ver Hulst, who 
came to the United States from Belgium 
in 1854, and located in Duck Creek (now 
in Suamico township). Brown Co., Wis. 
Their voyage consumed sixty-two days, 
during which time the provisions of most 
of the emigrants were exhausted, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Ver Hulst, having plenty, 
divided with those who were less for- 
tunate. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Ouatsoe have come 
three children, namely: Fred, Peter, 
and Louisa. Immediately after marriage 
they settled on their present farm, where 
his widowed mother made her home with 
them for several years. The place now 
contains i r i acres, which, by patient toil 
and constant attention to the details of 
his work, he has reduced to a fertile con- 
dition. He is now fully engaged with his 
agricultural interests, to which he gives 
his undivided attention, and has won the 
respect of the entire community for his in- 
dustry, his honesty and his sterling worth. 
Mr. and Mrs. Quatsoe are members of 
St. Francis Catholic Church in De Pere; 
in politics he is a Democrat. 



378 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



JAMES T. MORAN, register of deeds 
at Green Bay, was born in Glen- 
more, Brown Co. , Wis , March 20, 
1856, a son of Michael and Cath- 
erine (Shea) Moran, the former a native 
of Vermont, the latter of Ireland. The 
father came to Brown county in the year 
1853, and settled on a farm in Glenmore 
township, where he has ever since made 
his home. Mr. and Mrs. Moran reared a 
family of six children, named as follows : 
Daniel, who resides in Athens, Wis. ; 
James T., the subject proper of this 
sketch; John, who lives on the old home- 
stead; Minnie, wife of H. Asselstine, of 
Ashland, Wis. ; Patrick, a resident of 
Mineral Lake, Wis., and Thomas H., who 
died December 23, 1893. 

The subject of this sketch was edu- 
cated in the sohools of Glenmore town- 
ship and Green Bay, and for fourteen 
years taught school in Brown county. In 
1890 he settled in the city of Green Bay 
and entered, as a student, the law office of 
Hood & McGruere. He was thus en- 
gaged in study, when, in 1892, he was 
elected by the Democratic party, of which 
he is a stanch member, register of deeds, 
and entered upon the performance of his 
duties in January, 1893. Mr. Moran is a 
member of the Catholic Order of Fores- 
ters, and also of the Young Men's Colum- 
bian Club. By his upright and manly 
bearing he has made for himself a host of 
friends. 



A A. L. ADKIAENSSEN. This 
well-known citizen of Green Bay, 
who was born September 10, 
1859, in Belgium, is a son of 
Anton and Sedonie (Gelbert) Adriaenssen, 
also natives of Belgium, who came to 
New York in 1872, and removed to Green 
Bay in 1874. The father was a pattern 
maker by trade, and followed same until 
his death in 1876; his widow resides with 
her son, above named, on Harvey street 
in Green Bay. But three of her nine 
children are now living: F. H., a car- 



penter by trade, residing at Kewaunee, 
Wis. ; Desire, now the wife of Jule 
Polain, and still a resident of Belgium; 
and A. A. L. , the subject of this sketch. 

A. A. L. Adriaenssen, who was thirteen 
years of age when he accompanied his 
parents to the United States, received a 
partial education in his native country, 
completing it in the schools of New "\'ork 
and Green Bay. He speaks five lan- 
guages, a fact showing that his oppcjr- 
tunities for learning were not neglected. 
Upon his arrival at Green Bay in 1874 he 
found employment as a machinist, but 
having learned the jeweler's trade he was, 
later, for some time engaged in that line 
of business on Main street. In 1891 he 
decided to change his pursuit, and ac- 
cordingly became interested in the saloon 
business, at No. 1347 Main street. In 
1883 he took to himself a wife in the 
person of Flora M. Biemeret, born at 
Peshtigo, Wis., in 1864, and daughter of 
Gregain and Bertime (Vander Vest) 
Biemeret, natives of Belgium who came 
at an early date to Wisconsin. Her 
father, who is yet living, was a member 
of the Green Bay police force for fourteen 
years. Her mother is deceased. To- 
Mr. and Mrs. Adriaenssen have been born 
three children: Pearl Irene, Felix Chase, 
and Alta. 

Mr. Adriaenssen is a member of Po- 
chequette Lodge, No. 126, K. of P. He 
has always taken an active interest in 
politics, and since attaining his majority 
has been identified with political move- 
ments in his county, always, to the best 
of his judgment, for the good of his con- 
stituents and their public affairs. An 
ardent Republican, he has been secretary 
of the county conventions of that party 
for the past ten years. He was a mem- 
ber of the city council from 1889 to 1893, 
serving four years on the finance com- 
mittee, also for the same period as chair- 
man of the committee on taverns and 
groceries, as well as for a time on the 
committee on public buildings. As alder- 
man from the Fifth ward his services have 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 



379 



been of undoubted value to the city. With 
an earnest desire for the advancement of 
his city in all respects, looking to its 
welfare and prosperity, this public-spirited 
gentleman will in the nature of things 
continue to be a useful citizen. 



ORIN S. IvITTELL. This gentle- 
man, one of the prosperous agri- 
culturists of De Pere township, 
Brown county, was born Novem- 
ber I, 1836, in Binghamton, Broome 
Co., N. Y., and is descended from sturdy 
New England ancestry. Grandfather Kit- 
tell was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
during which struggle he was wounded 
and was obliged to use crutches the re- 
mainder of his life. By trade he was a 
weaver. 

William F. I\ittell, father of our sub- 
ject, was born in Massachusetts, where he 
learned tanning and glove-making. From 
here he removed to Binghamton, N. Y., 
where he followed his trades until 1848 or 
1849, when he took up his residence on a 
farm near Colesville,for which he had trad- 
ed. He had married, in Massachusetts, Miss 
Eliza Collins, who was also born in that 
State, daughter of John Collins, and to 
their union came children as follows : 
Juliette, who died when eleven years old; 
Amasa D., a resident of Sheboygan Falls, 
Wis.; John H., who died at Sheboygan 
Falls, in 1893, aged sixty-four years; 
Nancy A., who married Samuel Rouns- 
ville, and died at Sheboygan Falls in 
1892; Harriet, wife of Norman F. Pierce, 
justice of the peace and government 
guager at Sheboygan Falls; Edgar, who 
died in 1859 at Meeme, Manitowoc Co., 
Wis. ; Ethan, a mechanic, of La Crosse, 
Wis., where he is foreman in a carriage 
factory; Orin S.. whose name introduces 
this sketch; Jennie, now the wife of Capt. 
A. J. Lumsden, of Sheboygan Falls; and 
Augusta, deceased in infancy. Mr. Kit- 
tell resided on the farm until 1853, in the 
early summer of which year he disposed 
of all his property, and came west to 



Wisconsin, bringing his wife and the two 
children who were yet living at home — 
Orin S. and Jennie. He had been per- 
suaded to come hither by his son-in-law, 
Samuel Rounsville, an Indian trader and 
extensive landowner, who, with his brother 
Albert, made the first permanent settle- 
ment in Sheboygan Falls; Albert Rouns- 
ville built the first sawmill in Sheboygan 
count}-. The family journeyed by rail to 
Buffalo, thence by boat to Sheboygan, 
Wis., where they landed in July, 1853. 
At Sheboygan Falls Mr. Kittell purchased 
several lots and ten acres of improved 
land, and here commenced to follow the 
carpenter's trade, a knowledge oi which 
he had acquired, though he never served 
an apprenticeship at same; but he was a 
natural mechanic, and for many years 
even made his own shoes. In Sheboygan 
Falls he followed carpentry until his death, 
which occurred in 1882; his wife survived 
him three years, and their remains now 
rest in the cemetery at that place. Both 
were members of the Baptist Church, Mr. 
Kittell for over fifty years; in his political 
preferences he was originallj' a Whig, 
later a Republican, but he took little or 
no interest in politics, giving his attention 
exclusively to his business interests. 

Orin S. Kittell received a common- 
school education in the schools of Bing- 
hamton, N. Y. , and later attended high 
school. When seventeen years old he 
came with his father to Sheboygan Falls, 
Wis. , where he commenced to learn the 
blacksmith trade under Mark Brainerd, 
serving an apprenticeship of ten months. 
He then went to Chicago with his brother 
Amasa to work on the Chicago & North 
Western railroad, and, through the influ- 
ence of a relative, Orin obtained a situa- 
tion as fireman, continuing thus for four 
months, and then for a time worked with 
the construction crew between Fox River 
(111.) and Silver Lake (Wis.). Returning 
to Sheboygan Falls, he commenced driv- 
ing the stage running from that town to 
Fond du Lac (a distance of forty-two 
miles), his drive being to Plymouth (fif- 



38o 



COMMEMOIIATIVE BIOUnAPIIICAI. UECORD. 



teen miles), but healso covered the whole 
distance by r'jlaj's. He was engaged in 
this for two years, and next obtained em- 
ployment in the livery stable of John De- 
Bass, of Sheboygan, for about a year and 
a half, after which he went to Manitowoc 
county, and for one winter worked in the 
lumber regions for his brother-in-law, 
Samuel Kounsville. 

On April 13, 1.S5S, Mr. Kittell was 
married, in St. Nazianz, Wis., to Miss 
Catherine Tracy, who was born Februar\- 
3, 1841, in Kings county, Ireland, daugh- 
ter of Patrick and Mary (Malloy) Tracy. 
They came to the United States in 1851, 
sailing from Liverpool on the " \\'illiam 
Rathbone," a Black Star liner, and, after 
a voyage of eight weeks, landed in New 
York City. From there they proceeded 
to Buffalo, N. Y. , where they remained 
one year, and in 1854 came to Liberty 
township, Manitowoc Co., Wis., locating 
on an unimproved farm, where Mrs. Kit- 
tell resided until her marriage. After 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kittell lived 
in a log house at Meeme, Manitowoc 
county, where he was employed in saw- 
mills as a saw filer, and in various other 
capacities, for several years. In 1864 he 
enlisted at Fond du Lac in the Fourth 
Wisconsin Cavalry, was sent to Baton 
Rouge, La., and participated in his first 
engagement under Col. Moore. He next 
went to Mobile, and was present at the 
fall of that city; marched through Ala- 
bama and Georgia; returned to Mont- 
gomery, Ala., thence to Vicksburg, thence 
to Shreveport, and from there to Browns- 
ville, Texas. He returned sick to Baton 
Rouge, and after his recovery was de- 
tailed as orderly to the colonel of the 
Eighth Cavalry, carrying discharges to 
hospitals. In 1865 he was discharged at 
St. Louis, and came back to his home 
with his health much impaired by ex- 
posure and hardship. 

Some time after his return from the 
army Mr. Kittell resumed work as a saw 
filer, and followed same until 1871, when 
he removed to Green Ba\-, and in the fall 



of the same year located on a farm in 
Glenmore township. Brown county, in 
addition to his agricultural work engaging 
in saw-milling and hauling coal. In the 
fall of 1882 he purchased and removed 
upon his present farm in De Pere town- 
ship (situated in Sections 32 and 33), then 
comprising fifty-three acres, which he has 
since added to until it now contains 
ninety-five acres. Since Mr. Kittell has 
resided here V.e has greatly improved the 
home and farm, and he conducts a suc- 
cessful general farming business. He has 
also been engaged in charcoal-burning, 
and has done no small amount of work in 
this line for the National Furnace Com- 
pany, of De Pere. In his political pref- 
erences our subject is a staunch Repub- 
lican, and takes great interest in the suc- 
cess of the party, of whose movements 
he keeps himself well informed. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Kittell have been 
born children as follows: William O. , a 
liveryman, of De Pere, who is married 
and has two children; Lawrence, who is 
an engineer on the Lake Shore & West- 
ern railroad; Mary E. , Mrs. John Dun- 
bar, of Liberty, Manitowoc county; Ed- 
ward, of Kaukauna, a fireman on the 
Lake Shore & Western railroad; Cather- 
ine, Mrs. Albert Handeyside, of Menasha, 
Wis. ; John E., who is attending the State 
University at Madison, Wis. ; E. Jennie, 
at home, who attends the De Pere high 
school; Charles C, at home, and Daniel 
E., who died when five years and seven 
months old. Mrs. Kittell is a member of 
St. Francis Catholic Church at De Pere. 
The entire family are highly respected in 
the community in which they reside, 
where they are leaders in every enter- 
prise for ad\'ancement or improvement. 



FRANK SNYDER has been en- 
gaged in the livery business in 
Green Bay since 1886, and is one 
of the leading men of his calling 
in the city and county. 

He was born in Washington county, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



381 



N. Y. , May 2. 1852, one of the family of 
nine children of Levi and Helner Louise 
Snyder, the other eight being George and 
Washington, both of Idaho; Adeline, 
Mrs. H. Humphrey, of Iowa; Marion; 
John; Emma; Fred, now in Minnesota, 
and Lewis, who died in infancy. Frank 
Snyder was but fifteen years of age when 
he left the parental roof to seek his for- 
tune. He first went to Michigan, and 
was engaged in railroading until 1886, 
when he came to Green Bay and estab- 
lished his present livery business, in which 
he has been so successful — owning at the 
present moment the best stables, prob- 
ably, to be found in the city. 

Mr. Sn3'der was married, December 
29, 1879, to Miss Mary A., daughter of 
Barney McLaughlin, and the eldest in a 
family of five children, who lost their 
mother when they were little more than 
infants. Margaret, Catherine and Eliza- 
beth are the names of her sisters; her 
only brother is deceased. The father of 
Mrs. Snyder was a hotel-keeper, and for 
years had been a railroad man. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Snyder have been born five 
children, namely: Bernard G., Freder- 
ick, Earl, May R. and Franklin, of whom 
four are attending school. The family 
are Catholic in religion, while fraternally 
Mr. Snyder is a member of Washington 
Lodge, No. 21, F. & A. M. ; Warren 
Chapter, No. 8, R. A. M. ; and Palestine 
Consistory, No. 20. The business suc- 
cess of Mr. Snyder is a result of his own 
individual attention to his affairs, and his 
urbanity and straightforward treatment 
of his patrons, who have never known 
him to misrepresent the quality, conduct 
or performance of his stock under any 
circumstances. 



JOHN EISENMAN, who during his 
lifetime was one of the well-known 
farmers and extensive land-owners 
of De Pere township. Brown county, 
was born April 10, 1817, in Bavaria, Ger- 



many. He received an education in the 
common schools, and learned the butch- 
er's trade, at which he worked in Leipsic 
for ten years. 

About 1845 Mr. Eiscnman emigrated 
from his native country to the United 
States, and, finding employment at his 
trade in New York, remained there one 
winter. Having saved some money, he 
removed farther west, but work was 
scarce and he could earn but eight dollars 
per month at his trade, although he was 
an adept. However, he was willing to do 
any honest labor, and, obtaining employ- 
ment on a canal in western Pennsylvania, 
then in course of construction, received 
one dollar a day, boarding himself. He 
ne.xt went to Illinois, and for a short 
time worked in slaughter houses at Chi- 
cago and Peoria. About 1847 he came to 
Green Bay, Wis., and, with a few dollars, 
left of his hard-earned savings, formed a 
partnership with Frank Hagemeister in 
the butcher business on Washington 
street, in which he continued two years. 
About 1850 he purchased from his brother 
Michael 160 acres in Eaton township, 
which the latter had received for his serv- 
ices in the Mexican war. There was not 
even a house on this place, which was 
yet in its primitive state, not a tree hav- 
ing been felled at that time, and wild 
animals still abounded in the forests, such 
game as bears, deer, wolves, etc., being^ 
very plentiful. Mr. Eisenman spent two 
summers on the place, clearing and im- 
proving it, during the winter seasons go- 
ing to Chicago and Peoria, 111., where he 
followed his trade, for being a most in- 
dustrious man, he took every opportunity 
to earn money to pay for his land. 

On April 10, 1853, he was married, in 
Green Bav, to Miss Apollonia Barth, 
born April 20, 1837. in Bavaria, Ger- 
many, daughter of Christoph and Mag- 
dalena Barth, who came to the United 
States in 1849, sailing from Havre, on the 
"Oregon," and landing in New York 
after a voyage of four weeks. Their 
destination was Green Bay, Wis., so they 



38^ 



com.^kmohativp: vioouai'hical record. 



proceeded b}' way of the Erie canal 
to Buffalo, N. v., from there by the 
steamer " Michigan " to Milwaukee, Wis., 
and thence by propeller to Green Bay. 
They located in Scott township. Brown 
count}-. Mr. and Mrs. Eiseninan first com- 
menced housekeeping in Eaton township 
in a log house he had built before his 
marriage, and which is still standing. In 
December, 1869. he removed to the farm 
where he died March i, 1882, at which 
time he was the owner of 270 acres of 
land. Fur thirteen years before his death 
he was postmaster at Pine Grove, and he 
also conducted a hotel and saloon for the 
accommodation of travelers along the 
Manitowoc road. He was buried in the 
cemetery in the southeast corner of De- 
Pere township. In religious connection 
he was a member of the Lutheran Church 
at Green Bay; politically he was a Re- 
publican, and held the office of township 
clerk for si.xteen years. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Eisenman were born children as follows: 
Christoph, deceased in infancy; John C. , 
a farmer of De Pere township; Lena, now 
Mrs. Andrew Eisenman, of North Dakota; 
Maggie, wife of Louis Schone, of Hum- 
boldt township; Mary, wife of Richard 
Schone, of Humboldt; Amelia. Mrs. Otto 
Langosch, of Glenmore; Andrew A., of 
Bellevue; Henry E. and Fred A., at 
home; Emma, of Chicago; and Lessetta, 
at home. 

Mr. Eisenman came to the United 
States a poor boy, with no capital but 
health and energy and a determination 
to succeed. But he was honest, and ever 
ready to work, and his success shows 
what may be accomplished by energy and 
perseverance. He became one of the 
most extensive landowners in his town- 
ship, and he was much esteemed by all 
who knew him, becoming one of the 
leading German citizens of his section. 
His widow, who has continued to make 
her home on the farm since his death, is 
also held in high respect; her careful and 
economical management of the household 
affairs was no small factor in her husband'^ 



success, and she deserves great credit for 
the part she has taken in the accumulation 
of their property. She is a member of 
the Lutheran Church. The farm is now 
conducted by her two youngest sons, 
Henr\' E. and Fred A. 



FRANK C. SMITH, of Green Bay, 
was born in Fort Howard, Brown 
Co., Wis. , in 1852,3 son of Michael 
B. and Josephine (Forsyth) Smith, 
the former of whom was born in Ger- 
many, but in early life came to America 
and took part in the war with Mexico, 
winning a medal for meritorious service 
on the field of Chapultepec. 

Michael B. Smith married in Fort 
Howard, and engaged in the grocery, 
liquor and fur trade. In 1856 or 1857 
he moved to Sugar Creek, Door Co., 
Wis. , and embarked in general merchan- 
dising, which he continued until 1867 or 
1868, when he settled in Green Bay, and 
here bought what is now the "Adams 
Hou.se," but retired in 1872. While at 
Sugar Creek he was postmaster and town- 
ship trustee, also a justice of the peace 
of Door county. His death took place at 
Fort Howard in December, 1877, that of 
his widow in December, 1891. Mrs. 
Josephine (Forsyth) Smith first came to 
Brown county in 1832, was married to 
John Snavely, who located on the site of 
the "Bay City House ; " after his death 
she was married to Michael B. Smith. 
By the first marriage there were born 
George A., proprietor of the "Adams 
House; " Louisa, wife of David Coffin, of 
Gardner, Door Co., Wis. ; Lewis C, who 
enlisted in the Seventeenth Wis. V. I., 
and died in Memphis, Tenn. To the 
second marriage were born Frank C. , 
Nsllie, wife of Louis Bender, of the Red 
Banks, Wis., and O. W. Smith, purchas- 
ingagent for Valentine Clark Co., Chicago. 
Frank C. Smith was reared and edu- 
cated in Green Bay, and began business 
in the employ of the Manufacturers' & 
Builders' Supply Co. In 1873 he went 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



383 



to Michagamme, Mich., where he en- 
gaged in the Hquor business with George 
A. Snavely; in 1874 he returned to Green 
Bay, and was employed as clerk at the 
"Adams House" until 1879; then went 
west, and was employed as first pantry- 
man on the "Dakota," plying between 
Bismarck, D. T. ,and Fort Benton, Mont. 
Returning to Green Bay he was engaged 
by Hon. D. M. Kelly to act under T. P. 
Bingham, private secretary for D. M. 
Kelly, general manager of the Green Bay, 
Winona & St. Paul railroad. After the 
<ieath of T. P. Bingham in 1884. Mr. 
Smith took up the liquor business in 
Green Bay, and is now proprietor of ' ' The 
Office," No. 123 Washington street. 



AB. GONION, dealer in farming 
implements, and one of the best- 
known farmers of Scott township. 
Brown county, is a native of the 
county, born February 20, 1847, in 
Green Bay. 

John B. Gonion, his father, was born 
in St. Francis, Canada, and was of French 
descent, his father having been born in 
France. He engaged in farming in his 
native country until 1834, in which year 
he came to Green Bay, Wis., and here 
married Miss Mary Brunnett, who was 
also of French extraction. To their union 
were born children as follows: A. B., 
who is mentioned farther on; Dominick, 
■of Iron Mountain, Wis. ; Samuel, of Rhine- 
lander, Wis. ; Mary, Mrs. Theodore Cham- 
pou, of Wallace, Mich. ; Louisa, Mrs. 
Abraham LaClare, of Menominee, Mich. ; 
Joseph, of Rhinelander, Wis. ; Kate, Mrs. 
John Burkhardt, of Kaukauna, Wis. ; 
Edward, a farmer of Scott township. 
Brown county; and others who are de- 
ceased. In an early day John B. Gonion 
removed to Scott township, and he and 
his wife are now living in Bay Settle- 
ment, he at the age of eighty years. In 
religion he is a Catholic, and in politics a 
Democrat. 

A. B. Gonion received a somewhat 



limited education in his youth, and when 
but nine years of age commenced to work, 
driving team and hauling lime to Green 
Bay, remaining at home and turning all 
his earnings over to his parents. On May 
20, 1864, then but little over seventeen 
years of age, he enlisted at Bay Settle- 
ment in Company G. Forty-first Wis. V. 
I., was sent to Milwaukee, and thence to 
the seat of war, the first engagement he 
participated in being at Memphis, Tenn. 
The command proceeded from there to 
Old Spring, Tenn., thence to La Grange, 
and then back to Memphis, where Mr. 
Gonion was discharged from the service 
January 25, 1865, being mustered out in 
Milwaukee, and retm-ning to the parental 
roof, where he remained until his marriage. 
On June 9, 1866, he wedded Miss 
Emily Champou. who was born in Bay 
Settlement, daughter of Philip Champou, 
a French Canadian, and to this marriage 
were born eight children, viz. : Napoleon 
H., Hubert, Joseph, Mary, Emily, differ, 
Rosa, and Robert, all living. The mother 
of these was called from earth August 6, 
1887, and Mr. Gonion subsequently mar- 
ried Miss Emily Crevier, who is a native 
of Scott township, daughter of Francis 
Crevier. To this union have come four 
children: Mamie (living), and three that 
died voung. After his marriage our sub- 
ject commenced farming, and followed 
that exclusively until 1880, when he also 
engaged in the sale of farming imple- 
ments, establishing his store on Main 
street, in the city of Green Bay. He has 
continued in this business ever since, 
meeting with gratifying success, and is 
now agent for the Osborne reapers and 
other farm machinery; for fourteen years 
he handled the "Minnesota Chief" 
thresher, and the "Chamberlain Stump 
Puller," as well as many other leading 
makes in the same line. Politically a 
Republican, Mr. Gonion has for the past 
seven years been the efficient chairman of 
Scott township, and he is widely and 
favorably known throughout his section 
of Brown county, having also an exten- 



3B4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



sive acquaintance in other counties. So- 
cially he is a member of the G. A. R., 
T. O. Howe Post, No. 124, Green Ha}-. 
In religious faith he is a member of the 
Bay Settlement Catholic Church. 



DMDKICK OTTO ANDERSEN, 
farmer and butcher of New Den- 
mark township. Brown county, 
was born April 13, 1844, in the 
Kingdom of Denmark. His parents, An- 
drus and Paulina (Nelson) Carlsen, had 
seven children, viz. : John, Peter, Christ, 
Catherine, Olof, Lars and Dedrick Otto. 
The father, who was a successful fisher- 
man, died when our subject was but a 
year and a half old. 

Dedrick Otto Andersen engaged in 
sailing, fishing and hunting from the time 
he was seventeen jears old until he 
reached the age of twenty-two, when 
he came to America. Sailing from 
Liverpool, he landed at Ouebec and 
immediately came to New Denmark 
township, Brown Co. , Wis. , after a 
few days going to Fort Howard, where 
he was employed in a sawmill one 
month. From there he went to Oconto, 
where he worked si.\ months in sawmills, 
and then, after spending two weeks in 
Ripon, Wis., went to Pensaukee to work 
in the lumber woods. He remained there 
three years, in the employ of Mr. Thomp- 
son, and at the end of that time came to 
New Denmark and invested in eighty acres 
of wild land, shortly afterward disposing 
of half of this tract. After clearing part 
of his land he exchanged it for property 
on the De Pere road, and opened a butcher 
business, which he has conducted ever 
since. In 1876 he purchased the forty 
acres of cleared land in New Denmark 
township, on which he has ever since re- 
sided, engaging in farming as 'well as 
butchering. In 1892 he slaughtered 200 
head of cattle, besides other stock, and 
has been very successful in all his busi- 
ness operations. 

Mr. Andersen was married in New 



Denmark township, to Miss Anna C. 
Paulsen, daughter of Paul and Sarah 
(Olesonj Nelson, the former of whom was 
a butcher; he had four children, Peter, 
Ole, Anna C. and Nels, of whom Anna C. 
crossed the ocean in 1869, landing in Que- 
bec; she came to Green Bay, where she 
remained about one year, and then passed a 
year in Eaton, Brown county. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Andersen have been born seven chil- 
dren, as follows : Sofus. Charles, Sarah, 
Almine, Mary, Olof and Emma. Politi- 
cally Mr. Andersen was originally a Re- 
publican, but has supported the Prohibi- 
tion party since its organization. Though 
not an office seeker, he has been elected to 
various positions of trust, has served his 
township faithfully as supervisor, and is 
now a member of the school board. 



FH. FULLER, the popular and 
trusted agent of the United States 
Express Co., at Green Bay, was 
born in Peoria, 111., in 1865. His 
father, Marvin O. Fuller, is a native of 
New York, and was married in Peoria, 
111., to Miss Emma C. Evans, a native of 
Pennsylvania, and whose father is a mem- 
ber of the Peoria (111.) Candy Companj'. 
Our subject, after receiving a very 
good education in the public schools of 
his native city, entered the emplo}' of the 
United States Express Co. in 1880, as 
clerk, and for thirteen years has been 
constant in the performance of his duties 
in various capacities, not having lost even 
one day from illness. In December, 1887, 
he came to Green Bay as messenger on 
the route between this city and Winona, 
Minn., but a few months later was ap- 
pointed route agent for the company, and 
then (1888), express agent at Green Bay, 
on the lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee & 
St. Paul, the Green Bay, Winona & St. 
Paul, and the Kewaunee, Green Bay & 
Western, winning in each position the 
confidence of the company, and each 
year advancing in the esteem of its patrons. 
Mr. Fuller was married, in Mitchell, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3S5 



Iowa, August 26, 1892, to Miss Emma C. 
Vanderpool, a daughter of C. A. Vander- 
pool, of that place. In poHtics our sub- 
ject is a stanch Repubhcan, and frater- 
nally he is a member of Twin City Lodge, 
No. 25, K. O. T. M. He is universally 
recognized as being one of the foremost 
of the young and promising residents of 
Green Bay, and as being made of that 
stuff which constitutes the best materials 
for aiding in the building up of a moral 
and progressive community. 



HM. HITTNER, M. D., the well- 
known physician and surgeon, of 
Green Bay, was born in Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, in 1868, a son of Dr. 
H. M. and Margaret (Doherty) Hittner. 
The father was a native of Germany, 
was educated at Munich, and at twenty 
years of age located in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where he began practice. Through the 
Civil war he was assistant surgeon to 
Prof. Kepler, and after its close resumed 
his residence in Cincinnati, where he was 
for several years chief clinical assistant to 
Prof. Bartholow. He moved to Milwau- 
kee, Wis., in 1877, whence he moved to 
Two Rivers, Wis., where he died in 1892, 
and where his widow, a native of Ohio, 
still resides. They were the parents of 
six children, as follows: Lizzie, wife of 
H. W. Luckon, of St. Paul, Minn.; Dr. 
James, residing in Sej'mour, Outagamie 
Co., Wis. ; Maggie, married to J. R. Zet- 
tleman, of Chicago, 111. ; Dr. H. M., sub- 
ject of this sketch; Kate and Bertha. 

Our subject was nine years of age 
when taken by his parents to Milwaukee, 
and twelve years old when the}' moved to 
Two Rivers, in 1880. His early educa- 
tion was received at Milwaukee, and in 
1882 he graduated from the high school 
at Two Rivers; he next attended Cincin- 
nati Business College, from which he 
graduated in 1884. He then read medi- 
cine with his father until prepared to 
enter Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
New York, in which he took one course, 



1889-90, and this was followed by three 
consecutive courses at Rush Medical 
College, Chicago, 111. , from which he 
was graduated with the class of 1893, im- 
mediately after which he became the asso- 
ciate of Dr. Minahan, devoting his fore- 
noons to practice at St. Vincent's Hopital„ 
and his afternoons to office practice. The 
Doctor has built up a lucrative practice at 
Green Bay, making a specialty of surgery 
in connection with general routine duties. 
He is equally popular with his fellow- 
professionals as with the public, and is a 
member of the Fox River Medical Society. 



M 



RS. ELSIE JORGENSEN was 
born December 15, 1852, in 
Denmark, daughter of Christ 
and Anna (Nelson) Jensen, the 
former of whom was a successful farmer. 
The\' had a family of nine children, viz. : 
Niels, James, Christ, Jens C, Dorothea, 
Elsie, Angeline, Anna and Mary. Elsie 
received all her education in Denmark, 
and when seventeen years old came to 
America, joining her parents in New Den- 
mark township. Brown Co., Wis., whither 
they had preceded her. About a year 
later she was united in marriage with 
Hans Jorgensen, a farmer of New Den- 
mark township, and took up her resi- 
dence on the farm where she has ever 
since resided, consisting of 120 acres of 
excellent land. At that time it was only 
partly cleared, but Mr. Jorgensen labored 
earnestly to reduce the place to a condi- 
tion of fertilit}', and successfully con- 
ducted a general farming business up to 
the time of his death, which occurred 
December 15, 1892. He left a family of 
eight children, namely: Arthur, Walter, 
Elsie (Mrs. Herman Lange) Emma, Dag- 
mar, Alexander, Alvina and Jurgena, of 
whom Arthur, the eldest, now attends to 
the affairs on the home place. The en- 
entire family are held in the highest es- 
teem among their fellow citizens in New 
Denmark township. In religious faith 
they are Lutherans. 



386 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



CHARLES MEISTER has been 
superintendent of the Park at 
(ireen Bay since June 3, 1890, 
but is a carpenter and contractor 
"by occupation. He was born in Germany 
in 1852, and is a son of Christoph and 
Dorothea (Morlagj Meister, who came to 
Green Bay in 1853, the father being now 
the oldest contractor in the city. 

Charles Meister was reared and edu- 
cated in Green Bay, and here served an 
apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, 
which, in connection with contracting, he 
followed until appointed to his present 
position. This park comprises tifty-eight 
acres, and contains an exhibition building, 
a club house, a grand stand, and one of 
the best half-mile tracks in the State, as 
well as quite a number of animals; it is 
al.so contemplated to build, in addition, a 
$10,000 club house. Mr. Meister is a 
Republican in politics, is a member of the 
Royal Arcanum, Order of Tonti, German 
Benevolent Society, and of the Turn- 
verein. His marriage took place in Green 
Bay, in 1881, to Miss Frances Peters, a 
native of Kewaunee county. Wis., and a 
daughter of John Peters. Five children 
were born to this union, as follows: Lillie, 
Clare, Louis and Flora, still living, and 
Carl, deceased. As will be seen, Mr. 
Meister is a member of one of the early 
families of the county, and he has himself 
seen many changes take place since his 
childhood. He has always taken great 
interest in the welfare of the city and 
county, and his life has been such as to 
win the respect of all who know him, as 
well as a fine reputation with the general 
public. 



ARNOLD CORSTENS. Amongthe 
many industrious, loyal citizens 
which the little Kingdom of Hol- 
land has given to Brown county, 
may be mentioned this gentleman, who 
is a thrifty, well-to-do farmer of Scott 
township. 

John Corstens, father of Arnold, was 



born in Holland, September 10, 18 10, 
and there learned the trades of shoemaker 
and tanner. He was married in his na- 
tive country to Dora Steegs, who was 
born there in August, 181 5, and they be- 
came the parents of the following named 
children: Arnold (whose name opens this 
sketch), Peter (a farmer of Scott town- 
ship), Catherine (Mrs. Joseph Lernuzen, 
of De Pere), all three born in Holland, 
and Hendrika, born in America, now 
Mrs. Joseph Allorn, of Door county, 
Wis. ; there were other children, who died 
when young. At the time of his mar- 
riage John Corstens was engaged in a 
prosperous business, but, in 1854, be- 
lieving that the New World offered bet- 
ter advantages to himself and family, he 
disposed of his interests and emigrated. 
They proceeded to Liverpool, England, 
in the spring of that year, sailing from 
that port on a vessel bound for New York, 
where they arrived after a voyage of si.x 
or seven weeks, and immediately after land- 
ing came to Wisconsin, passing their first 
winter in Milwaukee, where the father 
found employment at his trade. They 
then came to Green Bay, Brown countj', 
for about a 3'ear living on rented property, 
at the end of which time they removed 
to Bav Settlement, Scott township, where 
Mr. Corstens purchased six acres of land, 
on which there was a small log dwelling. 
In this house the family resided for some 
time, and he also engaged in shoemaking 
there to some extent, in connection con- 
ducting a small tannery until within a 
short time before his death. In later 
years he purchased more land, and with 
the help of his sons gathered a property 
of eighty-three acres. He was laid to 
rest in August, 1876, in Bay Settlement 
cemeterv, where his wife also rests, she 
following him to the grave December 18, 
1889. Both were members of the Cath- 
olic Church, and in politics he was a 
Democrat, taking but little active interest, 
however, in such matters. 

Arnold Corstens was born January i, 
1847, ^if^ was but a child when he came 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGHAFUWAL RECORD. 



38/ 



with his parents to Wisconsin. He 



commenced tr 



oing 



to school in Scott 



township, and received all his education 
in the primitive institutions of learning in 
vogue in those pioneer days, attending 
until he reached the age of about fifteen 
years, when he began to work on the 
home farm. In addition to his agricul- 
tural duties he learned the trade of shoe- 
maker under his father, and also engaged 
in tanning in the old way. Being the 
eldest son, he had much to do, and he 
faithfully assisted his parents, always re- 
maining on the home farm, the manage- 
ment of which devolved upon , him after 
the death of his father, and he carried it 
on for his mother during her lifetime. 
Since her decease he and his brother 
Peter have been working together, and 
the present fertile condition of the place, 
which now comprises 230 broad acres, is 
principally due to their industry and un- 
ceasing attention to all the details of 
their work. 

On June 19, 1876, Mr. Corstens was 
marriei to Miss Cornelia Busch, who was 
born in Green Bay, February 6, 1856, 
daughter of Herman J. Busch, a native 
of Germany. To this union have been 
born children as follows: John, Her- 
man, Dora, Rosa, Henry, Mary, Lena, 
George, and Andrew, all living, and 
Peter and Joseph, who died in infancy. 
In his political preferences Mr. Corstens 
is a member of the Democratic party, 
but gives no time to politics, being fully 
occupied with his business affairs. In 
religion he and his wife are members of 
the Bay Settlement Catholic Church. 



REV. JACOBUS BOZMACK was 
born May i, 1848, in Austria, son 
of Valentine and Constantia Boz- 
mack, who had a family of eight 
■children, all of whom are deceased ex- 
cept our subject. The parents both died 
in their native country. 

Jarobus Bozmack received his early 
education in the common-schools of the 



land of his birth, and, at the age of 
twenty-seven years, entered the priest- 
hood. In 1893 he came to America, 
and after a very rough voyage landed in 
New York City, thence coming directly 
to his charge in Eaton township. Brown 
County, Wisconsin. 



JOSEPH HEBERT, vice-president 
and general manager of the Green 
Bay Carriage Co., is a native of 
Quebec, Canada, born in 1850, of 
French ancestry. His parents, Julian 
and Sophia (Jarard) Hebert, also natives 
of Canada, died in Cohoes, New York. 

Our subject first came to Green Bay, 
Wis., in 1869, thence moved to Missouri 
and learned carriage-making; in 1872 
he went to New York, thence to Chicago; 
then again took up his residence in New 
York and other eastern cities, where he 
worked in car shops, etc , until 1877, the 
}'ear of his coming to Green Bay, with 
which city he has been identified ever 
since — a period now of some eighteen 
years. In 1877 he commenced work in 
the repair shops, and in 1879 entered the 
manufacturing department of the firm of 
Wagner, Chartrand & Co., on Pine street; 
in 1883 the firm style was changed to 
Wagner, Suavely & Co.; in 1886 Mr. 
Snavely sold his interest to Wagner & 
Hebert, and under this name the business 
was conducted until the organization of 
the Green Bay Carriage Co., which took 
place in 1890, with A. Weise as president, 
H. B. Baker as secretary and treasurer, 
and Joseph Hebert as vice-president and 
manager, the object being to manufacture 
all kinds of carriage work. They have 
an extraordinarily fine plant, it being a 
two-story brick building, i 26 feet frontage 
on Adams street and 160 feet frontage on 
Cedar street, giving employment to fifty 
hands. This extensive establishment is 
considered to be one of the conspicuous 
industrial plants of the city, and is looked 
upon with much pride. 

Mr. Hebert was married in Cohoes, 



38S 



COMMEMOUAriVE BIOGRAPUICAL liECORD. 



N. Y., in 1871, to Matilda Manviile, a 
native of Quebec, Canada, and this uniun 
has been blessed with six children, viz.: 
Rosa, Henry, Lydia, Eva, Liz/ic and 
Philemon. Fraternall)' Mr. Hebert is a 
member of Washinfjtoii Lodge, \o. 21, 
F. & A. M., and of the Modern Wood- 
men; in politics he is a Republican, but 
is by no means an office-seeker. Having 
been for many years a resident of Green 
Bay, he has, of course, witnessed its 
giant strides in the march of improve- 
ment, and not one of its citizens takes 
greater delight than he in its progress. 
The family is recognized for its refine- 
ment and gracious manners, and is highly 
esteemed. 



WILLI.VM KENNEDY, chief of 
the Fire Department of Green 
Bay, was born, in 1862. in 
Canada. His parents, Henry 
and Mary fFitz Gibbons) Kennedy, also 
natives of the Dominion, came, in 1872, 
to Wisconsin, and settled on a farm in 
Forestville township, Door county, the 
tract comprising 800 acres, of which, only 
fifteen acres were cleared. On this farm 
the parents still reside. They had born 
to them nine children, viz. : Ann, de- 
ceased; Sarah, deceased; Mary; Ella; 
Cornelius; James, deceased; William, our 
subject; Henry, deceased; and Michael. 
William Kennedy rendered consider- 
able assistance to his father in making 
the Door county farm habitable and 
profitable, and, at about the time of his 
majority, went to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 
shortly afterward, in 1887, moving to 
Menominee, Mich., where he was con- 
nected with the Fire Department five 
years. From that point he came to 
Green Bay, and here organized the paid 
Fire Department. From his exhaustive 
report to the common coimcil for the 
year ending December 31, 1893, the fol- 
lowing extracts are made as showing the 
effective equipment of the Department: 
Twelve active members, besides the chief; 



seven horses; one Amoskeag fire engine; 
three hose carts, to be drawn by two 
horses; one hook and ladder truck; two 
sleighs, for winter use; one set of truck 
bobs; two hand hose carts; 3,500 feet of 
two and one-half inch cotton lead hose, 
in first-class condition; 1,500 feet of two 
and one-half inch rubber lead hose, in 
good condition; two exercise wagons; two 
six-gallon extinguishers; two three-gallon 
extinguishers. 

In commenting on the service ren- 
dered by the Department, the chief re- 
marks: "I take pleasure in congratu- 
lating the citizens of Green Bay on the 
fact that they have escaped serious loss 
by fires during the past year. This goes 
to show the value of a Paid Department, 
by their prompt action in responding to 
the several alarms, and the successful 
way in which fires were handled. Al- 
though the Department has responded to 
thirty-se\en alarms of fire, the total loss 
paid by insurance companies aggregate 
only $14,855.65; a fact which shows the 
great value of a well-equipped Depart- 
ment." It is to be regretted that the 
scope of this sketch affords no room for 
further extracts from this valuable re- 
port. 

The marriage of \\'illiam Kennedy 
took place in Menominee, Mich., in 1891, 
to Miss Eliza Hayes, who was born in 
Saginaw county, Mich., a daughter of 
Martin and Mary (Waters) Hayes, natives 
of Canada. The two children born to 
\\'il]iain Kennedy and his wife are named 
Gladdics and Martin Joseph. In his 
fraternal relations Mr. Kennedy belongs 
to the Royal Arcanum; in religion he 
and his wife are members of St. John's 
Catholic Church. 



JOHN VAN VONDEREN, one of 
the self-made prosperous agricultur- 
ists of Rockland township, Brown 
county, is a native of Holland, born 
July 9, 1835, son of John Van Vonderen, 
a farmer, who died when our subject was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



3S9 



nine years old. He was twice married, 
and left seven small children, two sons by 
his first wife, and four sons and a daugh- 
ter by his second, John being the eldest 
chi -d born to the second marriage. 

The family lived on a rented farm, and 
the children commenced to work as soon 
as they could be of assistance, so that 
John had very limited opportunities for 
an education, attending school but little 
after his father's death. In 1862 he 
married Miss Joanna De Groot, who was 
born June 3, 1835, in Holland, and in 
that country three children were born to 
them: John, who is now a farmer of Rock- 
land township; Barney, of De Pere, and 
Catherine, Mrs. Peter De Hoble, of De- 
Pere. In 1867 Mr. \'an Vonderen sold 
what property he had in Holland, and 
sailed with his family from Rotterdam to 
Glasgow, where they embarked on a vessel 
bound for New York, in which city they 
arrived after a stormy voyage of twenty- 
three days. They immediately set out 
for Wisconsin, and on May 6 arrived at 
Little Chute, Outagamie county, where 
they rented land and made their home 
for two years. On March 12, 1869, they 
came to Rockland township, Brown 
county, and purchased (on credit) a tract 
of eighty acres, thirty of which had been 
cleared. Here the family lived in a 
small log house, and Mr. Van Vonderen 
labored diligentl}' to clear and improve 
his farm, an arduous task, but one in 
which he has met with unbounded suc- 
cess. He has also increased the area of 
the place, which now comprises 120 acres 
of prime land acquired by years of 
earnest, unremitting toil, and he has won 
the respect of all who know him for in- 
dustry and honesty. On this farm chil- 
dren as follo\\'S have been born: Chris- 
tina, who died young; Christina (2), Mrs. 
Henry Ver Straten; Annie, Frank and 
Mary, at home; and Hattie. William and 
William (2), all three deceased. One 
child was born at Little Chute, nameh' 
Andrew, who is now a resident of De- 
Pere township. Our subject is a Demo- 



crat in his political preferences, and has 
served as treasurer of the school board 
for twelve years. In religious connection 
the family are members of St. Mary's 
Church, at De Pere. 



H 



ANS HANSEN, dealer in farm 
implements. New Denmark town- 
ship. Brown county, is a native 
of the Kingdom of Denmark, born 
August 28, 1840. He is a son of Rasmus 
and Anna C. (Olson) Hansen, who were 
the parents of eleven children, viz.: 
Catherine, Hans, Mary, Niels, Jens, 
Peter, Christ and Stine, and three that 
died in infancy. The father was a fisher- 
man by occupation, and, as the family 
was a large one, the children were obliged 
to assist as soon as they were old enough 
to work. 

Hans Hansen served as a soldier in 
his native country under Frederick VII 
and Christian IX, and subsequently was 
in the government employ as a stage 
driver. He continued thus until 1867, 
when he decided to seek his fortune in 
America, and leaving Denmark he pro- 
ceeded to Liverpool, England, and em- 
barked on an outward-bound vessel, land- 
ing in Quebec after a pleasant and com- 
parativeh' short voyage. He came 
thence to Green Bay, Wis. , and thence 
to Oconto, where he commenced work in 
a sawmill, and, after engaging in that oc- 
cupation for two years, went to Fond du 
Lac, where he was employed on a farm 
for about a year. Coming from there 
directly to New Denmark township. Brown 
county, he purchased a tract of eighty 
acres, totally unimproved, and commenced 
at once to clear it and prepare the land 
for cultivation, but as he had little ex- 
perience in this line, the work at first 
progressed very slowly. On June 16, 
1870, he was united in marriage with 
Mary (Van Seggern) Asterloh, and they 
immediately came to the farm, where they 
shared all the hardships and privations of 
those early years in the wilderness. Their 



39° 



COAtMEMORATI\'E BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



union has been blessed with eight chil- 
dren, as follows: Rasmus P., Henry 
William, Herman H., Anna C, M. C, 
Fred M., Christ H., and Charles X. T. . 
who died in infanc}'. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hansen lived in a log 
house on the farm for twenty-two years, 
at the end of which time he disposed of 
his farm and built a saloon; subsequently 
he commenced to deal in farm imple- 
ments, and now carries on both businesses, 
meeting with gratifying success. In polit- 
ical connection Mr. Hansen has always 
been identified with the Republican party, 
and has served in various official positions 
in his township and county, as follows: 
As deputy sheriff, four \ears; town as- 
sessor, two years; constable, eight years; 
and justice of the peace, five years, giving 
satisfaction to all concerned, and winning 
the respect of all who have had dealings 
with him. In religious faith he and his 
wife are members of the Lutheran Church. 



JOHN CALMAN, who, during his life- 
time, was a well-known farmer of 
De Pere town.ship, Brown county, 
was a native of County Cork, Ire- 
land, born January 7, 1822. His father, 
Dennis Caiman, was a farmer, and for a 
number of years rented land in County 
Cork, but later the family took up their 
residence in the city of Cork, where John 
spent a portion of his boyhood da\s. 

When a young man our subject came 
to the United States, and for some time 
worked in a type foundry in Boston, 
Mass. His father had died, and after 
John secured employment he sent for his 
widowed mother, who came to the home 
he had provided, accompanied by his 
brother, William, and sister, Hannah. 
In 1S52 John, with his brothers, Dennis 
and William, came westward to Wiscon- 
sin, and located on a farm in De Pere 
township. Brown county, where he passed 
the remainder of his life. \i that time it 
was all in the woods, an Indian trail be- 
ing the only road from De Pere, and here 



they built a small log shanty for them- 
selves, their mother and sister residing, in 
the meanwhile, in De Pere, which was 
then but a small village. After a resi- 
dence of four years on this farm John 
Caiman returned to Boston, where he was 
shortly afterward united in marriage with 
Miss Kate Heffernan, also a native of the 
Emeral Isle, born in 182S in the Parish 
of Glenmore. County Kilkenny, daughter 
of John Heffernan, who died in Ireland. 
Kate Heffernan came to the United 
States in 1850 with her brother-in-law, 
Thomas Fanning, crossing the Atlantic in 
four weeks, and locating in Boston, where 
she was yet living at the time of her mar- 
riage. 

After their union Mr. and Mrs. Cai- 
man spent a j'ear and a half in Boston, 
where he was again employed in a tj'pe 
foundr\-, and here one child, Mary H., 
now Mrs. Thomas Connelly, of De Pere 
township, was born. He then brought 
his wife and child to De Pere township, 
Brown Co. , Wis. , and they took up their 
home on the farm, where his mother and 
brother, Dennis, also resided. The other 
brother, William, had gone to California, 
where he is jet living, and John and 
Dennis Caiman farmed together until the 
latter's death, when John took entire 
charge of the place. He cleared and 
improved it, and added thereto, until at 
the time of his death he had a fertile, 
highly-cultivated tract of two hundred 
acres. This was the direct result of years 
of patient industry and unrelenting toil, 
for when he purchased the place it was a 
veritable wilderness. He was a thor- 
oughly self-made man, having, from a 
start of nothing but a strong will and de- 
termination to succeed, become a pros- 
perous farmer and a highly-respected 
citizen. He passed from earth October 
31. 1890, and was buried in De Pere 
cemetery. In religious connection he 
was a member of St. Francis Catholic 
Church, of which he was trustee for 
years. Politically he was a strong sup- 
porter of the principles of the Democratic 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPEICAL RECORD. 



391 



party, and as such was elected chairman 
of the township for two years, discharg- 
ing the duties of his office with abiHty and 
credit and to the complete satisfaction of 
his constituents, but he declined re-elec- 
tion on account of failing health. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Caiman were born children 
as follows: Dennis, now a farmer of 
South Dakota; Ellen, now a resident of 
Denver, Colo. ; Kate, also in Denver, 
Colo. ; Esther, William, and John, at 
home; and Alice, a school teacher, of 
Seymour, Wis. Since Mr. Caiman's 
decease his widow has continued to make 
her home on the farm, which is now 
conducted by the younger sons, William 
and John. She is a member of St. 
Francis Church, De Pere, and is highly 
respected in the community in which she 
resides. 



GEORGE W. HAYDEN, farmer 
and ex-soldier, of Pittsfield town- 
ship. Brown county, was born in 
Fitzwilliam, N. H., May i, 1839. 
His parents were Silas and Betsey Hay- 
den, who reared a family of thirteen chil- 
dren, of whom, however, our subject is 
the only one living. 

George W. Hayden was but thirteen 
years of age when his parents sold their 
farm in the East and came to Wisconsin, 
settling on a tract of forty acres of wild 
woodland in Pittsfield township. Brown 
county, among the Indians, bears and 
wolves. They were a hardy couple, and 
the mother, on one occasion, walked to 
and returned from Green Bay in one day, 
after her sixtieth birthday, bearing a bur- 
den of twenty pounds. Of their large 
family only four of the children lived to 
come West to aid their parents in carving 
out a home from the wilderness. When 
our subject was but fourteen years old an 
axe was placed in his hands, and from 
that time onward he has earned his own 
living. The first winter he worked in the 
woods at twelve dollars per month, but 
later on his pay was increased to twenty 



dollars, the highest price then paid to 
woodsmen. The father kept steadily at 
work clearing up his land, and added six 
acres to his original forty. Mrs. Hayden 
died in 1869, and her remains are in- 
terred in the Rural Cemetery at Flintville. 
George W^ Hayden remained with his 
parents until 1861, when he responded to 
his country's call and enlisted in Company 
H, Twelfth Wis. V. I., being assigned to 
the army of the Tennessee, under Sher- 
man. He obtained a furlough of thirty 
days, however, came home and married 
Alice E. Brown, daughter of James and 
Abigail fTillbrook) Brown, of the State of 
Maine, where the father had been a fish- 
erman. They came to Wisconsin about 
the year 1855 and settled at Mills Center, 
Pittsfield township, on land purchased by 
Mr. Brown, on which they lived until 
1863, when they sold out and moved to 
the northern part of the township, where 
the father died, after which the mother 
lived with her daughter, Mrs. Hayden. 
His thirty-days' furlough having expired, 
Mr. Hayden rejoined his regiment and 
took part in all its marches and engage- 
ments until his discharge, at Louisville, 
Ky., July 16, 1865. He had fought at 
the siege of Vicksburg, at Chattanooga 
and at Atlanta, and had followed Sher- 
man to the sea, experiencing hardships 
and privations that very few could endure, 
but during all his long service was in hos- 
pital only two weeks. When he returned 
home he took possession of a forty-acre 
tract of land he had purchased from the 
Fox River Improvement Company, on 
which no tree had yet been felled. He 
cleared a space large enough for the frame 
dwelling, in which he still lives, and the 
work of clearing was prosecuted with vigor 
until the wilderness was conquered. He 
has increased his possessions to 160 acres, 
and is altogether prosperous, his elder 
sons of late years having assisted him 
materially. He has had born to him 
eight children, viz. : Clare (deceased in 
infancy), William, Charles, George, 
Frank, Carrie, and Harvey and Harry 



392 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



(twins). Mr. and Mrs. Hayden are mem- 
bers of the Congregational Church, and 
in pohtics Mr. Hayden is a Republican, 
and cast his first vote for Abraham 
Lincoln. 



PETER KOLB, postmaster at Kolb, 
and one of the well-known citizens 
of De Pere township. Brown 
county, is a native of the village 
of Bruttig, Rhenish Prussia, born June 
24, 1828. His father, Gottfried Kolb, 
who was a boatman on the river Moselle, 
was twice married, and became the father 
of twenty-one children, of whom our sub- 
ject was the third son and the sixth child 
in order of birth. 

Peter Kolb attended .school until he 
was fourteen years of age, after which he 
worked with his father as ferryman. 
Peter's mother died when he was six vears 
old. Having received some money from 
her estate, he, in the spring of 1852, bade 
farewell to his home and friends, and set 
out for the United States. He first pro- 
ceeded to Antwerp, from which port he 
sailed, landing, after an ocean voyasre of 
two months, in New York Citv, April 10, 
1852. His destination was Green Bay, 
Wis., where some of his schoolmates had 
previously located, and thither he jour- 
neyed, going by rail to Buffalo. N. Y., 
where, after a delay of two or three weeks, 
waiting for navigation to open, he took 
passage on the steamer "Michigan," and 
arrived in Green Bay about Mav 10. He 
immediately went to Peshtigo, Wis., and 
for four years was employed in the mills at 
that place. He also spent a winter at 
Meeme, Manitowoc county, where his 
sister, Gertrude fwho had come to the 
United States a short time after him), was 
residing, and it was here he met the ladv 
who soon afterward became his wife, Miss 
Margaret Adolff. She was born in 1831, 
in Munster Mayfeld, Coblentz. Germany, 
daughter of Rhinearous Adolff, who came 
to the United States in i8!;4 The voune 
couple were married March 31. 1857, and 



shortly afterward took up their residence 
on Main street, in Green Bay, where Mr. 
Kolb, having saved some money, had pur- 
chased a home of his own. Being a skill- 
ful mechanic, he erected his own house, 
and they resided there one year, when he 
sold the place and moved to Meeme, 
Manitowoc county, where for six years 
they lived on rented land. During this 
time he was also engaged in clearing land. 
In July, 1863, he came to the farm in De- 
Pere township. Brown county, where he 
has ever since made his home, situated in 
Section 33, Township 23, Range 2 1- He 
first purchased forty acres, but half of 
which was cleared, and an old log house 
was the only residence the place afforded; 
but he added to the farm until at one time 
it comprised 236 acres, and he now has 
186 acres. In addition to his agricultural 
labors he also conducts a saloon on the 
farm. To Mr. and Mrs. Kolb have been 
born children as follows: Jacob, a farmer, 
of De Pere; Peter, residing in Green Bay; 
Margaret, now Mrs. Michael Coregan. of 
De Pere township; Elizabeth, living at 
home; Anna, Mrs. Nicholas Meyer, of 
Menasha, Wis. ; Joseph, a farmer of De- 
Pere township; and Anton, of Seymour, 
Outagamie county. 

Mr. Kolb's life presents a striking ex- 
ample of what maj' be accomplished b\' 
industry, preservance and a strong, willing 
pair of hands. On landing in Green Bay 
in the spring of 1852, he found himself 
four dollars in debt ; but not allowing 
himself to become discouraged, he set to 
work, engaging at any honest labor he 
could find, and always working with the de- 
termination to succeed. He was anxious to 
have a comfortable home of his own, and 
after purchasing his land he spent many 
years of hard, unrelenting toil in its culti- 
vation and impriivement. He is one of 
the few old settlers in De Pere township, 
now living, who have endured the trials 
and hardships of those early times, and, 
though now over sixty-six years of age, he 
is still hale and hearty. He is well known 
in his community, and is highly respected 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



395 



by all who know him. In his political 
affiliations Mr. Kolb is a stanch member 
of the Democratic party, always support- 
ing its principles in State and National 
elections, but in local affairs he votes in- 
dependently, selecting;; the best man, re- 
gardless of politics. He has filled various 
offices in his township; for twelve jears 
he served satisfactorily as chairman, de- 
clining further re-election; for five years 
he was supervisor, an office which came to 
him unsolicited ; and since 1887 he has 
been postmaster at Kolb, Brown county, 
which office was named after him. In 
religious connection he and his wife are 
members of the Cathedral Church at 
■Green Bay. 



NICHOLAS WEBER, a well-known 
resident of the township of De- 
Pere, Brown Co. , was born in 
1840, in Luxemburg, Germany. 
He came with his parents to America, 
locating with the family in New Denmark 
township. Brown Co., Wis., where they 
shared the hardships and privations inci- 
dent to pioneer life. For many winters 
our subject worked in the lumber regions, 
and he specially remembers one winter 
spent at Pensaukee, when he experienced 
trials and dangers that few would be able 
to withstand. He also worked for sev- 
eral firms in New Denmark township, 
and his work was invariabl)' so satisfactory 
that he could always find employment 
with the same c^^mpany a second time. 
In 1865 he enlisted in Company F. Fif- 
tieth Wis. \'. I., and served until the fall 
of the same year, when he was discharged, 
returning home at once. 

In 1866 Mr. Weber was married to 
Miss Catherine Daniels, whose father, 
Mathias Daniels, and mother died when 
she was an infant. Our subject purchased 
eighty acres of new land in De Pere town- 
ship, which he cleared and improved, re- 
siding thereon until 1893, when he sold it, 
and now makes his home with his chil- 
dren. To Mr. and Mrs. ^^'eber were 



born nine children, \'\/..: Hubbard, Nich- 
olas, Mathias, Annie, Catherine, Josie, 
Joseph, Mary and George, all of whom 
have received good educational advan- 
tages. The mother of this family was 
called from earth February 7, 1891, 
deeply mourned by her family and friends. 
She was a member of the Catholic Church 
at Pine Grove, as is also her husband. 
Politically he is a Democrat, and takes 
much interest in the welfare of his party. 



ABBOTT WILLIAM SLAUGH- 
TER, M. D., was born December 
1 , 1 860, at Westport, Mo. (a 
suburb of Kansas City), son of 
Alfred and Laura (Abbott) Slaughter. 

The Slaughters come of an old Virginia 
family of English and Scotch ancestry, 
who came to America during Colonial 
times. The proverbial three brothers 
figure in the family, and the progenitor of 
this present family settled in Virginia, 
where they became prosperous, well-to-do 
planters, representing one of the old aris- 
tocratic families of that State. According 
to the customs of the country they held 
slaves, to whose interests they were as de- 
voted as if they belonged to the family, 
the slaves being well fed, well clothed, 
housed and provided for. Grandfather Wil- 
liam Slaughter owned 1,800 acres of land 
in Culpeper county; his father, William, 
lived in Rappahannock county. The 
grandfather was a large-hearted man, hav- 
ing a big, robust frame, and well built. 
He was a strong believer in Democratic 
principles and State Sovereignty, a leader 
in his neighborhood in all matters pertain- 
ing to literary and political matters and 
local government, was well educated, and 
a lawyer by profession. He was chosen 
judge of the people, led a noble life, es- 
teemed and beloved by all, reached a good 
old age, and quietly passed away one day 
while sitting in a chair. He was the 
father of a large family, of whom on y 
Daniel F. Slaughter, of Virginia, and A - 
fred Slaughtc" -^f Green Bay, are yet liv- 



396 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



ing. The latter was born in Culpeper 
county, Va., where he received his pri- 
mary education, and, making teaching his 
profession, taught about forty-three years, 
during which time he was principal of 
Lexington (Mo.) High School about nine 
years, of the Prairie Home Institute also 
nine years, and principal of the McCune 
College, Louisiana, Mo., five 3'ears. He 
also taught as principal in the Glenville 
(Ky. ) school two years, but receiving a 
stroke of paralysis was disabled from fol- 
lowing his chosen profession longer. 
Chiolly self-educated, he was at the same 
time well educated, and was a typical gen- 
tleman of the old Southern school of chiv- 
alry; he now resides with his son in Green 
Ba\'. He married Miss Laura Abbott, 
of West Virginia, who is yet living, and 
their marriage was blessed with three 
children : Louisa Frances, Laura Slaugh- 
ter, and Abbott William, our subject. 

Dr. Slaughter received his literary edu- 
cation principally from his father, and his 
boyhood dream being to relieve pain and 
help the sick and afflicted, he entered the 
office of Dr. S. B. Avers, of Louisiana, 
Mo., a prosperous, prominent physician. 
In 1 88 1 he entered St. Louis Medical 
College, where he studied faithfully dur- 
ing a three-years' term, graduating in 
1884. The young Doctor at once located 
in Silex, Mo., where in three years he 
built up a large practice; thence moved 
to Whiteside, where he also practiced 
three years, and later, in 1888, attend- 
ed the Louisville (Ky.) Post - Graduate 
School. That spring he returned to 
Whiteside, where he continued practice 
until 1892. He was then induced to come 
to Green Bay in order to enter into part- 
nership \\ith Dr. F. L. Louis, which part- 
nership continued about one year. He 
has built up a good practice and enjoys 
the confidence and esteem of the people 
to an eminent degree. 

The Doctor was married in Carson, 
Mo., at the old homestead of his wife's 
grandparents, to Ruth Reeds, who was 
educated at the Montgomery High School. 



She is the mother of three children : Al- 
fred (who died at the age of six years), 
Laura Louisa, and Delias. Dr. and Mrs. 
Slaughter are both active members of the 
Baptist Church. He is affiliated with the 
F. & A. M. and K. O. T. M., is a mem- 
ber of the Fox River Valley Medical So- 
ciety, and the American Medical Socie- 
ty, the latter being a national associa- 
tion. Politicalh' he is identified with the 
Democratic party. 



JAMES SMITH, a prominent citi/en 
of De Pere township, Brow n county, 
where, in partnership with his 
brother, Alexander, he is success- 
fully engaged in general farming, is a 
native of Banffshire, Scotland, born Ma}' 
I, 1855, son of George and Isabell Smith, 
who both died in their native land. They 
had nine children, namely: Isabella, 
John, George, Helen, James, Adam. 
Margaret, Alexander, and Christina. 

The first of this familj- to leave Scot- 
land was the son George, who immi- 
grated to the United States in 1S72, and 
coming to Wisconsin, settled in Brown 
county, where he passed the remainder of 
his life. He followed farming, renting 
land in different parts of the count}-, 
mostly in Rockland township, and died 
March 27, 1891, in De Pere township, on 
the farm now owned by his brothers 
James and Alexander. George Smith 
was for many jears a sufferer from pa- 
ralysis, which rendered him helpless, and it 
was principally on this account that his 
brother James came to America. 

James Smith was educated in the 
common schools of his place of birth, 
and lived with his parents until he reached 
the age of fifteen, when he commenced tO' 
work as a farm hand. When twenty 
years old he commenced to learn garden- 
ing, and served a three-years' apprentice- 
ship at Hatton Castle, at the conclusion 
of which he became head gardener for a 
Scotch gentleman Watson, of Blackford, 
in which position he remained one year.. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



397 



In June, 1881, Mr. Smith decided to 
come to the United States to care for his 
invahd brother, George, and accordingly 
took passage at Liverpool, England, on 
the "City of Montreal," for New York, 
whence he immediately proceeded to his 
destination, De Pere, Wis., arriving June 
27. He came here with money he had 
earned and saved himself, and soon after his 
arrival he became interested, in company 
with his brother, in general agriculture 
and stock-buying. In 1887 he purchased 
his present farm of seventy-six acres, and 
shortly afterward moved thereon. In 
connection with this farm he now owns 
another tract of eighty acres, and on this 
land he and his brother Alexander conduct 
a profitable general farming business. 

Alexander Smith was born July 29, 
1863, in Banffshire, Scotland, received a 
public-school education, and was reared 
to farming. In 1886 he sailed from Glas- 
gow on the "State of Nebraska," and 
came directly to Wisconsin, where he and 
his brother James are now engaged in ag- 
ricultural pursuits. For several years 
after coming to Wisconsin the brothers 
spent the winter months in the lumber 
camps, and both are thoroughly familiar 
with the hardships and dangers of lum- 
bering. As agriculturists they are thor- 
oughly progressive, and, being full of de- 
termination and energy, have made a 
complete success. James Smith is a nat- 
ural mechanic, and has fitted up a black- 
smith shop on the farm, where he attends 
to all work in that line needed by a farmer, 
shoeing his own horses, etc. He and his 
brother are self-made in every respect, 
and, though they have not resided in the 
township for any great number of years, 
are highly esteemed for their industrious 
habits and sterling worth. They have won 
and kept an enviable reputation for up- 
rightness and fair dealing, and are every- 
where regarded as substantial business 
men and model citizens. The brothers 
are both members of the Republican 
party, and ardent advocates of the prin- 
ciples of Protection; in religious faith 



they are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. They are both unmarried, Mrs. 
George Smith, their brother's widow, 
keeping house for them. 



WILLIAM HOFFMAN. While 
transmitting to posterity the 
memory of such men as is the 
subject of this sketch, it will 
instill in the minds of our children the im- 
portant lesson that honor and station are 
the sure reward of continual exertion; and 
that, compared to a good education, 
abundant experience, coupled with habits 
of honest industry and judicious economy, 
the greatest fortune would be but a poor 
inheritance. 

Mr. Hoffman is a native of Germany, 
born December 14, 1831, in Neustadt-on- 
the-Warthe, in the Province of Posen. 
In that town, as far back as the history 
of the family can be traced, the Hoffmans 
were merchants of high standing. Dr. 
Wolf Hoffman, grandfather of our subject, 
was an educated man and occupied a 
prominent position among his fellow-citi- 
zens. He died at an advanced age, leav- 
ing an honorable record as a useful, con- 
scientious man and a true Christian gen- 
tleman. He had a large family, of whom 
one son, Louis, learned mercantile busi- 
ness, but while yet a young man he was 
pressed into the army of Napoleon I, who 
had just overrun Prussia on his triumph- 
ant march on Russia. Young Louis Hoff- 
man participated in this memorable cam- 
paign, and marched as far as Moscow, 
the burning of which magnificent city, by 
the Russians themselves, he witnessed; 
and then, in the depth of a terrible winter, 
the French commenced that fatal and 
fearful retreat southward that disorgan- 
ized and destroyed the grandest army that 
ever followed the banners of Napoleon. 
When the Prussian contingent neared 
their native land, they deserted the French 
eagles, uniting with the German troops, 
and in turn fought against Napoleon. 
At the close of his service, Louis Hoffman 



398 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



returned to his home in Neustadt, and 
became a prosperous general merchant, 
well known and highly respected. By 
his first wife, who was also a native of 
Neustadt-on-theW'arthe, he had four chil- 
dren, as follows: Michael, Augusta, Ida, 
and Minnie. For his second wife he 
wedded Hannah Neuman, and they had 
eight children, viz. : Rosalie, Bertha, 
Rebecca, Fredericka, William, Adolph, 
Hanchen and Isidor. The father died at 
the age of seventy-eight years, the mother 
when eighty-two. 

The ninth in the order of birth of all 
the children above named is William, the 
subject of this sketch. He was educated 
at the public schools of his native town, 
and, when in his fifteenth year, started out 
into the world to seek his fortune on his 
own individual merits. Proceeding to 
London, England, he there found em- 
ployment at various kinds of work, and, 
after a sojourn of one year in the me- 
tropolis of the world, journeyed to Liver- 
pool, where he took passage for America. 
The good ship "West Point" arrived at 
New York in February, 184S, after a 
pleasant voyage, and here our subject 
found employment as clerk in a general 
store, where he remained till Januar}-, 
1852. At this time he turned his eyes 
westward, and, determining to trj' his for- 
tune in California, set out with bright 
hopes and stern resolutions, his route 
being via the Isthmus of Panama direct 
to San Francisco, where, after clerking 
about one year, he opened a clothing store 
on his own account. In this enterprise 
he met with well-merited success, al- 
though he had the misfortune to be burned 
out twice. After the first fire he engaged 
in mining in the "gold diggings," but 
this not being so congenial to his nature 
as merchandising, he soon returned to 
San Francisco, and again opened a gen- 
eral store. In 1857 he sold out, and, 
coming north to Chicago, 111., embarked 
in the Hour and feed business, which in 
turn he sold out the following year ("1858), 
and, attracted by the promising outlook 



in Wisconsin, came "with business in- 
tent " to the town of Sharon, near where 
he had some friends living. Here he opened 
a store, which at the end of about a jear 
he left in charge of his brother-in-law, 
Henry Mitchell, and for the benefit of his 
health took a trip to Clayborn, Ala. 
There he clerked during the first winter 
and following spring, selling his establish- 
ment in Sharon, Wis. (whither he re- 
turned for that purpose), again went south, 
and for another winter clerked in a store 
in Alabama. At this time, the Civil war 
having broken out, he was pressed into 
the Confederate army, but took the first 
opportunity to escape, leaving behind all 
his possessions. Coming north with com- 
mendable speed, he arrived in Chicago, 
111., in May, 1 86 1, and here he remained 
until the following September, when he 
once more turned his steps in the direc- 
tion of Wisconsin. 

At Jane.sville, on the 17th of that 
month, he was married to Miss Malinet 
A. Pease, daughter of Enos and Lucy 
(Finley) Pease, of Marengo, 111. , and 
shortly afterward the young couple came 
to Green Bay. Here, in partnership with 
Mr. Philip Lewin, Mr. Hoffman opened 
a clothing store, the firm name being 
Hoffman & Lewin, which .so continued 
until 1 868, when Mr. Lewin sold out his 
interest to his partner and moved to 
Philadelphia. Since then our subject has 
conducted the business in part alone, and 
in part asssociated with his sons Louis 
and George, with unbounded success — a 
success in every sense well merited, as 
his stock is at all times thoroughly replete 
in all departments, whilst the proprietor 
himself, for courteous and gentlemanly 
bearing, consummate business tact, un- 
flagging enterprise and tireless energy, 
has established for himself an enviable 
and wide popularity. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have been 
born six children, to wit : Bertha is the 
wife of Frank Topliff, a merchant of 
Oshkosh, Wis. ; Louis Wolf and George 
P. are associated with their father in 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



599 



business, Louis traveling in the interest 
of the merchant tailoring department; 
Ada B. died in infancy ; Elmer A. died 
in his nineteenth year; Harold W. , the 
youngest, is at home with his parents. 
Mr. Hoffman, in politics is a Democrat ; 
he was elected alderman of the First 
ward, and has served as such, in all, the 
long period of eighteen years, a fact that 
in itself testifies to his popularity as well 
as the esteem in which he is held. For 
about fifteen years he was a member, 
and for a considerable time foreman, of 
the old Green Bay Fire Compan\', 
"Guardian No. 2." Socially he is a 
member of the F. & A. M., I. O. O. F., 
and K. of P., Green Bay, of which latter 
order he is a charter member. 



M 



AJOR LEVI HOWLAND, real 
estate and lumber dealer. Fort 
Howard, and member of the 
Vermillion Range Lumber Com- 
pany of Minnesota, is descended from 
sturdy New England ancestry. He is one 
of nine children born to Thomas and 
Elizabeth (Davis) Howland, the former 
of whom was a native of New Bedford, 
Massachusetts. 

When sixteen years of age Thomas 
Howland came with his parents, John 
Howland and wife, from Massachusetts, 
and settled on a farm in Brown county, 
Ohio, which borders on the Ohio river 
and is also noted as having been for a 
number of years the home of the Grant 
family. Gen. Grant himself having been 
appointed to West Point from that county. 
John Howland died in that locality. His 
son, Thomas, married a daughter of Vir- 
ginia, who was at that time a resident of 
Kentucky, and in 1831 removed to Cook 
county, 111., then on the border of west- 
ern settlements. In 1835 he took up a 
farm in Kenosha county. Wis., and lived 
in that State for many years. While a 
resident of Illinois, in 1832, he served as 
a soldier in the memorable Black Hawk 
war, a short-lived conflict which terrorized 



the few inhabitants then in the region 
and retarded settlement greatly, but which 
put an effectual end to Indian depreda- 
tions east of the Mississippi. Mr. How- 
land died at Fort Howard, Wis. , about 
1877, his excellent wife having preceded 
him to the shadowy land in 1862. Besides 
our subject, they had children as follows: 
Lewis, who was killed in Kansas in 1S56, 
during the border ruffian warfare; Mere- 
dith, who died at Kenosha, Wis., in 1869; 
Lorinda S., wife of Thomas Dyke, re- 
siding in Missouri; Seth, a resident of 
California, whitherhe went in 1850; Ruby 
E., wife of John Sauber, also of Cali- 
fornia; Wiltshire, who enlisted in Cali- 
fornia early in the war of the Rebellion, 
in Col. Baker's regiment, and, like his 
lamented commander, was missing and 
supposed to be killed at Ball's Bluff; 
Ichabod, twin brother of Levi, who en- 
listed in April, 1861, at Kenosha, Wis., 
for three months in Company G, First 
Wis. V. I., re-enlisted at the expiration of 
his term of service in the First Wisconsin 
Cavalry, served in the army of the Cum- 
berland, and was killed at Varnell Station, 
Ga. , May 9, 1864; Alfred, who enlisted 
in the same regiment with Ichabod in 
1 86 1, for three months, re-enlisted in the 
First Wisconsin Cavalry and served three 
years, and now resides in California. 

Levi Howland was born in 1840, in 
Kenosha county. Wis., and was reared 
on his father's farm, one mile from Keno- 
sha, receiving his education in the high 
school of that city. Like his two brothers, 
he enlisted, in April, 1861, in Company 
G, First Wis. V. I , for a period of three 
months. After a lively term of service 
in the Shenandoah Valley under Gen. 
Patterson, the young soldier, who had 
been a second lieutenant in the infantry, 
re-enlisted as a private in Company A; 
First Wisconsin Cavalry for three 3'ears, 
on September 2, 1861, receiving a first 
lieutenant's commission in that arm of the 
service. He was subsequently, Novem- 
ber 20, 1862, commissioned captain of 
Company C, and major of his regiment 



400 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPBICAL RECORD. 



January 6, 1865. He saw active and 
arduous service, participating in the bat- 
tles at Chickamauga, Dandridge, Tenn. ; 
Anderson Cross Roads, Cape Girardeau. 
Mo. ; Chalk Bluffs, and later, after trans- 
fer to the army of the Cumberland, at 
Resaca, Cassville, Burnt Hickory (Ga.), 
Barnesville, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, 
Campbelltown (Ga.j, Franklin (Tenn.j, 
Hopkinsville, Nashville, Selma (Ala.), 
the skirmishes between Montgomery and 
Tuskegee, and West Point (Ga.). The 
Major was mustered out at Nashville, 
Tenn., in July, 1865, and returned to 
Kenosha. He next went west, and passed 
two years as contractor on the Kansas 
Pacific railroad, finally, in 1867, locating 
in Fort Howard, since when he has been 
a continuous resident of that city. Upon 
his arrival he entered the lumber trade 
as a member of the firm of Clinton. Laird 
& Co., afterward J. P. Laird & Co., 
which relation continued a number of 
years, and he is now the only member of 
this old firm residing in Fort Howard. 

Maj. Howland is a familiar figure in 
political, educational and society circles. 
By virtue of his honorable service in de- 
fense of his country, he is a member of 
T. O. Howe Post, 'g. A. R., and holds 
membership also in the Loyal Legion. 
Sociallj' he is a member of Washington 
Lodge, No. 21, F. Sc A. M. ; Warren 
Chapter, No. 8, R. A. M. ; Palestine 
Commandery, No. 20, K. T. ; and Wis- 
•consin Consistory. An active Repub- 
lican in politics, he has served his fellow 
citizens as county supervisor, and as a 
member of the school board, and takes a 
lively interest in all public affairs, exert- 
ing his infiuence toward the furtherance 
of all plans for the benefit of his city and 
county. During his twenty-seven years' 
residence in Fort Howard he has wit- 
nessed the accomplishment of great and 
beneficial changes, to which he has per- 
sonally contributed in no small degree. 

Recognizing the truth of the adage 
that "it is not good for man to live 
alone," Maj. Howland was married in 



Kenosha, in 1 8C7, to Edith L. Sykes, a 
native of New York, and daughter of 
Byron and Antoinette (Torrey) Sykes, 
early settlers in the county named. Mrs. 
Howland's mother is deceased, but her 
father is yet living, and resides with his 
daughter at Fort Howard. Major and 
Mrs. Howland have two living children : 
Eben \\'., a graduate in the class of 1894 
from the Wisconsin State University at 
Madison, and Maud A., attending St. 
Marguerite College at Chicago. 



ROBERT JACKSON, merchant, of 
De Pere, was born February 2, 
1826, in Fifeshire, Scotland. His 
father, Henrj' Jackson, who was a 
blacksmith by trade, was married to An- 
nie White, who bore him the following 
children: Margaret; Henry, who died in 
Marquette in 1S93; Robert, our subject; 
Elspet, now Mrs. William Michie, of 
West Superior; Walter, of Buffalo county, 
Wis.; Thomas, of West De Pere; Alex- 
ander, of Winona, Minn., and Peter, of 
Milwaukee. The parents of this family 
died in Scotland, and later all the chil- 
dren came to America, Robert being the 
first to make the voyage. When a lad of 
fourteen, Robert entered upon an appren- 
ticeship of four years to a blacksmith in 
Scotland named David Lyle, and also 
became a machinist, and later worked as 
a smith for his father. 

On June i, 1848, bidding farewell to 
his native land, he sailed from Greenock 
on the "Charlotte Harrison," and, after 
a voyage of six weeks, landed in New York 
with but a few dollars in his pocket. 
From New York he proceeded to Albany, 
and thence over the old "strap road" 
to Buffalo, N. Y. , thence via the lakes, 
to Kenosha, Wis., where he found work 
and remained two years; from there he 
went to Oconto county (then a part of 
Brown county). Wis., where for two years 
heactedasengineer for a sawmill. In 1852 
he came to De Pere and bought out a 
blacksmith shop, which he carried on for 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 



401 



several years, and then took charge of a 
sawmill for Ritchie, Reed & Ritchie, of 
the same city, with whom he remained 
fourteen years, or until the firm dissolved. 
About this time the citizens of the East 
side formed a stock company and erected 
a furnace, in the construction of which 
Mr. Jackson acted as master mechanic, 
putting in all the machinery; he was then 
sent to Menomonee, where he superin- 
tended the erection of another furnace and 
also conducted it for several years. He 
then engaged with Ivirby, Carpenter & 
Co., at that time the most extensive lum- 
bermen of the Northwest, and for four 
years was an engineer in one of their large 
mills at Menomonee. He ne.xt contracted 
for the building of a furnace at Charlevoix, 
Mich. , and after its completion built a fur- 
nace at Florence, Wis. ; then at Marcel- 
lone, Mich., he commenced to build an- 
other furnace, but left before its comple- 
tion, returning to De Pere, where he was 
instrumental in having erected, near by, a 
large sawmill, known as the Potts mill, 
the construction of which he superin- 
tended. In company with Andrew Reed, 
Mr. Jackson built the first tug-boat owned 
in De Pere, which boat was used in the 
towing of logs, doing good service for sev- 
eral years, and was then rebuilt and re- 
fitted under the superintendency of Mr. 
Jackson, who was probably without an 
•equal at that time in mechanical skill, and 
who, even now, though nearing his seven- 
tieth year, is often consulted in regard to 
intricate portions of disabled machinery. 
Mr. Jackson has been identified, beyond 
•doubt, with more enterprises than any 
other individual now living in De Pere, 
and was especially active in the agitation 
•of the waterworks question. He is a great 
lover of athletics, and still indulges with 
great zest in curling, at which he is an 
expert. 

In the spring of 1849 Mr. Jackson 
married, in Kenosha, Wis., Miss Elizabeth 
Heggie, a native of the same part of 
Scotland whence he came. The result of 
this union has been the birth of the fol- 



lowing children: Henry, a machinist; 
and Charles W. , Robert, and Frank (all 
three merchants), all of De Pere. W^ith 
his two sons, Charles and Robert, Mr. 
Jackson now conducts the most extensive 
general store in De Pere. Although at 
one time a Democrat in his political 
affinities, he is now a Republican, and 
cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham 
Lincoln. He is strong in his belief in the 
principles of the party, and is one of its 
most stanch supporters. Under its au- 
spices he has, at different times, been 
called upon to serve as alderman, and no 
one has filled that office with greater 
credit and ability, nor given greater satis- 
faction to the citizens. He and his wife 
are conscientious members of the Presby- 
terian Church, to the support of which he 
is a most liberal contributor, and of 
which he is a trustee and substantial 
pillar. Although coming to the United 
States a poor boy, Mr. Jackson has 
reached wealth and prominence through 
the exercising of those sterling principles 
of integrity, industry and perseverance, 
which seem to be inherent in the race to 
which he belongs. His career is worthy 
the close study of young men who have 
yet to make their way in the world, and 
his nobility of character well worthy their 
emulation. His amiable wife also de- 
serves great credit for her share in the 
good work that has been done toward the 
accumulation of the worldly wealth that is 
now making their declining years com- 
paratively days of rest, and assuredly of 
solid comfort; and the respect in which 
the family is held gives evidence that 
their many virtues are fully appreciated 
by their fellow citizens. 



AUGUST THIELE, the partner of 
William Handeyside in the most 
popular livery establishment of 
the city of De Pere, was born 
September 29, 1848, in Brandenburg, 
near Berlin, Germany, son of Gottlieb 



402 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and Hannah (Pfeiffer) Thiele, who both 
died in that country. They were the 
parents of Karl, August, Hannah, (nista 
and WilHaui, of whom WilHani and Au- 
gust are the only ones living in America. 
August Thiele was reared as a day la- 
borer, beginning at the age of nine as a 
driver of cattle, and afterward working as 
a farm hand. He was industrious and 
saving, and by 1872 had accumulated 
money sufficient to bring him to America. 
Landing at New York, he at once took his 
departure for Wisconsin, and here worked 
at Waukesha, in the lime kilns and at 
other work, until he had earned money 
enough to take him to Morrison, Brown 
Co., Wis., where he worked in all for ten 
years in Morrison town and in the town 
of Glenmorc,in Fenton's sawmill, and also 
in Evans' sawmill. He then made a trip 
to Dakota, worked a year, after which he 
came to De Pere, where he worked a year 
for his brother-in-law, Mark Snyder, then 
engaged in the livery business. \\. the 
end of the year he bought Mr. Snyder 
out. .\t that time the barn contained 
only nine horses; now the stables contain 
sixteen. Soon after his return from Da- 
kota Mr. Thiele was married, April 24, 
1882, to Mrs. Christine (Snyder), widow 
of Adam Kammern (to whom she was 
married May 11, 1869) and daughter of 
Frank and Appolonia (Hangan) Snyder, 
who were the parents of si.\ children : 
Philip, Christine, Mark, Libbie, William 
and Mary. The father of this family was 
a mason and also a tanner, and at the age 
of twenty came to America, and for a 
while lived in Jackson, Washington Co., 
Wis.; thence he moved to Town 10, about 
twenty miles from Milwaukee, where he 
was married at about the age of thirty, 
and finally came to Brown county, where 
he owned a sawmill. Here he died after 
a residence of thirty years in the township. 
His widow died in De Pere, while residing 
with Mr. Thiele. Mrs. August Thiele 
had, by her first husband, one daughter 
named Abbie ^[. Kammern, born in Mil- 
waukee, Wis., June 23, 1872, who now 



makes her home with her mother, but at 
the present time is teaching school. 

For five years after coming to De Pere 
Mr. Thiele carried on the livery business 
on his sole account, making, in the inter- 
val, many improvements in the stock and 
stable ; then joined .Mr. Handeyside, and 
has since enjoyed a most successful busi- 
ness. The children born to Mr. Thiele, 
two in number, are Frank and Philip, who 
are attending school at De Pere. Mr. 
and Mrs. Thiele are members of the Ger- 
man Evangelical Church. In politics he 
is a Republican, and fraternally he is an 
Odd Fellow. As a business man he is 
recogni;;ed as one of the foremost in De- 
Pere, all being conscious of the fact that 
he has raised himself, by his industry and 
enterprise, from comparative ob'scurity to 
his present prosperit}-. 



E 



DWAKD FLVXX (deceased). 
This gentleman, who, tluring his 
lifetime, was well-known among 
the farmers of Holland township. 
Brown county, was a native of Ireland, 
born in March, 1827. 

His parents, Eugene and Alice (Mc- 
Guren) Flynn, who were farming people 
of Ireland, lived and died in their native 
country. They had a family of three 
children, namely: James, Bridget, and 
Edward, of whom Edward was the only 
one who came to America. He was 
reared to farming, which he followed in 
Ireland until 1848, when he came to the 
New World, landing at Quebec. He 
subsequently came to Wisconsin, and in 
Holland township. Brown county, pur- 
chased 160 acres of new land, where he 
made a permanent home. After coming 
to America he was married, and by this 
union had two children, John and James. 
The mother of these died, and on April 
29. 1872, he wedded, for his second wife. 
Miss Bridget Finnegan, who was born 
in May, 1833. in Ireland, daughter of 
Charles and Bridget (Golden) Finnegan, 
who were the parents of the following 



COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



403 



named nine children: Mary, Patrick, 
John, Ceha, Sarah, Thomas, Margaret, 
Bridget, and Hannah, of whom but two 
are now hving, Bridget and Patrick. Mr. 
and Mrs. Finnegan never came to the 
United States, but three of their children 
emigrated at different times. Mrs. Flynn 
left Ireland in the spring of 1852, and 
landed in New York City on the sixth of 
May, after a rough voyage of thirty-six 
days. She remained in the city a few 
days and then continued her journey to 
Schenectady, N. Y. , where her two 
sisters. Sarah and Margaret, were living, 
and after a three-years' residence there 
she went to Buffalo, N. Y. , where she 
kept house for Bishop Ryan about six- 
teen years When she came to Holland 
township the farm was still partly un- 
cleared, and for a time they lived in a log 
cabin, which was the first building erected 
on the place, and it is still standing. Mr. 
Flynn devoted his time exclusively to his 
farm, and met with encouraging success 
in his vocation, continuing to follow same 
up to the time of his death, which oc- 
curred November 7, 1882, the result of 
kidney disease; his remains were interred 
in Holland cemetery. He was a self- 
made man in the truest sense, for he 
had amassed a comfortable competence 
by persevering industry, and he was re- 
spected by all who knew him for his 
honesty and fair dealing. His widow- 
continues to reside upon the homestead, 
the management of which is now in the 
hands of the son John. 

JOHN FLYNN was born November 
25, 1864, in Holland township, Brown 
Co., Wis., and was reared to farm life on 
the homestead under the direction of his 
father. At the latter's death he and his 
brother James, who now conducts a sa- 
loon business in Chicago, became o\\ners 
of the farm, eighty acres of which are 
highly cultivated. On June 26, 1891, 
John Flynn was united in marriage with 
Miss Catherine Finnegan, daughter of 
Michael and Sarah Finnegan, natives of 
Ireland, who immigrated to America in 



1848, and settled in Woodville township, 
Calumet county, where Mrs. Flynn lived 
until her marriage. To this union has 
come one child, Angeline, born October 
II, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Flynn are de- 
vout members of the Catholic Church, 
and they are highly esteemed throughout 
their section, Mr. Flynn -being regarded 
as one of the substantial, progressive 
young men in his township. In his po- 
litical preferences he is a Democrat, but 
he takes no part in politics except as a. 
regular attendant at the polls. 

CHARLES CLEEREMANS, gar- 
dener and farmer. Fort Howard, 
came to the place in 1S82 and set- 
tled on a ten-acre tract purchased 
on the Wolf creek road. This he sold 
later and purchased the twenty-acre prop- 
erty he now owns on the line between 
Fort Howard and Ashwaubenon. He is 
also owner of a lot on Wolf creek, and 
has this year (1894) erected a residence. 
Mr. Cleeremans was born in 1841, in 
■Belgium, and came to the Bay Settlement 
April I, 1867, with his parents, Frank and 
Mary (De Long) Cleeremans, the family 
locating upon and clearing up a farm in 
Scott township. The father died in 1877, 
the mother in 1872. Our subject was 
educated thoroughly in the schools of 
Belgium, spending twehe years in those 
educational institutions. He was mar- 
ried in 1870, and the same year settled 
upon a farm in Kewaunee county, Wis., 
selling out and remo\ing to Fort Howard, 
after clearing forty acres. His ^\•ife, Miss 
Caroline Arkins, was born in Belgium, 
and came, in 1856, to Kewaunee county 
with her parents, John Bertis and Mary 
E. (Randall) Arkins, both of whom are 
now deceased. Twelve children ha\e been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Cleeremans: John 
B., Jennie, Mary, Joe, Frank, Aleck, 
Peter, Julia, Felix, Rosa, Anton, and 
Susan. The parents are members of St. 
\\'illibrord's Church, at Green Bay, Mr. 
Cleeremans being also a member of the 



|04 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Catholic Knights at that place, and of the 
Catholic Order of Foresters. Green Bay 
and Fort Howard have undergone won- 
drous changes in the thirty years since Mr. 
Cleeremans came to the locality, and he 
has, to a considerable degree, contributed 
personall)' to this development. 



BP. SWEENEY. This gentleman 
ranks among the leading success- 
ful farmers of Glenmore township, 
Brown county, where he is highly 
esteemed and well known, having been a 
resident of same for almost forty years. 

His father, Peter Sweeney, \\as born 
in County Kerr\-, Ireland, and there mar- 
ried Ellen Brennan, who bore him three 
children in Ireland, Patrick, Catherine and 
Ann. About 1840 they came to the. 
United States, and for a time lived in the 
Eastern States, where two more children 
were born to them, B. P. (our subject) 
and Jeremiah. In 1854 the family came 
westward to Wisconsin, where, the coun- 
try being then new, cheap homes could 
be had. Mr. Sweeney found employ- 
ment on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul railroad as a day laborer, his family 
living along the road near Horicon, Wis., 
for two years, where they kept boarders. 
Then, in 1857, they came to De Pere, at 
that time a small village, containing but 
one store, and here the father worked 
as a laborer until the fall of the year, when 
he came to Section 14, Glenmore town- 
ship, purchasing forty acres for one hun- 
dred and twenty dollars cash. The place 
was then literally a " howling wilderness," 
wild animals were numerous, and the only 
signs of civilization were the trails which 
led through the forest. Not a tree had 
been felled, and Mr. Sweeney erected the 
first house on the place, a log one, and 
commenced the task of clearing at once. 
He was hard-working and persevering, and 
the farm soon began to put on a cultivated 
appearance and to afford its owner an in- 
come. Those days of toil and hardship 
are no more, and, as the old pioneers are 



one by one rapidl}' passing awaj\ the story 
of their lives is all that is left to coming 
generations of the trials and hardships 
which they endured. Mr. Sweene)- con- 
tinued to reside on the farm in Glenmore 
township until his death, which occurred 
in August, 1892, when he was at the ad- 
vanced age of ninety years. His wife 
preceded him to the grave in March, 
1882, and they now rest side by side in 
Glenmore cemeter)'. Both were members 
of St. Mary's Church, at Glenmore. For 
several years prior to his decease Mr. 
Sweeney led a retired life, making his 
home with our subject. 

B. P. Sweeney, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, was born August 23, 
1849, in Springfield, Mass., came west- 
ward with his parents to Wisconsin, and 
is now the onl}' member of the family re- 
maining in Brown county. Here he was 
reared to manhood, and at the early age 
of eight years commenced to assist his 
father in the clearing up of the farm he 
now owns and resides upon, where he re- 
ceived a thorough training to agricultural 
life. He received his literary education 
in the common schools of the period 
the first school he attended being in 
District No. 2, Glenmore township, and 
Maurice Casey was his first teacher. 
At that time lumbering was the most 
popular pursuit for young men in that 
region, and he also worked in the lumber 
camps. 

On July 4, 1872, Mr. Sweeney was 
married, in Cedarburg, Wis., to Miss 
Johanna Sullivan, who was born in that 
town, daughter of Michael Sullivan, and 
the young couple took up their home on 
their present farm, living with his parents 
during their lifetime. Shortly after his 
marriage he purchased eighty acres of the 
farm, following agriculture thereon, any 
in later years added the other eightd 
acres to the place. In 1890 he erected 
the comfortable dwelling in which the 
family now live, which is the third resi- 
dence built on the farm. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Sweeney were born eight children, viz. : 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



405 



Nellie, John, Mary, Catherine. Julia, 
William, Celia and Frances, all li\ing. 
The mother was called from earth in the 
fall of 1894. Our subject has given his 
farming interests the closest attention, 
and has become one of the foremost agri- 
culturists in his section, taking a lively 
interest in every movement for its benefit 
or improvement. He has held every 
office in the gift of the township, and is 
now serving as clerk, to which office he 
was appointed in 1890, and has been 
elected each time since; he was treasurer 
five years, chairman of the township four 
years, as well as assessor and supervisor, 
and for years justice of the peace; and in 
every capacity he has shown himself an 
earnest, efficient worker, fn his party 
preferences he is a Democrat, and he is 
a member of St. Mary's Church, as was 
also his wife. He is highly respected for 
the part he has taken in the opening up 
and development of his section, where he 
is widely known. 



OTTO N. OLDENBURG, of the 
firm of G. Oldenburg & Co. , fur- 
niture dealers and undertakers, 
was born in i860, at Fort Howard, 
where he now lives, and is a son of Ger- 
hard and Margaret (Berner) Oldenburg. 
The former, a native of Schleswig-Hol- 
stein, Germany, came to Fort Howard 
when a young man, with the family of his 
father, Anton Oldenburg, whose wife had 
died in Germany. Anton Oldenburg died 
in Madison, Wis., during the war of the 
Rebellion. 

Gerhard Oldenburg, who was a cabi- 
net-maker and millwright by trade, was 
married at Fort Howard, in 1853, to Miss 
Margaret Berner, who was born in Ger- 
many, and had come in an early day to 
Green Bay, Wis. Mr. Oldenburg fol- 
lowed his trade until the breaking out of 
the war, when he was appointed State 
carpenter and stationed at Madison, where 
he remained during the war. Returning 
to Fort Howard in 1865, he established 



himself in the furniture business. He 
was a Republican in politics, serving as 
supervisor from the Fifth ward. He held 
membership in Washington Lodge, No. 
21, F. & A. M., and was an excellent citi- 
zen. His death occured June 9, 1890, 
he having lived to see remarkable changes 
and developments in the region he had 
chosen for his home so many years before. 
His widow yet resides in Fort Howard. 
Their children were : Sophia, wife of 
Rev. A. H. Kopplin, West Bend, Wis.; 
Anton, married and residing in Fort How- 
ard ; Henry, married and located in the 
practice of law at Carlton, Minn. ; Otto 
N. ; Amelia, unmarried ; Margaret, de- 
ceased when but four years old ; and 
Lewis. 

Otto N. Oldenburg recei\ed his edu- 
cation in the public schools of Fort How- 
ard, and attended the Green Bay Busi- 
ness College, under Prof. Blackman. He 
has since been engaged in business as first 
noted, the firm dating its establishment 
to 1865. As a decendant of a pioneer 
family, and himself a native of Fort How- 
ard, Mr. Oldenburg, although yet a 
young man, has grown up with his city 
and seen its development. He was 
married January 3, 1894, to Miss Joseph- 
ine Anderson, who was born in Sturgeon 
Bay, Wis., where her father, Charley 
Anderson, was an early settler ; he is now 
deceased. Politically Mr. Oldenburg is 
a Republican, and in religious connection 
a member of the Moravian Church. He 
belongs also to Washington Lodge, No. 
21, F. & A. M., and to Warren Chapter, 
No. 8, R. A. M. 



HENRY A. STRAUBEL, retired 
citizen of Green Bay, was well 
known in the city eighteen years 
as the senior member of the firm 
of Straubel & Eberling, millers. He is a 
native of Germany, born May 11, 1841, 
in the village of Blankenburg, Schwarz- 
burg-Rudolstadt. 

His parents, Frederick and Caroline 



4o6 



COMMExVOUATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



(Lenke) Straubel, also natives of Ger- 
many, immigrated with their family to Wis- 
consin in 1846, settling in Green Bay, 
where the father followed his trade, 
biacksmithing, until retiring from active 
work. He died in 1885, the mother in 

1872. They were the parents of six chil- 
dren, a brief record of whom is as follows: 
Carl was drowned about the year 18 50; 
Dorothea married Lewis Loher, and re- 
sides at Calumet, Wis. ; Minnie married 
A. Friedman, moved to New York, and 
died there in 1872 ; Ernest followed black- 
smithing for a time in Green Bay, and 
since 1873 fias been engaged in the manu- 
facture of brick ; Henry A. is the subject 
of this sketch ; Adoph died in the United 
States at the age of three and a half years. 

Henry A. Straubel was five years old 
when the family immigrated to the Western 
World and took up their new home in the 
town of Green Bay. Here, at the com- 
mon schools, he received a somewhat limit- 
ed education, and learning the trade of 
wagon-maker, followed same from the 
time he was twelve years of age until 

1873, when he embarked in the milling 
business, continuing therein successfully 
for eighteen years ; he retired from active 
business life March i, 1894. Between 
the years 18 59 and 1861 Mr. Straubel was 
traveling throughout the South and West, 
and in the latter year he enlisted in Com- 
pany H, Ninth .Wis., V. I., for three 
years' service, being mustered in at Mil- 
waukee. His regiment was attached to 
the army of the \\'est, and participated 
in the Missouri and Arkansas campaigns, 
and at the battle of Newtonia our subject 
was taken prisoner, remainmg in the hands 
of the Confederates, for three months. 
In 1863 he received an honorable dis- 
charge, and returning to Green Bay com- 
menced the carriage and wagon making 
business, subsequently, in 1873, embark- 
ing in the milling business, in which, in 
1877, he formed a partnership with J. H. 
Eberling, . The mill is a fine brick build- 
ing, erected by Straubel & Eberling on 
the site of the former's wagon shop, and 



is thoroughly equipped, having a capacity 
of 300 barrels per day. Mr. Straubel also 
owns a half interest in "Cook's Hotel," 
a four-storj', seventy-room brick building, 
located on the corner of Washington and 
Cherry streets. Green Bay ; is a stock- 
holder in the Columbia Bakery, Green 
Bay, in the Brown County Fair and Park 
Association, in the Green Bay Flaning- 
mill. Electric Light Plant, etc., and since 
1 884 has been a director of the Citizens 
National Bank, of which he was one of 
the organizers. 

On November 17, 1868, Henry A. 
Straubel and Miss Minnie Altman were 
united in marriage. She is a native of 
Wisconsin, born in Manitowoc county, a 
daughter of early settlers of that section, 
now deceased. To this union two chil- 
dren have been born, viz. : Carl, who was 
bookkeeper for the Citizens National Bank 
for five years, and Arthur. In politics 
our subject is a Republican, and has served 
as a member of the city council some six 
years. Socially he is a member of Her- 
man Lodge, No. Ill, I. O. O. F. (in 
which he has passed all the chairs), and of 
T. O. Howe Post, No. 124, G. A. R. 
Mr. Straubel is the owner of real estate 
in Green Bay and a productive farm of 
seventy-eight acres in Allouez township ; 
he has won his position in the world by 
his own energy, industry and good man- 
agement, and is a deservedl}' success- 
ful man. 



JAMES DRAKE, proprietor of the 
Green Bay Nursery, and a promi- 
nent, enterprising citizen, is by birth 
an Englishman, born September i, 
1826, in the village of Prelerton, War- 
wickshire, a son of Isaac and Elizabeth 
f Punn ) Drake, also natives of England. 
In I 840 the family came to the United 
States, first locating in Monroe county, N. 
Y. , on a farm, but some time later, about 
1855, moving to Wisconsin, opening up a 
farm in Sheboygan county, where the 
father died May 4, 1894, the mother about 



COMMEMOnATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



407 



the year 1S59. They \\ere the parents of 
eight children, of whom the following is a 
brief record: Mary is the widow of Simeon 
Pond, who was a member of Company F, 
Twenty-seventh Wis. V. I., and died in 
1864, at Helena, Ark., from disease con- 
tracted in the service; James is the subject 
of this sketch; George, a farmer, resides 
in Minnesota; John enlisted in Sheboygan 
county in Company F, Twenty-seventh 
Wis. V. I., and died in 1864 at Memphis, 
Tenn. ; Eliza and William both died in 
Sheboygan county, the former in 1859, 
the latter in 1868; Jennie died of con- 
sumption in 18 — ; Isaac P. lives in Min- 
nesota, where he is an extensive stock 
raiser. 

James Drake, whose name opens this 
sketch, was fourteen years old when he 
left his native Warwickshire — the county 
that gave birth to the greatest of all 
poets — and consequently received all his 
education there. In this country he 
worked on farms till soon after the break- 
ing out of the Civil war, when, fired with 
military ardor, he enlisted in August, 
1862, in Company F, Twenty-seventh 
Wis. V. I., for three years, and was 
mustered in at Milwaukee the following 
October. He participated in the battle of 
Cape Girardeau, Mo., and the siege of 
Vicksburg, after which he was taken sick 
and confined to hospital at Helena, Ark. 
In May, 1865, he was honorably dis- 
charged at Memphis, Tenn. , for disability, 
and returned home. In 1866 he com- 
menced in the nursery business, in which 
he has since continued with the most sat- 
isfactory results, having met with un- 
bounded success; in 1879 he permanently 
located in Green Bay. In 1855 he was 
married, in New York, to Miss Roxana 
Davis, by which union there is one child, 
James H., now a resident of Milwaukee, 
W'is. , proprietor of a livery stable there, 
and a dealer in horses. This wife dying, 
Mr. Drake, in 1870, was married, in 
Fond du Lac, Wis. , to Miss Jennie E. 
Prink, daughter of Rev. Peter and Eu- 
retta P. (Collins) Prink, all natives of 



New York City, who came, in 1844, to 
Oshkosh, Wis., where Mr. Prink erected 
the third frame house. He was a Bap- 
tist missionary, and resided there three 
years, or until 1847, when he moved to 
Weyauwega, Waupaca county, where he 
passed the rest of his useful life, dying in 
1865; his wife died in Green Bay, March 
25, 1885. He was widely known as a 
zealous and faithful divine, and he organ- 
ized churches of the Baptist denomina- 
tion in Appleton, Neenah, etc. Twelve 
children were born to him, as follows: 
Laura, who married Matthew Crinell, of 
Albany, N. Y. , and died in 1886; Edwin, 
who was one of the first settlers of Med- 
ford. Wis., and the first judge of Taylor 
county, died in 1885 (he served during 
the Civil war in a New York regiment); 
Collins, who died in Wisconsin in Feb- 
ruary, 1874 (he served in the Civil war as 
a member of the First Wisconsin Cav- 
alry); Amanda, who married William 
Graves, of New York City, and died De- 
cember 20, 1893 (Mr. Graves served in 
the regular army); Ruth, wife of Lindall 
H. Crosby, of Walnut Grove, Mo. ; Sarah 
Ermetta, residing at Oshkosh; Oscar 
Henry, who served three years in the 
First W'isconsin Cavalry, now residing in 
Gilman, Iowa; Jennie E., Mrs. Drake; 
Eugene, who also served three years in 
the First Wisconsin Cavalry, and now re- 
sides at Eau Claire, Wis., where he is a 
gardener and proprietor of a meat market; 
William, now a resident of Gilman, Iowa, 
who served two years in the First Wis- 
consin Cavalry; Elijah, a lumberman; 
and Emma H., wife of E. A. Williams, a 
survej'or, both o'' Stevens Point, Wis. 
When the younge.:.. ' these was thirty- 
two years old, all tiio members of the 
family were alive. 

In his political views Mr. Drake is in- 
dependent, always supporting men and 
measures that he considers best for the 
general good; socially, he is a member of 
T. O. Howe Post, No. 124, G. A. R. He 
and Mrs. Drake are members of the Pres- 
byterian Church. She is identified with 



4o8 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



many beneficent works; was one of the 
organizers of the Woman's ReHef Corps, 
was president durinj,' the first three terms, 
and was an officer of the Department in 
1892. She is also superintendent of the 
Children's Home Society of Green Bay. 



AUGUST F. RADOE (deceased), 
for many years a much esteemed 
citizen of Eaton township, Brown 
county, was a native of the F"atiier- 
land, born March 26, 1820, in the village 
of Arnswalde, Prussia. His parents, Daniel 
and Sophia (Leipsite) Radoe, had a family 
of five children, as follows: August F., 
the subject of this sketch; Christian F., 
who lives in Africa, where he owns 1,020 
acres of land; John, who died leaving a 
wife and several children; Ernest, who 
lives in Russia; and Henrietta, Mrs. Velse, 
who resides in Germany. The parents 
were only in moderate circumstances, and 
consequenth' the children commenced to 
earn a li\ing early in life. 

When our subject was fifteen years 
old he hired out as a shepherd boy, and 
continued in that occupation two years, 
receiving ten dollars a year for his services. 
For the ne.xt two years he served as 
coachman to a private family, and then 
commenced to learn the trade of wagon- 
maker, at which he served an apprentice- 
ship of three years, and for which his 
parents paid twentj'-five dollars. After 
completing his apprenticeship he worked 
as journeyman at various places in Ger- 
many until NS43, when he married Miss 
Henrietta Ctjldeme, who died eight years 
after, leaving five children. In 1854 Mr. 
Radoe wedded Miss Augusta Harder, and 
the following year the\' emigrated to Amer- 
ica, landing in Ouebec after an eight-weeks' 
voyage, thence coming directly to Mil- 
waukee by boat, and from there to Water- 
town, Wis., where Mr. Radoe entered the 
employ of a wagonmaker. After working 
for his employer tw(j months, our subject 
rented the shop and conducted it on his own 
account two vcars, at the end of which 



time he came to Eaton township, and 
purchased eighty acres of land, where he 
passed the rest of his days. At that early 
date there were but four or five other set- 
tlers in the town, and their nearest trading 
point was Green Bay, a trip to the mill and 
back occupying three days; and, as there 
was but one ox-team in the town, all the 
neighbors would arrange to send their grist 
at the same time. Mr. Radoe cleared and 
cultivated his land, converting it into a 
highly improved tract, where he and his son 
conducted a profitable farming business. 
He died July 2, 1 894, universally respected 
in Eaton township, where he was recog- 
nized as a kind-hearted neighbor and loyal 
citizen. 

Mr. and Mrs. Radoe had a famil\- of 
nine children, their names and dates of 
birth being as follows: Maria P., August 
31, 1855; Albertina A., December 28. 
1857; William D., January 19, i860; Carl 
R. , February 9, 1862; Gustave A., March 
6, 1864 (deceased July 28, 1865); Ann 
R. and Herman T. (twins), April 13, 
1866; Augusta L. , December 9, 1869; and 
Louis M., December 22, 1873. The 
mother of this family passed from earth 
November 22, 1888. Mr. Radoe was a 
Methodist in religious belief, and, though 
there is no church of that denomination 
in Eaton township, he was much inter- 
ested in all church work; he donated the 
land for the cemetery in Eaton township, 
and gave a ready support to all beneficial 
movements of interest to the community 
in general. In 1891 he made a trip to 
his native country, returning after a pleas- 
ant visit of about four months. 



JOHN MEEHAN, a well-known agri- 
culturist of New Denmark township, 
Brown county, is a native of Ire- 
land, born July 19, 1836, son of 
Thomas and Mary (Jordan) Meehan. who 
were farming people of that country. 
They had children as follows: John, 
Ellen, Kate, Ann, Mary, and Christopher, 
of whom John is the subject of this sketch ; 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



409 



Ellen became Mrs. John Moore, of Den- 
mark, Brown Co., Wis.; Kate is the wife 
of P. Fagan, of Denmark; Ann died in 
infancy, and Mary keeps house for her 
brother John. 

In 1849 the parents disposed of their 
belongings in Ireland, and, proceeding to 
Liverpool, embarked on an American- 
bound vessel, landing in New York City. 
Going at once to Troy, N. Y. , they lived 
in that city one year, and then removed 
to Lanesboro, Mass., where they made 
their home about three years, Mr. Meehan 
finding employment at the iron works. 
From there the family removed westward 
to Brown county. Wis., and settled on 
160 acres of wild land which they had 
purchased in New Denmark township 
(the farm now occupied by our subject), 
making their home for several years in a 
log house, which is still standing. The 
surrounding country was still unimproved, 
and wild beasts and Indians were yet 
numerous in the neighborhood. They 
lived here about a year before they could 
afford to buy a team, in the meantime 
borrowing the o.\-team that belonged to 
their neighbor, Mr. Bradley paying for 
its use in work. Their trading was gen- 
erally done in Manitowoc. On this farm 
the parents passed the remainder of their 
days, the father dying in 1870, the 
mother in 1892, at the ripe old age of 
ninety-two years. 

John Meehan, being the eldest in the 
famil}', commenced to work at an early 
age, and he had his full share of the pri- 
vations and hardships of pioneer farm 
life. He and his brother gave valuable 
assistance to their father in the clearing 
of the farm, which was no small task, as 
the land had to be literally taken from the 
forest. Work being so abundant at home, 
he had but little opportunity to attend 
even the schools that flourished in the 
neighborhood in those early days, but he 
has acquired a practical business training. 
In 1862 he went to Coles county, 111., 
where he entered the service of the gov- 
ernment, being employed to care for 



horses for the army; and after remaining 
there three years came home. Six 
months later he went to Winona, Minn., 
where he commenced railroading and 
continued in that occupation six months, 
since which time he has lived on the 
homestead in New Denmark township. 
His sister Mary has also remained on the 
farm, and, as above mentioned, keeps 
house for him. Mr. Meehan is an indus- 
trious, progressive farmer, and is profit- 
ably engaged in general agriculture. Po- 
litically he is a Republican, and takes 
great interest in the affairs of his party; 
he has filled several minor offices, such as 
supervisor and school director of his 
township, with credit to himself and sat- 
isfaction to all concerned, and is a di- 
rector in the Farmers Insurance Com- 
pany, of which he also served one year 
as president. 



CHRISTIAN KUNTZ, who, for the 
past ten years, has been living re- 
tired in Glenmore township, Brown 
county, was born November 14, 
181 3, in the village of Ottweiler, Rhine 
Province, Prussia, son of Christian and 
Sophia (Walsinger) Kuntz. They had 
four sons — Christian, Jacob, Lewis and 
Conrad — all of whom are now deceased, 
except our subject. The mother died 
when Christian was six years old, and his 
father subsequently remarried. He died 
in Germany, where he was a life-long 
farmer. 

Christian Kuntz attended the schools 
of the Fatherland, was reared to farming, 
which he continued to follow, and in his 
early manhood, as is the custom in Ger- 
many, served three years in the army, 
from 1833 to 1837. I" the latter year, 
his father having provided him with 
money to come to the United States, he 
proceeded to Havre, there embarking on 
a vessel bound for New York, where he 
landed after a voyage of twenty-eight 
days. For two years he worked for a 
farmer near Rochester, N. Y., and while 



4IO 



COMMKMOliATJVK BIOGRAl'IIICAL UECOIID. 



in that State was married, in 1S38, to 
Miss Caroline Conrad, also a native of 
Germany. In the spring of 1843 they 
came by water to \\'isconsin, landing at 
Milwankee, whence Mr. Kunt;^ went to 
Washington (now Ozaukee) county, and 
purchased a piece of new land. The 
county had not yet been divided into town- 
ships, and he was the first settler in his 
section. Clearing up his farm he resided 
thereon until 1858, when he came to 
Brown county, and here purchased 320 
acres of wild land in Section 9, Morrison 
township, on which tract he built the first 
lu)use and made the first improvements, 
having his home there until 1884, when 
he came to Glenmore township. Here 
he has since lived, retired from active 
work, residing with his son-in-law, Adolph 
Glawe. He was \ery successful in his 
farming operations, being an industrious 
worker and a good manager, and has also 
been fortunate in his real estate invest- 
ments. 

Mrs. Caroline Knnt/; died in 1857, in 
Ozaukee county, where she was buried, and 
Mr. Kuntz subsequently married in that 
county Miss Elizabeth Khigg, a native of 
Germany, to which union have come three 
children : Henrietta, now Mrs. Adolph 
Glawe, of Glenmore township ; Albert, a 
farmer of Clark county. Wis. ; and Emma, 
Mrs. Josejih Rank, of Chippewa county. 
Wis. By his first wife there were chil- 
dren as follows : Philip, who died young ; 
Charles, who died in Brown county (he 
served in the Civil war) ; Louis, who died 
in New York State at the age of twenty- 
three ; Caroline, Mrs. Powell Probstfeld, 
of Missouri ; Henry, of Chippewa Falls, 
Wis. ; Christian, of Marshfield, Wis. ; 
Sojihia, Mrs. Ernest Hafer, of Superior, 
Wis. ; William, of Grand Rapids, Wis. ; 
and Anna, also of Grand Rapids. 

Mr. Kuntz has, until recent years, been 
one of the most active men in his local- 
ity, public-spirited, enterprising and ever 
ready to encourage any measure of benefit 
or interest to the community. He is an 
adlierent of the principles of tiie Demo- 



cratic party, but uses his own judgment 
in voting, always supporting the best 
man. He was seven times elected chair- 
man of Morrison township, and also 
served as supervisor, and for three terms 
as assessor. In religious faith he is a 
member of the Evangelical Church. He 
has traveled more than the average 
farmer. In 1841 he paid a visit to his 
nati\'e land, spending a month there, and 
again went to Europe in 1884, this time 
remaining four months in France, Hol- 
land and Germany ; he has also journeyed 
extensively over Canada and the United 
States, visiting almost every State in the 
Union, and in all has traveled over twen- 
ty-five thousand miles, some seventeen 
thousand by water. Mr. Kuntz is well 
preserved, has a good memory, and was 
extremely robust until 1S92, when an 
attack of "la grippe" somewhat im- 
paired his health. [Since the above was 
written we have received intimation of the 
death of Mr. Christian Kuntz. — Editor. 



JOHN B. HEYRMAN, senior mem- 
ber of the popular printing firm of 
Heyrman & Kuypers, proprietors of 
the Brown County Democrat, and 
the /)(■ I'olksstcvi, is one of the most 
prominent of all the pioneers who came 
to northern Wisconsin, conspicuous not 
only as such, but as one of the best-known 
and most widely respected citizens in this 
portion of the State. 

Mr. Heyrman is a native of Belgium, 
born in the town of . Bornhem, Province 
of Antwerpen, a son of John and Anna 
Catherine (De Jonghe) Heyrman, also of 
Belgian nativity, born respectively at 
Basele, Province of East Flanders, and 
at Bornhem, Province of Antwerpen. In 
1856 the parents, accompanied by their 
eldest son, Charles Louis, took second- 
class passage on a sailing vessel for 
America, and after an uneventful voyage 
landed at New York — that is, the father 
and son did, for the mother was fated 
never to see land again, ha\ing. after a 



■ 


^H ^1^^^^^^^^ 


^F 


A^id^Kft. ' ■'j-iitftf-,; ' l^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l 


^m 


1^ 'fl^^l 


1^^ 


It^ CS 


jjj^fl 


^^H ^^H^^^^^K ^l^^^^^^^l 


t 




1 


./ ■ 


^^^ 






^^^ <^ y^-^'. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



4'3 



brief illness, died on mid-ocean, finding a 
grave in the deep bosom of the Atlantic 
Ocean. From New York the bereaved 
father and motherless son proceeded by 
rail to Detroit, Mich., where two other 
sons, John B. and Joseph, joined them, 
they having arrived in the country the 
previous year, as will be presently related. 
The quartette then at once came to Wis- 
consin, landing in Green Bay in 1856. 
Here, in the town of Preble, they bought 
a half section of timberland which they 
immediately began clearing with a view 
to making a permanent stay. The father 
•died on this farm in 1874. The son, 
Charles Louis, continued to reside there- 
on, and cultivated it, until his decease in 
1 89 1, after a prosperous career as an 
agriculturist; he married, and had a family 
of three sons and three daughters; and 
when he died he left a widow and two 
sons and two daughters. 

John B. Heyrman, the subject proper 
of this sketch, received a liberal education 
at the common schools of his birthplace, 
his instruction being in both the Flemish 
and French languages, and in 1855, ac- 
companied by his brother, Joseph, board- 
•ed a sailing ship as passenger for the 
United States, landing at New York. 
From there they traveled to Philadelphia, 
at which city they made an arrangement 
with an American firm, owners of a large 
tract of land in Luzerne county, Penn.,to 
begin the clearing up of a portion of this 
land for a Belgian colony, our subject be- 
ing appointed superintendent of the work. 
Accordingly, he and his brother, Joseph, 
assisted by two other Belgians, com- 
menced the work of clearing up a passage 
to said land through a densely-timbered 
wilderness. Arrived at their destination, 
the first thing the party did was to put 
up a log shanty, which, thanks to the 
kindl}^ assistance of the far-distant neigh- 
bors, was ready to shelter them in a few 
weeks. The nearest neighbor, an Amer- 
ican, was a true friend to the little pioneer 
party of foreigners, and would willingly 

Tiave given his last crust of bread and 
23 



sacrificed his life in their defense; but 
there was no danger, for there was plenty 
of game to be had for the killing, and 
nothing worthy of apprehension more 
dangerous than an occasional visit from a 
vagabond bear or wolf, themselves hunt- 
ing for the necessaries of life. The near- 
est tavern to this embryo colony was sit- 
uated somewhere at the foot of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains, on the Bloomsburg and 
Towanda pike, the most popular hostelry 
between these two points, and was kept 
by a German named Keizer; while the 
nearest store, at which they could pro- 
cure their provisions, etc., was no less 
than thirty-five miles distant, a good day's 
journey for a few pounds of tea or tobac- 
co. On this wild piece of land these 
four intrepid Belgians continued to live, 
keeping a sort of "Bachelor's Hall," 
hewing down the trees and clearing away 
the brush, until the following spring, when 
they "broke camp." The brothers Heyr- 
man, having learned of the arrival of their 
parents in the country, then set out for 
Detroit, Mich., where they awaited them; 
and, on the reunion of the family, the 
party came direct to Wisconsin, as above 
related. 

During the first twelve years of his 
residence in Wisconsin, John B. Heyr- 
man lived on the farm with his father and 
brothers, and then, having married, he 
kept a general store at Ba}' Settlement, 
Brown county, but at the end of two 
years, owing to failures and fire, he lost 
his all. At this time he hired out as a log 
scaler to a lumberman for one winter, and 
during the ensuing summer worked as 
filer in the sawmill at New Franken, in 
the town of Scott, Brown county. In 
the fall of 1 87 1, having removed with his 
family to De Pere, he recommenced mer- 
cantile business, opening a general store 
in that city, which he successfully con- 
ducted seven years: then selling out in 
order to be better at liberty to give his 
attention to journalism, for which he had 
a natural penchant. The paper he estab- 
lished was the De Pere Staftdani, at that 



4'4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



time the only Catholic newspaper in the 
United States published in the HolJiuui 
language, and for twelve years he and his 
associate conducted it with eminent abil- 
ity and careful management. Mr. Heyr- 
man then sold out his interest in the 
S/aiidard to his partner, and in January, 
1890, in company with John Anton Kuy- 
pers, purchased the Brown County Deni- 
ocrat (established m 1877), a weekly 
paper printed in the English language, 
and shortly afterward they commenced 
the publication of a new Holland weekly, 
De I'o/ksstiiii. in connection with which 
they conduct a general printing estab- 
lishment, equipped with all modern im- 
provements and facilities to be found in a 
first-class office. The business is carried 
on under the firm name of Heyrman & 
Kuypers, and is steadily expanding. 

On May 6, 1867, Mr. Heyrman was 
united in marriage with Miss Barbara 
Isabella De Both, also a native of Belgium, 
born at Ottenburg, Province of Brabant, 
and ten children — five sons and five 
daughters — were born to them, of whom 
two sons and two daughters died in in- 
fancy; the survivors are Henry, Anna 
Catherine, Mary Magdeline, Peter, Julia, 
and Ale.xander, all grown to manhood 
and womanhood. In his political sympa- 
thies Mr. Heyrman has been a consistent 
Democrat from the day he cast his first 
vote, in 1856, to the present time; in 
1875 he was elected a justice of the peace, 
but resigned the office before the close of 
two years. For two successive years 
he served as alderman of De Pere, since 
when, in 1894, he was elected a member 
of the county board of supervisors for 
three years. Since 1872 he has been a 
member of St. Joseph's Catholic Society 
in De Pere. 

Daily engaged in the details of his 
prosperous business, faithful in the dis- 
charge of all social and other obligations, 
Mr. Heyrman yet finds time to make a 
cordial and practical response to the calls 
of philanthropy, and to join with his fel- 
low citizens in measures that tend to pro- 



mote good government. He is honored 
and respected by all who know him, and 
enjoys a reputation for unflinching adher- 
ence to the principles of right, justice and 
freedom, which any man might covet. 



JOHN G. GROSS, farmer, dairyman 
and lumberman of Morrison town- 
ship, Brown county, was born in 
1829, in Bavaria, Germany, where 
he was reared and received his education. 
He immigrated to America at the age of 
twenty-one, and after remaining three 
years in New York came to Wisconsin, 
first to Germantown, Washington county, 
and thence to Morrison township. Brown 
county, where he owns about 320 acres of 
land, a portion of which has been cleared 
and developed by his individual labor. In 
1867 he commenced lumbering, a busi- 
ness in which he met with such success that 
in 1875 he purchased the mill which he now 
manages. He also became a stockholder 
in the first cheese factory established in 
the town, an enterprise which proved 
very profitable to the people. For twenty- 
five years he has assisted in the local civil 
government, serving in various count}' and 
town offices, representing his town on the 
county board for eight years, and has also 
taken a lively interest in educational af- 
fairs. In 1853 Mr. Gross married Mar- 
garet Moschel, and to their union have 
come nine children — four sons anrl five 
daughters. 



CHARLES PRUST, of Morrison 
township. Brown county, was 
born March 8, 1846, in Germany, 
a son of John and Charlotte 
(Combis) Prust, who were the parents of 
nine children, viz. : Frederick, Austine, 
William, Charles, August, Johanna, and 
Henry, all living; and Mary and Anna, 
deceased. Charles Prust served a three 
years' apprenticeship at wagonmaking in 
Germany, receiving for his last year's labor 
fifteen dollars. The familv then came to 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



41S 



America, sailing from Hamburg and land- 
ing in Quebec, whence they came to 
Wrightstown, Brown Co., Wis., where 
the father bought a tract of forty acres of 
cleared land. They remained at Wrights- 
town until 1888, then removed to Marsh- 
field, Wis., where the father also bought 
forty acres of land, and there lived until 
his death. May 12, 1890. 

After his arrival in Brown county our 
subject went to Glenmore, and worked at 
carpentering for two years, continuing to 
work at that trade, for the most part, until 
1887, when he started in the machine 
business in De Pere, moving thence to 
Morrison, where he engaged in the same 
line of business until May, 1893; he had 
bought eighty acres of land, mostly wild, 
but in May, 1893, he sold his farm 
and businesss and started a saloon. Mr. 
Prust was united in marriage, December 
5, 1869, with Augusta Conrad, daughter 
of Ludwig and Caroline (Prust) Conrad, 
and they have had nine children, as follows: 
Minnie, Mary, Augusta, Ann, William, 

Bertha, John, Harrison, and . 

In religious connection they are members 
of the Evangelical Association, of which 
Mr. Prust has been a trustee fifteen years, 
treasurer thirteen years, and for four years 
he was preacher. In politics he is a Re- 
publican, and has served as supervisor, 
assessor, and for two years as chairman. 
Mr. Prust has made many friends in Mor- 
rison, is popular in his business as well as 
in his political relationship, and his family 
are all highly respected as honest and 
peaceable neighbors. 



JH. TAYLER, cashier of the McCart- 
ney National Bank at Fort Howard, 
Brown county, was born here in 
1859, and is a descendant of a very 
ancient English family. He is a son of 
Joseph and M. V. (Kennan) Tayler, the 
former of whom came from England to 
Neenah, Wis., in 1S52, soon after remov- 
ing to Green Bay, where he engaged in 



the commission business until 1857, the 
year of his removal to Fort Howard ; 
here he was engaged in mercantile busi- 
ness for some years, but is now acting as 
insurance agent. For about twenty years 
he was postmaster at Fort Howard, and 
for a number of years has been city treas- 
urer, being always recognized as a first- 
class business man and a model gentleman. 

J. H. Tayler was reared and educated 
in Fort Howard, and after leaving school 
began his business life as assistant post- 
master, holding the position with credit 
for ten years ; he was city treasurer two 
years, and since his connection with the 
McCartney National Bank has also held 
the office of mayor of Fort Howard. His 
banking experience began with the or- 
ganization of the Exchange Bank in 1881, 
of which David McCartney was the presi- 
dent and Mr. Tayler the cashier ; in 1892 
the McCartney National Bank was organ- 
ized, with the same officials. During 
this period of fourteen years Mr. Tayler 
has maintained his position as cashier to 
the entire satisfaction of the business pub- 
lic, and his uniformly pleasant method of 
performing his duties has made him a 
favorite with the bank's customers and the 
citizens generally. He is also a director 
of the Green Bay and Fort Howard Water 
Works Company. 

Mr. Tayler was married, in 1889, to 
Miss Eleanor J. Richardson, who was 
born in Wisconsin, daughter of George 
and Susan Richardson, the former a na- 
tive of England who settled in Fort How- 
ard about the year 1865. The only child 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Tayler, named 
George R., was taken from them in his 
earliest childhood, causing a void in their 
otherwise happy home that is felt most 
keenly. Mr. Tayler is in politics a Re- 
publican, believing that the principles pro- 
mulgated by that party are the best adapt- 
ed to the good of the people of the State 
and Nation. In the social circles of Fort 
Howard he and his wife are shining lights 
and recognized ornaments, and in the 
sterner and more serious conduct of local 



4t6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



progress Mr. Tayler's advice is eap;erly 
soufjht and is freely given, while he him- 
self never fails to bear his full share of the 
labor and cost of public improvements 
— material, religious and educational. 



M 



J. CORBETT, wholesale and 
retail grocer, Fort Howard, 
Brown county. This gentle- 
man, who is one of the promi- 
nent business men and stanch citizens of 
Fort Howard, has had an interesting and 
varied experience. He was born in Ot- 
tawa City, Canada, son of Lawrence 
Corbctt, a native of Ennis, County Clare, 
Ireland, who died in Ottawa, Canada; 
the mother of our subject died when he 
was an infant. 

M. J. Corbett was educated in a pri- 
vate school in his native city. At the 
age (jf fifteen years he went to Buffalo, 
N. Y. , where he worked in a stone-yard 
one season, and in the fall of 1866 shipped 
as a boat hand and came to Fort How- 
ard, Wis., here engaging in boating on 
Green Bay, first on the ' ' Sarah Van 
Epps, " when she ran on the east shore, 
later on the steamer "Ozaukee," and 
afterward on the "Katie Reed." After a 
few years' service on the Bay he entered 
the boiler works of D. M. Burns, and 
after remaining there some time served a 
three or four years' apprenticeship as a 
machinist in the Monitor Iron Works. 
He next worked as a journeyman in the 
Green Bay & Winona shops until 1877, 
going thence to Lake City, Colo., on a 
jirospecting tour, and later to Texas and 
Alabama, where he followed his trade. 
He was in the employ of the I. & G. N. 
R. R. at Houston, Texas, as a machinist, 
and later worked in the same capacity in 
the H. & T. C. shops at Galveston, re- 
maining in the South until about 1880, 
when he returned to Fort Howard and 
commenced business for himself in a small 
building now occupied as a boot and shoe 
store, buying and shipping potatoes. He 
purchased and impro\ed his present two- 



story brick veneered building in 1884, 
and, from the small beginning made in 
1 880, has grown the extensive business 
which he now enjoys. Mr. Corbett is at 
this time the leading merchant of Fort 
Howard, carrying a complete line of 
groceries, crockery and glassware, flour 
and feed, giving employment to six clerks 
and enjoying an extensive custom in 
northeastern Wisconsin and northern 
Michigan. The wholesale branch of this 
business was established about 1890, 
and his large tlouble store on Main street, 
80 X 60 feet in dimensions, is a busy center 
of trade. 

In addition to his mercantile affairs, 
Mr. Corbett finds time also to devote 
to social and public matters, and is a 
thoroughly public-spirited citizen. Po- 
litically he votes with the Republican 
party, and has served as alderman at large 
for his city. He is a member of Poche- 
quette Lodge, K. of P., of the A. O. U. 
W. at Fort Howard, and is a director and 
manager of the Fort Howard Building 
and Loan Association. He is fully identi- 
fied with the interests of the city, and in 
all respects is a valuable citizen. 



EPHRAIM CROCKER, ex-sheriff 
of Brown county. Wis. , farmer 
and liveryman, was born July 16, 
1 8 19, in Colerain, Mass., a son of 
William Crocker, who was a native of 
Washington county, N. Y. , born near 
Crocker's Falls, named after the grand- 
father of our subject. 

William Crocker, who was a farmer, 
settled in 1833 in Ohio, where he died at 
the age of forty-eight years. He had 
married Miss Elizabeth Potter, also a 
native of Washington county, N. Y. , who 
became the mother of ten children, all 
but two of whom grew to maturity, She 
died in Ashtabula, Ohio, at the age of 
about seventy years. As far as Mr. 
Crocker knows, he has one brother, Will- 
iam H., living in Australia; another, 
Charles, in Arizona; and one, Levi, in 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



417 



Wisconsin, all engaged in mercantile trade. 
Old-time war reminiscences are plen- 
tiful in the Crocker family, and, among 
others, it is related that Ephraim's father 
was on Lake Champlain, September 11, 
1 8 14, when the famous battle was raging, 
and could distinctly hear the roar of the 
cannon. Both grandfathers were officers 
under Washington in the Revolution; a 



granduncle. 



in the same struggle, was 



taken prisoner and consigned to Canada, 
and while crossing a river was set to row- 
ing a boat; but, pretending he could not 
row, he fell behind, and, by diverging 
from the proper course, escaped; after 
reaching the shore he applied to a house 
for something to eat; the lady told him 
her husband was a Tory, but she was true 
blue, and concealed him under the floor 
in the cellar until an opportunity offered 
for his escape, thus saving his life. 

Ephraim Crocker lived on the home 
farm until the death of his father, which 
occurred when he was about sixteen years 
of age. Times being hard and his mother 
poor, he then started out in life for him- 
self, and his meanderings were varied and 
long. He made a start for Columbus, 
Ohio, but before reaching his destination 
found employment in a hotel; he next 
drove team at Zanesville, where he re- 
mained awhile, and then went back again 
to his last employer and cared for horses 
two years. Going next to Wheeling, W. 
Va. , he engaged in teaming, and for about 
three years was a driver on the National 
road for Stockton, Falls & Co., after 
which he bound himself as an apprentice 
to a millwright in Cumberland, Md. Ac- 
companying his employer to Harrisburg, 
Penn., he helped to build a sawmill, and 
worked six moths in same, thence going 
to Smithland, Ky. , where he built a 
steam tannery and a gristmill. His ap- 
prenticeship expired there eighteen months 
later, and he returned to Ashtabula, Ohio. 
After working for a time on a vessel he 
went to Buffalo, and then to New York 
City, where for three years he worked at 
shipbuilding for William Webb; then went 



to St. Louis, Alo. , and worked one winter 
on a large steamer; then reached Chicago, 
where he worked in a shipyard, and while 
there helped to build the Hrst boat that 
passed through the Illinois canal. 

Mr. Crocker now returned to Ohio, 
and November 20, 1848, was married ta 
Miss Hannah S. Hewitt, who was born in 
New York State, a daughter of David and 
Sally Hewitt, natives of New York, who 
early settled in Ohio, dying in Ashta- 
bula. To this marriage were born seven 
children, two of whom are yet living, 
viz. : Sarah C. , who is the wife of Rob- 
ert Henderson, and has three sons; and 
Frank G. , who married Miss Irwin, and 
has a son and a daughter (he is a resident 
of Iron Mountain, Mich., and is register 
of deeds there). After his marriage Mr. 
Crocker returned to Chicago for a year, 
and in 1850 came to Fort Howard, where 
he has ever since remained, with the ex- 
ception of the time occupied in making a 
trip to California. Here he first engaged 
in general building, which he followed 
until 1854, when he started a livery stable 
which he has conducted, with the excep- 
tion of two years, until the present time, 
owning, besides, a large tract of valuable 
land quite near the city. In 1873 and 
1874 he was sheriff of Brown county, and 
his career was a most exciting one in that 
capacity; three-card monte men infested 
the region and held officers, attorneys and 
the populace under intimidation; but 
Sheriff Crocker proved to be a match for 
them. The great trouble was that indi- 
viduals who were swindled by them were 
terrorized and dare not appear against 
them when arrested. But Sheriff Crock- 
er, as it were, took the law in his own 
hands, and on one occasion entered the 
courtroom, took out the thief, and forced 
him to disgorge $40 of his ill-gotten gains, 
and on another occasion compelled the 
culprit to surrender over $200. The 
sheriff's name became a terror to the 
desperadoes, and, despite all threats of 
personal violence against himself, he 
tenaciously clung to his duty and extermi- 



4iS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIWAL RECORD. 



nated the evil-doers from the refjion. 
Sheriff Crocker was possessed of j^reat 
nerve, and at one time captured four 
desperadoes single-handed, ' his only 
weapon being a revolver that was utterl\- 
unfit for use. He is a man of strict 
honor, and one the people have always 
implicitly relied upon for uprightness. In 
politics he was formerly an Old-line 
Whig, and cast his first vote for Gen. Will- 
iam Henry Harrison; he now affiliates 
with the Republicans, and was chairman 
of the first Republican caucus held in 
Fort Howard, which met in 1856 in the 
office of his present livery barn. He and 
his family are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which for seven 
years he was Sunday-school superintend- 
ent. His standing socially is very high, 
and as a business man he is without 
reproach. 



WH. PETERSON, liverjinan, 
Main street, Fort Howard, was 
born at Stowe, Lamoille Co., 
Vt., in 1850, and is a son of A. 
iind Mary Ann (Somers) Peterson, na- 
tives of the same State, in which the)' 
lived and died. The senior Peterson was 
a farmer by occupation, and died in 1885, 
his wife preceding him in 1866 to the 
mysterious beyond. Their four children 
were : Edward, who resides in Green 
Bay, and is engaged in the milling busi- 
ness at Cooperstown, Wis. ; Gustie, who 
is married, and resides at Nashua, Iowa ; 
W. H., of Fort Howard, and Alfred, who 
died in Stowe, Vt., about 1890. The 
grandfather of Mr. Peterson was also a 
native of the Green Mountain State, born 
of Scotch ancestry, and was a soldier in 
the Revolutionary war. 

W. H. Peterson, who was reared and 
educated among the rugged mountains of 
his native State, early became interested 
in the trotting-horse business in eastern 
Vermont, and continued until his ramoval 
to F"ort Howard in 1870. He had mar- 
ried, the previous year, Eunice Kimball, 



daughter of Luke Kimball, .both Ver- 
monters. Death parted the youthful 
couple in 1872, and the wife's remains 
now rest beneath the soil of her native 
State. Mr. Peterson was again married, 
in 1874, at Milwaukee, this time to Mrs. 
Anna Rice, a widow with one daughter, 
who is now Mrs. Nellie Wheeler, of Mil- 
waukee. Upon coming to Fort Howard 
Mr. Peterson engaged in teaming for some 
time. When the Milwaukee & Northern 
railroad was constructed to this point he 
became its transfer agent, continuing un- 
til 1876, when he became interested in 
milling in Eaton township. Fire destroyed 
the property in 1880, and he again turned 
to his first love, trotting horses, finally 
establishing himself in the livery business. 
He has taken pride in handling fine stock, 
getting fancy prices when making sales. 
In poHtics Mr. Peterson is a Republican ; 
socially he is a member of the K. O. T. 
M., and was one of the originators of the 
Fair and Park Association, at whose fairs 
he has always served as marshal. He 
has witnessed very many changes since 
coming to Fort Howard, and has always 
been interested, as a true American citi- 
zen should be, in all that would enhance 
the prosperity of his home, city and county. 



PH. CARLIN, one of the prosper- 
ous business men of Green I^ay, 
Brown county, where he conducts 
a flourishing livery establishment, 
is a native of Kingston, Canada, born 
January 6, 1856. 

William Carlin, father of subject, was 
a native of Ireland, and by trade a mill- 
wright, also engaging in lumbering. He 
married Ann Nefcy, and their union was 
blessed with fourteen children — eight sons 
and si.\ daughters — eleven of whom are 
yet living. In 1867 William Carlin came 
to Green Bay, bringing his wife and 
family, which then consisted of seven 
children, and after a short residence here 
removed to Oconto, Wis., living in that 
vicinity the remainder of his life. He 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



419 



was a man of means, and owned a good 
farm, being also engaged to a consider- 
able extent in lumber dealing. During 
his youth he had received but a limited 
education, but he acquired a practical 
business training, and was altogether a 
self-made man. He passed from earth 
October 3, 1877, and was buried at 
Oconto, at which place his widow, now 
aged sixty-two years, still makes her 
home. In politics he was a Democrat, 
and in religious faith a member of the 
Catholic Church. 

P. H. Carlin attended the common 
schools in Canada until his twelfth year, 
when he came with his parents to Wis- 
consin, and here finished his education in 
the schools of the time. When eighteen 
years of age he went out with a surveying 
corps as helper and compassman, prior to 
which he had assisted his father, at the 
age of sixteen having charge of a camp of 
eighty-five men in the lumber regions. 
He continued as helper to surveyors until 
he became competent to work for him- 
self, and in following this business he has 
been over a considerable portion of Lower 
Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Min- 
nesota, having continued in the pursuit of 
the profession more or less for the last 
twenty years. He has also engaged in 
the lumber business for his own account, 
and for five or six years was superin- 
tendent for the Murphy Lumber Co. He 
has also bought lumber for others, his 
competence and sound judgment being 
everywhere recognized and fully appreci- 
ated, and in this capacity has probably 
purchased over ten million dollars' worth 
of lumber. On July 6, 1892, Mr. Carlin 
purchased from J. A. Cusick the profit- 
able livery business, in the conducting of 
which he is now engaged, having one of 
the largest and best establishments in that 
line in Green Baj', where he is well known 
as a substantial business man; he also 
owns two farms in Oconto county, and 
several tracts of timber land in northern 
Wisconsin, which are carefully looked 
after. He has been a self-made man in 



every way, and besides making his own 
way in the world has faithfully assisted 
his parents, and for several years after 
the death of his father was the head of 
the family. 

On February 4, 1894, Mr. Carlin and 
Miss Margaret Runnel were united in 
marriage in Green Bay, in which city she 
was born, daughter of Adam Runnel. 
Our subject cast his first vote for James 
A. Garfield, and has always been a stanch 
Republican and Protectionist; though tak- 
ing a lively interest in the success of his 
partv, he is no aspirant for office and 
has declined nomination on various occa- 
sions. In religious faith he and his wife 
are both members of the Catholic Church. 



THOMAS LAWLOR, a retired 
farmer, now residing in De Pere, 
Brown county, was born in No- 
vember, 1822, in County Kerry, 
Ireland, son of John and Ellen (Bahan) 
Lawlor. He lost his father in 1832, 
and his mother being thus rendered un- 
able to keep her family together, our sub- 
ject commenced work at the age of fif- 
teen. His first place was with Rev. 
Father Thomas Fitzgerald, with whom 
he remained two years, afterward finding 
employment with the farmers of his 
county, where he worked hard and saved 
all the money he earned. 

In 1845 Mr. Lawlor married Mary 
Connor, who was born in 1828 in County 
Kerry, daughter of Timothy and Mary 
(Murphy) Connor, and for two years 
thereafter worked as a farm hand, at low 
wages. To this marriage one child was 
born in Ireland, named Patrick, who 
died in Glenmore township. Brown Co., 
Wis. , at the age of eighteen. Mr. Lawlor 
having decided to come to America, he 
set sail from Liverpool, February 12, 
1847, embarking with his family on the 
sailing vessel "Siddons," and arriving 
April I, of the same year, in New York, 
went thence to Greenfield, Franklin, 
Co., Mass., and for five years worked for 



420 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the farmers of the neif^hborhood. Here 
were born two daufjhters, Ellen and 
Mary, the former of whom is married to 
Robert Wilson, and the latter to William 
Patten, a farmer. By this time our sub- 
ject had saved $600, and in the fall of 
1852 he came with his little family to 
Wisconsin. Reaching Green Bay in 
September, he located his family in West 
De Pere and went to work on the canal 
at Kaukauna, Outagamie county, for a 
month or more, after which he returned 
to Brown county and bought eight}' acres 
of wild land in Glenmore township. Not 
a road was on or near the place, and he 
blazed the trees to mark his path. He 
found shelter for his famih' in a neighbor's 
cabin until he could clear a space for 
building a cabin of his own, a task which 
was soon accomplished, and here the 
family lived very happily. Wolves were 
numerous, their howling being heard at all 
hours in the night, and game was also 
plentiful, Mr. Lawlor on one occasion 
killing a bear on his own farm, and the 
animal served for many good meals. But 
what was then a wilderness is now a broad 
expanse of well-tilled fields, occupied by 
well-to-do farmers After many years of 
labor devoted to clearing up and develop- 
ing his farm — now one of the finest in 
Glenmore township — Mr. Lawlor built a 
hewn log house and, later, a substantial 
brick dwelling, which still stands and is 
likely to stand for many years yet to 
come; he also erected three fine barns. 
After thirty-six years of good hard work 
on this farm, he sold all his real estate, 
and in August, uS88, came to De Pere, 
where he has since passed his days in re- 
tirement, respected for his many virtues 
by all who know him. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Lawlor in Wisconsin were named John, 
Sarah, Thomas and Maggie (twins), Fan- 
nie, Michael and William, of whom two 
sons and three daughters yet survive. In 
politics Mr. Lawlor is a stanch Democrat, 
but has never sought office. His dealings 
with his fellow men have always been 



straightforward and honest; he owes no 
man anything, neither has he ever bor- 
rowed money from any man. In religious 
connection he and his faithful wife are 
members of St. Francis Church, De Pere, 
and they are most sincere in their faith. 
Few people have lived together as hap- 
pily and contentedly as this honored 
couple, and there are few in Brown county 
who have made more friends. They are 
esteemed by all who know them for their 
many good qualities of head and heart, 
and their lives have been an example 
worthy of imitation by the young people 
of the Fox River Vallev. 



JASPER STEPHEN CHASE, the ex- 
tensive lumberer and fiour-mill pro- 
prietor, of De Pere, Brown county, 
was born at Port Huron, Mich., Sep- 
tember 17, 1853, a son of Nathan B. and 
Ann M. (McClure) Chase, who were of 
English and Scotch ancestry, respectively. 
The paternal grandfather, Stephen Chase, 
came from England to Woodstock, Can- 
ada, about the year i 800, and by vocation 
was a farmer. His son, Nathan B. 
Chase, became a prosperous lum.ber 
dealer and proprietor of t\\o sawmills at 
Port Huron, which he sold out in 1854, 
and next engaged in mercantile trade at 
Green Bay, Wis. , where, through the 
trickery of a partner, he lost over forty 
thousand dollars. In 1856 he re-engaged 
in the milling business, which for eight 
years he carried on at Wrightstown, and 
then moved his mill to Oconto county, 
where he continued the business until 
1870, when his son, Jasper S., in com- 
pany with Isaac Dickey, purchased the 
mill property, and Nathan B. Chase re- 
turned to his farm in the vicinity of Green 
Ba\', where he passed the remainder of 
his days, dying in February, 1884. 

Jasper S. Chase acquired a very good 
education in the schools of De Pere and at 
the Green Ba}' Business College; he next 
clerked for L. Day, a wholesale grocer at 
Green Bay, for three years, then bought 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



421 



his interest in the milHng business in 
Oconto county, in which he continued 
seventeen years, during which time he 
cut from sixty milhon to seventy milhon 
feet of lumber. Mr. Chase became 
very influential in the region of the mill, 
and the township in which it was located 
was named "Chase, " in his honor. For 
eight years he was a member of the 
county board of commissioners, and for 
an equal length of time was chairman of 
of the township board of trustees. Since 
settling in De Pere, in 1889, he has served 
as supervisor one year, also as county 
treasurer one year, and is now serving as 
city alderman. His social and business 
relations are extensive and complex. He 
is president of the De Pere Lumber & Fuel 
Company, which handles all kinds of lum- 
ber that grows in this climate, as 
well as pine and other lumber indi- 
genous to the south, and does a busi- 
ness averaging fifty thousand dollars per 
annum; he is secretary of the John P. 
Dousman Milling Company; secretary of 
of the De Pere Light & Power Company, 
all of which companies he took an active 
part in organizing, and is also a member 
of the board of directors of the Artesian 
Water Supply Company. His business 
activity and enterprise are universally rec- 
ognized, and his interest in the material 
advancement of De Pere is equally well 
conceded. Socially he is a member of 
the Knights of Pythias. The marriage of 
Mr. Chase took place, in 1879, to Flora 
Call, daughter of W. P. Call, a retired 
business man, the result of the union 
being three children, named Rena, Mor- 
ris and Hazel. 



THEODORE COLBURN, a well- 
known and highly-respected citi- 
zen of De Pere, Brown county, 
was born December 9, 1830, near 
the city of Quebec, Canada, son of Fran- 
cis and Angeline (Thomas) Colburn. 

Francis Colburn was a son of Jean 
Colburn, who was a native of France. 



Francis was a farmer in Canada, also near 
Plattsburgh, N. Y., and of his fifteen chil- 
dren ten were sons. He lost his wife in 
New York State, and later moved to 
Michigan, thence coming to De Pere, 
where he passed the remainder of his 
days. Theodore Colburn received but 
one week's schooling, and was reared to 
hard labor on the farm. He was married 
at Plattsbnrgh, N. Y. , February 3, 1851, 
to Miss Celia Demro, who was born April 
3, 1835, i'l Canada. He was at that time 
a poor young man, but self-reliant and 
strong. He rented a farm eighteen miles 
from Plattsburgh, worked hard for nearly 
two and a half years, made some money, 
and in the fall of 1853 disposed of his 
personal effects and started for Wisconsin 
with his wife and surviving child, Mar- 
shall (now of Stiles, Wis.), having lost 
one child in New York State. In Novem- 
ber, 1853, he landed in Green Bay, and 
shortly afterward came to De Pere, 
where he rented a house, and for three 
years worked in the woods for James 
Ritchie. In 1854 he went in debt for 
five acres of land at that time in the 
woods, but now a part of the city, 
and built the first house erected on 
the tract, the whole costing $150. 
He lived on this place until a short time 
before the breaking out of the Rebellion, 
and then bought sixty acres on the East 
river, in De Pere township. This was 
also a wilderness, in which he built the 
first house. He next moved to Rockland 
township, where he burned charcoal 
for a time, then lived in the cityof De Pere 
for a while, returning thence to his 
East river farm, which he soon sold, 
going to Black Creek, Outagamie county, 
where he bought a steam sawmill, but 
within a year and a half lost $10,000; 
then bought forty acres near. De Pere; 
next removed to Dakota, and for three 
years and a half lived near Big Stone 
City, where he owned 700 acres; then 
returned to Wisconsin and built a hotel 
at Marinette (then known as "Pound"), 
which he conducted, and also kept a saloon ; 



422 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



■then moved to Green Bay, and about 
1882 settled in De Pere, where he has 
since made his home. 

Mr. Colburn had a short war experi- 
ence. In March. 1865, he enhsted at 
Green Bay in a Wisconsin infantry regi- 
ment, his avoirdupois being then 204 
pounds; he served in Missouri, doing pa- 
trol and guard duty until July, 1865, 
when he was discharged on account of 
sickness, his weight being at that time 
I 60 pounds, and he has been an invalid 
ever since. The children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Colburn were named as follows: 
Louis, now of De Pere: Celia, now Mrs. 
J. H. Kosell, of Plainfield, Wis. ; John, 
of Ingalls. Mich. ; Sophia, at home with 
her parents; Frank, who died at the age 
of five years; Mary, who died at the age 
of two and one half-years; Virginia, who 
also died young; Ida. now Mrs. Michael 
Lawlor, of De Pere; and Xavier and 
Clara, who both died young. Mr. Col- 
burn is a Democrat, and has always 
voted with that party; he and his wife are 
members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church 



CHARLES L. DAVIS, farmer and 
stock raiser, and one of the pro- 
gressive, public-spirited citizens 
of Lawrence township, Brown 
county, was born Julv 25, 1848, in the 
town of Royalton, Niagara county. New 
York. 

His father, E. B. Davis, was a native 
of Schenectady county, N. Y. , where he 
married Polly Schadd," and while living in 
New York they had children as follows- 
John, a member of Company I, Third 
Wisconsin Cavalry, who died at Madison 
Wis. ; George, who died in Elyria, Ohio'; 
and Charles L. , whose name introduces 
this sketch. Mr. Davis was a farmer in 
New York State, and in 1849 he removed 
to Lonan county, Ohio, and purchased a 
farm in Carlisle township, where he con- 
tinued to follow agricultural pursuits, and 
here he also dealt extensively in lumber 
principally the purchasing of staves for a 



Buffalo firm. In Lorian county was born 
another child, Jane C, who married 
Bruce Lindsley, and died in Flintville 
Brown Co., Wis. Mrs. Polly Davis died 
m Lorian county, January 17, 1857, and 
was buried in Elyria, same county, and 
Mr. Davis then married Miss Susan Oak- 
ley, who died in Lorian county July, 1 1, 
1858. In 1859 he wedded, in Lock'port,' 
N. Y., for his third wife. Miss Mary Bar- 
rett. In i860, the lumber business hav- 
ing gradually declined with the clearing 
away of the forests, Mr. Davis concluded 
to remove farther west, and brought his 
family to Brown county. Wis. , traveling 
by rail to Oshkosh, and from there by 
stage to Wrightstown, Brown county 
where they located. Mr. Davis again 
engaged in the stave business, buying 
timber from farmers, and he put consider- 
able money into circulation here, as his 
trade was an extensive one. He invested 
in a large amount of land in Brown 
county, and pre-empted over 300 acres 
of government land. He was a well-built 
man, of splendid physique, and was well 
known and highly respected in his com- 
munity. At the time of his death, which 
occurred March u, 1S78, he was com- 
fortably situated. In his political belief 
he was a Democrat, and a stanch sup- 
porter of the party, but was not an active 
politician. He lies buried in Wrights- 
town cemetery. 

Charles L. Davis received his first 
school training in Carlisle township, 
Lorain Co., Ohio. After the death of 
his mother he returned to Niagara county, 
N. Y. , and for two years made his home 
with his grandfather, then, in i860, com- 
ing to Wisconsin. In October, 1864, 
then but a little over sixteen years of 
age, he enlisted at Green Bay, Wis., in 
Company H, Twelfth Wisconsin In- 
fantry, was sent South, and, joining the 
regiment at Marietta, Ga., participated 
in the entire campaign through the Caro- 
linas. He took part in the Grand Review 
at Washington, D. C. , was mustered out 
at Louisville, Ky. ; and received an hon- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



423 



orable discharge at Madison, Wis. 
When he first came to Wisconsin, the 
schools were very poor and he did not 
attend much, as he assisted his father in 
the latter's extensive lumber business, 
becoming familiar with the details of 
same when yet a mere boy. After the 
war he became partner with his father in 
the business and continued to hold an in- 
terest in same until 1879. 

On April 9, 1877, at Wrightstown, 
Wis., by Rev. Father De Wilt, Mr. 
Davis was united in marriage with Miss 
Ellen Sullivan, who was born January 
22, 1857, in Winchendon, Worcester 
Co., Mass., eldest child of John and 
Ellen (Harris) Sullivan. For five years 
previous to her marriage she followed the 
profession of school teaching, in the 
meantime having her residence in Law- 
rence. In 1882 Mr. Davis purchased 
his present farm in Lawrence township, 
and moved thereon, at the same time 
severing completely his connection with 
the lumber business. Since that time he 
has been e.xclusively engaged in general 
farming and stock-raising, and he now 
has a fertile, well-improved farm of 
ninety-nine acres. In politics he is one 
of the leaders of the Democratic party in 
his section, and for three years has been 
chairman of the Democratic committee. 
He is always among the foremost men in 
the township in any enterprise tending to 
benefit the community in general. To 
him and his wife have come children as 
follows: Jennie E. , born August 2, 
1879; Mamie L. , born February 4, 1881, 
died February 7, 1882; John E., born 
June 18, 1882; Harriet C, born May 24, 
1886, died May 7, 1887; and Charles F., 
born April i, i88q. 



JOHN G. GROSS, chief of the Fort 
Howard Fire Department since Janu- 
ary, 1S94, and for three years a 
member of that organization, takes 
pride in the fact that he is at the head of 
a thoroughly equipped volunteer depart- 



ment, having one engine and all the neces- 
sary au.xiliaries. There is but one paid 
man in the department. 

John G. Gross, father of our subject, 
was born in Bavaria, and came to New 
York in 1850. Pushing westward in 1852 
to Milwaukee, Wis. , he there married Mar- 
garet Moschel, and settled, six months after 
arriving in Milwaukee, on a farm in Mor- 
rison township. Brown Co., Wis., which 
he cleared and improved. Later he en- 
gaged in the lumber and milling business, 
and he and his wife still reside on the 
farm on which they originally settled. 
Their children were nine in number: 
August resides in Morrison township, 
where he is engaged in sawmilling and 
conducts a cheese factory; Caroline, wife 
of Frank Falck, resides in Seymour, Wis. ; 
John G. is the subject of this sketch; 
Louisa is the wife of Joseph Leonard, of 
Medford, Taylor Co. , Wis. ; Fred P. re- 
sides in Fort Howard; Maggie, wife of 
Daniel Schunk, resides on the old farm; 
Sophia is the wife of William Peters, of 
Brillion, Calmuet Co., Wis.; Christina is 
the wife of Charley Furstenburg, of Bril- 
lion; Gottfried, unmarried, resides with 
his brother, John. 

Our subject was born January 21,1858, 
on the home farm in Morrison town- 
ship, Brown Co., Wis., and when he was 
fourteen years of age went to work at 
teaming, milling and farming, continuing 
until his removal to Fort Howard in 1883. 
In the latter year he established a saloon 
and billiard parlor at the corner of Main 
and Pearl streets, which he still conducts. 
In 1S82 he was married, in Morrison 
township, to Miss Bertha Schultz, who 
came to the township in 1 866 from Prussia, 
with her parents, Ferdinand and Anna 
(Timm) Schultz, the family locating upon 
a new farm, which -they improved. Mr. 
Schultz died in 1890; his widow still re- 
sides on the old homestead. Their other 
children are: August, married and re- 
siding on the old farm; Albert, married 
and living in Morrison township; Hannah, 
wife of Albert Sorwald, of Brillion, Wis. 



424 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. and Mrs. Gross are the parents of 
two children, William and Clarence. Mr. 
Gross was reared in the Lutheran faith. 
He is a member of Green Bay Lodge, No. 
119, I. O. O. F. , and of the American 
Legion of Honor at Fort Howard. For- 
merly a Democrat in politics, he has found 
reason to change his political belief, and 
now casts his vote with the Republican 
party. Since his boyhood, although that 
period is not remote, he has witnessed 
great changes in the region around 
his home. 



M 



RS. OLIVE I. SHERWOOD, 
of Howard township, Brown 
county, was born April 2, 1S22, 
in Oneida county, N. Y. , and 
is the widow of the lamented Edison 
Sherwood, who was born May 21, 181 3, 
in Fairfield, Conn., a son of Wakeman 
Sherwood. 

Edison Sherwood was a gentleman of 
considerable prominence in the early days 
of Green Bay, having migrated hither as 
early as 1835. He had been reared a 
farmer, and on coming here went to the 
Mission building in the capacity of an 
agriculturist. In 1843 he married Miss 
Olive I. Holmes, and then engaged in 
general stock business in partnership with 
her brother, A. G. E. Holmes, conduct- 
ing same for almost forty years with un- 
varying success, and with unswerving 
adherence to the principles of mercantile 
integrity. His death took place January 
25, t88o, in Green Bay, and was most 
deeply mourned by all who had ever been 
associated with him in any of the trans- 
actions of life — domestic, social or com- 
mercial. After his decease his widow 
lived with her brother, A. G. E. Holmes, 
until thirteen years ago, when she moved 
to the home of her sister, Mrs. A. B. 
Oatley, with whom she has ever since re- 
sided. Mrs. Sherwood adopted two chil- 
dren, whom she reared with affectionate 
attention and care, viz. : Carrie L. , who 



was born October 9, 1858, and died in 
Milwaukee, February 17, 1893, leaving a 
daughter thirteen years old; and Fannie 
E., who was born December i, 1873, 
married Dr. Gilbert, and is now a resi- 
dent of Fond du Lac (she has one daugh- 
ter). Mrs. Sherwood was always promi- 
nent in social circles until her husband's 
death, and has always been an active 
member of Christ's Episcopal Church, 
Green Bay, of which he was also a 
member. Of the seven children born 
to her parents, Alvah and Sophronia 
(Ellis) Holmes, four sons and two daugh- 
ters still survive. [Since the above was 
written Mrs. Olive I. Sherwood was taken 
sick, which sickness terminated in her 
death, September 10, 1894, at the age of 
seventy-two years; her remains were laid 
to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery, beside 
those of her beloved husband]. 

Albert B. O.^ti.ev was born Octo- 
ber 12, 1832, in Burlington, N. Y., a son 
of Benedict and Rosanna (Green) Oat- 
ley, the former of whom was a native of 
Rhode Island. 

His father, Benedict Oatlej-, Sr. , was 
also a native of Rhode Island, and died 
in Onedia county, N. Y. , at the age 
of seventy, his wife at the age of sixty; 
he had been a soldier in the Revolution- 
ary war. Benedict Oatley, Jr. , who was 
the eldest in a family of eight children — 
five sons and three daughters — was reared 
to farm life in Oneida county, N. Y., and 
there died at the age of sixty-two. His 
wife, Rosanna, who was born in New 
York, was a daughter of Simeon and 
Rosanna (Budlong) Green, natives of 
Connecticut, the former of whom was a 
soldier in the Revolution, at the close of 
which struggle he settled in Bridgewater, 
Oneida county, N. Y. , and built a hotel 
or tavern, which is still standing, and 
which he conducted many years, after- 
ward purchasing a farm which he culti- 
vated about five years and then retiring to 
Bridgewater, where he died at the age of 
eighty, his wife at about the same age. 
They were the parents of eleven chil- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



425 



dren — six sons and five daughters — of 
whom one son and one daughter are yet 
hving. Mrs. Rosanna (Green) Oatley 
died in Utica, N. Y. , at the age of fifty- 
five. 

Albert B. Oatley is a member of a 
family of ten children, seven of whom 
are still living — farmers and business men. 
He was reared a farmer, and has practi- 
cally followed that vocation until the 
present time. On January 27, 1850, he 
married Lavantia C. Holmes, who was 
born April 17, 1832, in Bridgewater, N. 
Y. , a daughter of Alvah and Sophronia 
Holmes, and to this union have come 
five children, as follows: Ella S., born 
March 12, 1851, who is married to Wil- 
liam Finnegan ; Alva H. , born February 
14, 1853, deceased when two and a half 
years of age ; Nettie H., born September 
6, 1859, and married to H. B. Havland, 
now of Horton, Kans., engaged in rail- 
roading (they have had five sons and one 
daughter, the latter of whom died at the 
age of two and a half years); Edison S., 
born November 20, 1864, married to Nel- 
lie Mead, and has charge of the old home- 
stead; and Olive R., born September 10, 
1869, wife of Robert Delaney. After his 
m arriage Mr. Oatley bought a farm 
of 1 20 acres in the town of Suamico, 
Brown county. Wis. , and erected a block 
or hewed-log house, 16 x 20 feet, in which 
he lived twelve years, after which he 
came to the town of Howard, Brown 
county, Wis., and bought the farm where 
he now resides, in the winter of 1874 
erecting his present dwelling. In politics 
Mr. Oatley is a Democrat, and voted for 
James Buchanan. He has served as jus- 
tice of the peace several years, and is 
regarded with great respect in the com- 
munity. Several members of his family 
served through the Civil war, including 
three brothers, one of whom was wounded 
in battle and died in Washington. Mr. 
and Mrs. Oatley are members of the 
Presbyterian Church, and are among 
the most respected people of the town- 
ship. 



REV. ELSEAR de WILT is a na- 
tive of Holland, born July 8, 1 827, 
at Uden, North Brabant, in which 
province the name of de Wilt is 
an old one, the family having resided 
there for many generations, some being 
farmers, others business men. 

Grandfather Francis de Wilt was a 
man of considerable ability, also a fine 
hunter and a very courageous man. Dur- 
ing the French revolution a party of 
French soldiers and sympathizers at- 
tempted to tear down a large statue of St. 
Peter in the gable of the church at Uden, 
and he was just returning from hunting, 
accompanied by his dogs, when he dis- 
covered their designs. To these vandals 
he announced that if thej' persisted a 
Frenchman would come to ground sooner 
than St. Peter, and it is needless to say 
the statue remained standing. At another 
time he saved the same church from being 
burned down. The steeple had been 
struck by lightning, and, the sacristan re- 
fusing to give up the keys, Mr. de Wilt 
pitched him out of the window, took the 
keys from him, and climbed the tower, 
where already the rafters were on fire. 
He stamped out the fire, and thus saved 
thechurch, although himself badly burned. 
The sacristan sued him for damages, but 
lost the suit, and Grandfather de Wilt was 
rewarded for his bravery by a permanent 
seat in the church which descended to his 
children. He was a man of commanding 
appearance, and of great influence in his 
town. He reached the great age of four- 
score years, and at the age of seventy was 
still a great hunter. He reared a family 
of seven children, of whom the second 
son, Martinus, afterward inherited the old 
homestead and resided there till his death. 
He was more of a business man, became 
one of considerable consequence, took an 
interest in church matters, and lived a 
good Christian life. He was born May 
29, 1797, and died January 28, i860. In 
the prime of life he married Maria Anna 
Van Den Broek, born at Uden, Holland, 
May 9, 1 804, who became the mother of 



426 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



six children, of whom our subject is the 
eldest child. 

Rev. Father de Wilt received his 
primary education in his native town, 
and later on studied in Bruges, West 
Flanders, Belgium, where he made his 
noviciate in the Order of St. Francis, and 
afterward was ordained a priest by the 
bishop of Tournay. He soon after be- 
came professor of philosophy, and later 
professor of theology at Enghien; taught 
for about eight years, and was then sent 
to England to assist the bishop of 
Shrewsbury, where he presided as pastor 
of the parish at the city of Flint, Flint- 
shire, Wales. After two and a half years 
he was recalled to Antwerp, where a 
monastery was erected, and from there 
served as a missionary through Belgium, 
Holland and France. Finally he was 
placed in Brussels, his work remaining 
the same, until he got permission from 
Rome to proceed to America, which he 
did in 1868, when the diocese of Green 
Bay was organised by Bishop Melcher. 
He first took charge at Duck Creek, 
where he brought the congregation to- 
gether, and where they have had a priest 
ever since. In 1869 he moved to Little 
Chute, and here resided about five years; 
then was placed at Montcllo, where he 
remained till he came to Wrightstown, in 
1876, and began the erection of a resi- 
dence. He changed the church into a 
parochial school, and in 1885, with his 
own money, began a new church edifice 
in the name of the congregation. It is a 
large brick structure, and is as fine a 
church building as can be found in the 
Fox River \'alley; the interior of it was 
recently (1894) finely painted and decor- 
ated at an expense of about six hundred 
dollars. 



AUGUST HOCHGREVE, 
("deceased), was born October it;, 
1832, in Herzberg, Hanover, Ger- 
many, the eldest in a family of 
eight children — three sons and five daugh- 



ters- -and, like his father, who bore the 
same name, became in his younger years 
a proficient brewer and cooper, trades 
which he learned in his father's establish- 
ment in Germany. 

Having received an excellent educa- 
tion, learned his trades, and fitted him- 
self for the struggles of life, Mr. Hoch- 
greve left his German home at the age of 
twenty years, and, sailing from Hamburg, 
arrived at length at New York City. Af- 
ter remaining there for one year, working 
as a cooper, he removed to Manitowoc, 
Wis., and engaged in the same business. 
In the summer of 1861 he located in 
Allouez township. Brown county, and in 
company with Henry Rahr, who had 
worked in the same establishment with 
him at Manitowoc, founded the brewery 
which is now conducted by his familj-, 
and which has become one of the princi- 
pal institutions of Brown county. After 
eight or nine years, the firm having 
greatly prospered, they built another 
plant, now the H. Rahr's Sons' Brewery, 
and for some time conducted both estab- 
lishments; but the partnership was finally 
dissolved, Mr. Hochgreve taking the orig- 
inal plant and Mr. Rahr the one on East 
River, Green Bay. The former's business 
increased to such proportions that in 1874 
he built the present substantial brick 
structure, where the business is now car- 
ried on by Mrs. Hochgreve and her sons. 
A new and handsome dwelling has also 
been erected, and prosperity continues to 
smile upon the family. 

On October 20, 1862, Mr. Hochgreve 
was married at Manitowoc, to Caroline 
Kiel, who was born June 18. 1842, in 
Lippe-Detmold, Germany. Her father. 
Christian Kiel, was a farmer, who came 
with his family to the United States in 
the spring of 1851, landing at New York 
at the end of a seven-weeks' voyage from 
Bremen, and removing thence to Manito- 
woc. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Hochgreve are: August, residing in Green 
Bay, Wis. ; Lena, widow of Henry Freck- 
man, now residing in Milwaukee; Augusta, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



V-1 



Adolph, Louisa, Etta, Christian and 
Mamie, at home; of these, Adolph is 
superintendent of the brewery, Christian 
being bookkeeper. Mr. Hochgreve died 
February 23, 1877, and his remains rest 
in Woodland cemetery. During life he 
was an upright citizen, a stanch Republi- 
can in politics, and a prominent Odd 
Fellow. His widow is a member of the 
Lutheran Church. The family is num- 
bered among the leading ones of Brown 
county, and the memory of its founder is 
respected by all who knew him. 



ANDREW C. MAILER, M. D., 
one of the leading practitioners of 
medicine of Brown county, Wis., 
was born April 4, 1853, at De- 
Pere. His parents, Andrew and Barbara 
(Caldwell) Mailer, were natives, respect- 
ively, of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scot- 
land, and in 1849, came to the United 
States, locating first in Milwaukee, Wis., 
whence they shortly afterward removed to 
De Pere, same State. The father engaged 
in various business enterprises in the city 
up to the time of his death, which occurred 
in 1878; Mrs. Barbara Mailer now resides 
with a daughter in Portland, Oregon. 

Dr. A. C. Mailer was educated in the 
public schools of his native city, at Law- 
rence University, Appleton, Wis. , and in 
the University of Michigan, after which 
he taught school for a few terms and then 
engaged in the drug business at De Pere 
for four or five years, reading medicine 
while thus employed. He next attended 
medical lectures at the University of 
Michigan at Ann Arbor during the ses- 
sions of 1874 and 1875. In 1877 and 
1878 he took a course at Rush Medical 
College, Chicago, from which he gradu- 
ated in the spring of 1878, and soon after 
began practice at De Pere in partnership 
with his former preceptor. Dr. Fisk, a 
connection which lasted eleven years, 
since the expiration of which time he has 
been in business on his own account. 
After his first three years' practice the 



Doctor supplemented his studies by a 
course at Bellevue Hospital Medical Col- 
lege, New York, receiving an ad ciindoii 
degree from this institution in the spring 
of 1S82. 

In politics Dr. Mailer is an ardent Re- 
publican, and has served in different ca- 
pacities under the auspices of that party. 
He has been for six years a member of 
the board of education, of which he acted 
as president for two years. He has twice 
been elected mayor of the city, a position 
he still holds. The Doctor is a member 
of the American Medical Association, 
State Medical Societ}', and Fox River 
Valley Medical Society, and is surgeon to 
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail- 
road. He is associated with several fra- 
ternal and social societies, among which 
are the Masons, Knights of Pythias, etc. 
His professional standing is of the high- 
est. 

Dr. Mailer was united in matrimony, 
at De Pere, on June i, 1887, to Miss 
Alice Belle Winegard, a native of De- 
Pere and a daughter of a Union soldier 
who died in the army during the war for 
the preservation of the Union. One child, 
Katharine, adds sunshine to their pleasant 
home. The Doctor is by birthright a 
Presbyterian, and Mrs. Mailer is an Epis- 
copalian, and their walk through life has 
won for them the respect of all their neigh- 
bors and the citizens in general. 



REV. FATHER CHARLES J.GAL- 
LAGHER, of St. Francis Xavier 
Church, De Pere, Brown county, 
was born July 8, 1851, at No. 74 
Sands street, Brooklyn, N. Y., within two 
blocks of the site of the present renowned 
Brooklyn bridge. His parents were Mi- 
chael and Jane (Stephens) Gallagher, and 
were natives, respectively, of Sligo and 
Ballyshannon, Ireland. Michael Galla- 
gher was a journalist, and some of his 
sons followed the same profession — one, 
especially, Barclay Gallagher, having been 
city editor of the New York Tribune un- 



428 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



der Horace Greeley, and being connected 
with the Associated Press down to the 
present time. 

Father Gallagher received his prepar- 
atory education at the Jesuit College, 
of Fordham, N. Y., from which he 
graduated in 1870, taking a collegiate 
course at that institution, and afterward 
taking a theological course at Mount St. 
Mary's, Eiiiniittsburg, Md. In I1S75 he 
was ordained priest at St. James' Cathe- 
dral, Brookljn, N. Y. , by Bishop Laugh- 
lin, and for twelve years was assistant to 
the vicar general of the diocese of Brook- 
lyn. In 1888 he was given charge of St. 
Thomas Church at Poygan, Wis., the 
church property at which place was much 
improved under his earnest efforts; at 
Omro, Wis., he entirely rebuilt St. Mary's 
Church, and also rebuilt the church at 
Winncconne, Wis. In June, 1893, Father 
Gallagher was given charge of St. Francis 
Xavier Church at De Fere — the first 
Catholic Church erected in the place. The 
congregation of this Church comprised 
175 families, and its parish school has 
accommodation for 200 scholars. Father 
Gallagher is very popular with and is 
greatly beloved by his people, and his 
well-known energy and wisdom will doubt- 
less soon result in greater improvement to 
his flock and to the parish. 



JOHN ANTON KUYPERS. It would 
be hard to find a better illustration 
of the facility with which, under the 
liberal institutions of this great coun- 
try — be they Republican or be they Dem- 
ocratic — a man of ability and integrity, 
whether native-born or of foreign birth 
and impressions, may rise to any station, 
perhaps among the most e.xalted, than 
is afforded in the history of the gentle- 
man whose name here appears, and who 
is fast ascending the ladder of public 
fame. 

Mr. Kuypers is a native of Holland, 
born in the village of Oeffelt, North Bra- 



bant, March 2, 1869, a son of Michael 
and Joanna (Emons) Kujpers, both also 
of North Brabant nativity, the father 
born in Oeffelt, the mother in St. Hubert. 
Until the age of eleven years he attended 
the common school of his native village, 
and then took a regular high-school course 
at Bo.xmeer, at the same time studying 
French and German, as well as, for a 
few months, the English language. At 
the age of fourteen he entered the Nor- 
mal School in the same town, in order to 
prepare himself for the profession of 
teacher; but his plans in this regard were 
interrupted, before he had finished his 
course, by the emigration of the famil)'^ 
his parents and their children (two broth- 
ers and three sisters — Theodore, Arnold, 
Algonda, Antonia and Bertha, the hitter 
now dead) — to the United States. Land- 
ing, after an ocean voyage of three weeks, 
at New York, January 25, 1886, they at 
once proceeded westward to Wisconsin, 
settling in the thriving city of De Pere, 
Brown county, and here stoically com- 
menced a new home in a new country, 
with but little knowledge, if any, of its 
language, laws and customs. 

On the first day of Februar}', 1886, the 
subject of these lines, with a determination 
to succeed, a determination not to be ob- 
structed by any obstacle, precipitated him- 
self into the arena of journalism by 
entering the employ of the Standard 
Printing Co., in the role of "devil." 
From this Arcadian, though somewhat 
nondescript position, he soon rose to the 
more dignified one of "typo," his natural 
ability and perseverance soon manifesting 
itself, quickly observed by his employers 
and his associates. With this firm our 
subject remained till December, 1889; 
and so rapidl)' had he mastered the de- 
tails of the profession and fathomed its 
mysteries, that, during the last two years 
he was in the emplo\" of the Standard 
Printing Co., he acted in the capacity of 
one of the editors of the De Pere Stand- 
ard, a newspaper published by them in 
the Holland language. In January, 1890, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



431 



in company with Jolm B. Heyrman, lie 
purcliased the Brown County Democrat 
(established in 1877), a weekly paper 
printed in the English language, and 
shortly afterward they commenced the 
publication of a new Holland weekly, 
Dc Volksstcui, conducting, in connection, 
a general printing establishment, equipped 
with all modern improxements and facili- 
ties for turning out good work. The 
business is carried on under the firm 
name of Heyrman & Kuypers. The 
Democrat has a circulation of i , 300, the 
Volksstciii, of 1,250, and both are influ- 
ential papers. The Democrat, true to its 
name, is an able exponent of Democratic 
principles, while the I'olksstcin is more of 
a newspaper in the literal sense of the 
word, being confined to religious and 
secular matters of interest, and is read by 
Holland and Flemish Catholics in every 
State of the Union. Both are eight-page 
papers, 15x22, and are both edited by 
Mr. Kuypers, whose untiring efforts and 
hard work have largely contributed to the 
bringing of them to their present standard 
of excellence. He is a charter member 
of Columbus Court, No. 315, Catholic 
Order of Foresters, and its recording sec- 
retary'; is also a member of Branch No. 
46, Catholic Knights of Wisconsin; direc- 
tor of the De Pere Business Men's Asso- 
ciation; member of the city council; and 
secretary of the Fire Department. 

When Mr. Kuypers came to this coun- 
try nine years ago, a rosy-cheeked lad of 
seventeen summers, he knew but little of 
the English language — merely the rudi- 
ments — and never attended school here; 
yet, by assiduous and most persevering 
home study, he has succeeded in making 
himself master of it in a comparatively 
short time. By attending strictly to 
business, and using all his leisure time to 
advantage, he has succeeded in attaining 
his present position, and securing a well- 
earned popularity with all classes. He 
takes an active part in public matters, 
and is recognized as one of De Pere's 
most enterprising young men. 

24 



PHILIP SHERLOCK. This gen- 
tleman, an influential well-to-do 
farmer citizen of De Pere town- 
ship. Brown county, is a member 
of one of the oldest pioneer families of 
same. 

Andrew Sherlock (father of Philip) 
was a native of County Wexford, Ireland, 
where he was born in 18 13, son of Philip 
Sherlock. Andrew learned the carpen- 
ter's trade, and also engaged in merchan- 
dising, dealing in coal, etc. He was mar- 
ried in 1843 to Anne Sinnot, who was 
born in Count}- Wexford in December, 
1 8 16, daughter of James and Catherine 
fBrown) Sinnot, and two children were 
born to this union in Ireland, namely: 
Margaret, who died unmarried in De Pere 
township, when aged twenty-nine; and 
Anne, who died in De Pere at the age of 
eighteen years. In 1849, Mr. Sherlock 
having managed to save a small sum of 
money, the family left Ireland, sailing 
from New Ross in " The Jane," and after 
a voyage of ten weeks and three days 
landing at Quebec, where they were de- 
tained ten days in quarantine, as cholera 
had broken out on board the vessel and 
many died. From Quebec they pro- 
ceeded westward, coming via Buffalo and 
Detroit to Milwaukee, Wis., where they 
resided for about a twelvemonth, during 
which time Mr. Sherlock followed his 
trade, carpentry. Here one child, Philip 
(subject proper of this sketch), was born 
to them December 15, 1850. In May, 
1 85 1, they came to De Pere, Brown 
county, at that time but a small village, 
making the trip from Milwaukee by water, 
via Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, thence 
by wagon to their destination, and shortly 
after his arrival here Mr. Sherlock pur- 
chased a house and lot. In the summer 
of 1850 he took up a tract of 200 acres 
in De Pere township, along the East river 
(the tract whereon his sons Philip and 
James now reside), removing his family 
thither in the fall of 1852. The previous 
spring he had erected a temporary abode, 
which later was replaced by a frame 



432 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



house. The land was all in the woods, 
and although some of the timber was cut, 
no clearing had been done, and the stumps 
and brush remained. Here the following 
children were added to the family: An- 
drew, a farmer of Dakota; James, a farmer 
of De Pere township; Catherine, who died 
when ten years, two months and eleven days 
old; John, residing in the State of Wash- 
ington; Ambrose, who died at the age of 
thirty-one years in Colorado; and Raphael, 
of Dakota. After locating on this land 
Mr. Sherlock labored diligently to clear 
and improve it, and by the time of his 
death had transformed it into a fertile 
farm. He was a self-made man in every 
way, and was much respected for his in- 
dustry and sterling worth. On January 
27, 1885, he passed from earth, and was 
buried in De Pere cemetery. After his 
decease his widow resided on the home 
farm with her son Philip until December, 
1893. when she took up her residence at 
the Home of the Sisters of the Good 
Shepherd, in Green Bay, where she yet 
remains. 

Philip Sherlock received his elemen- 
tary education in the early schools of De- 
Pere township, and afterward attended 
the "Old Stone School" in De Pere a 
short time, the first school in that city. 
He was reared to farm life, and being the 
eldest son was put to work as soon as he 
was old enough, remaining on the farm 
altogether until he was about seventeen 
years old. He then commenced to fol- 
low lumbering in the winter seasons in 
the lumber regions of northern Wisconsin 
and Michigan, and continued therein for 
sixteen or seventeen winters, enduring all 
the vicissitudes and hardships of camp 
life. He was engaged during the spring 
for fifteen years in the hazardous work of 
driving logs. In thore days lumbering, 
though arduous and dangerous work, was 
very profitable, and during his long ex- 
perience in the business our subject be- 
came familiar with all its details. 

On July 7, 1892, Mr. Sherlock was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary Ann 



Hughes, daughter of Hugh and Margaret 
(Dalton) Hughes, who came to the United 
States when Mary A. was an infant. Mr. 
Sherlock has resided on his present farm 
ever since coming to Brown county, with 
the exception of the time he was away 
lumbering. He has taken several pleasure 
trips, and in 1S91 made a tour of the 
Northwest, going over the Canadian 
Pacific railroad and returning over the 
Northern Pacific railroad, and during his 
trip he visited the leading cities in the 
Northwest along the Pacific coast and in 
the State of Washington, and also Vic- 
toria, British Columbia. Mr. Sherlock, 
having come here when the country was 
almost entirely new, has seen his entire 
neighborhood transformed from its primi- 
tive condition into productive farms. His 
own place now consists of 145 acres of 
fertile land, on which he conducts a profit- 
able farming business. In local political 
affairs our subject votes independently, 
caring more for the fitness of a candidate 
than for party lines, but in state and na- 
tional elections he supports the principles 
of the Democratic party. He is no 
aspirant for office, his time being fully 
occupied in looking after his private in- 
terests. In religious connection he and 
his wife are members of St. Francis 
Catholic Church at De Pere. 



FLORENTINE FRISQUE. the 
well-known enterprising merchant 
tailor of Green Bay, is a native 
of Belgium, born August 27, 1849, 
in the town of Grez-Doiceau, Province of 
Brabant. 

He comes of a long line of talented 
musicians, performers upon various in- 
struments, including the church organ, his 
grandfather being an especially highly 
educated musician, and excelling as a 
teacher. He, the grandfather, led an 
honorable, temperate life to a good old 
age, dying in his ninety-third year, and 
retaining his faculties to the last. In 
Belgium, his native country, he married 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



433 



Miss Marie Delvaux, a lady of education 
and culture, who lived to be seventy-five 
years old, and their family numbered five 
sons and three daughters, of whom one 
daughter, Mrs. Bernardine Maireese, is 
yet living, her age being eighty-nine 
years. 

One of the sons, by name Florentine, 
father of our subject, was a graduate of 
the Conservatory of Music at Brussels, on 
church organ, and was an exceptionally 
able musician, master of several instru- 
ments. He died in Belgium of typhoid 
fever at the age of thirty-seven years, and 
his early taking away with all the brilliant 
prospects before him was a source of the 
very deepest regret to his manj' relatives, 
friends and admirers. His wife was Miss 
Rosalie Van Drisse, a Belgian lady, daugh- 
ter of Joseph Van Drisse, a well-known 
surgeon who had a diploma from Napo- 
leon Bonaparte for valuable services ren- 
dered on the field of Waterloo. After 
the death of Mr. Frisque she married, in 
1856, George La Marre, of Grez-Doi- 
ceau, farmer at Bay Settlement, Brown 
county, by whom she has four children, 
as follows: Jule, Desire, Matilda and Mary. 
By her first husband, Mr. Frisque, Mrs. 
La Marre had also four children, viz. : 
Rosalie, Florentine (our subject), Leo- 
cadie and Zelia. They are all living ex- 
cept Zelia (the youngest of the first fami- 
ly), are all married, and have families. 

Florentine Frisque, whose name in- 
troduces this sketch, received his educa- 
tion in his native land, and learned the 
trade of tailor, which he followed there 
till February, 1871, when, in company 
with his mother and the rest of the family, 
he emigrated to the United States, and 
made a settlement in Brown county. Wis. 
In 1876 he came to Green Bay, 
and established his present prosperous 
business. In 1873 Mr. Frisque was mar- 
ried in Brown county to ^liss Josephine 
Grossell, daughter of Louis Grossell, a 
native of Belgium, and seven children 
have been born to them, viz. : Zelie, John, 
George, William, Mary, Louis and Charles. 



In his political preferences our subject has 
been identified with the Republican party. 
In social affairs he is a member of the I. 
O. O. F. , Order of Tonti, and Knights of 
Honor. In 1889 he took an extended 
trip to Europe, visiting England, Scot- 
land, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and 
France, visiting the Paris Exposition of 
that j-ear. In 1893, along with his family, 
he visited the World's Fair at Chicago. 
Painstaking, and honorable in all his deal- 
ings, Mr. Frisque well merits the esteem 
in which he is held by the community at 
large. 



DANIEL H. MARTIN, the genial 
and courteous county clerk of 
Brown county, is a n£.tive of 
Waukesha county. Wis., born 
June 10, 1846. 

Patrick and Bridget (Cain) Martin, 
parents of our subject, were natives of 
Ireland, born in County Meath, whence 
in 1844 they migrated to this country and 
to Wisconsin, making their first home, in 
the Western World, in Milwaukee. From 
there shortly afterward they proceeded to 
Waukesha county, where the father, who 
was an agriculturist, conducted a farm 
during the remainder of his days. He 
died there in 1845; his widow now resides 
in Fond du Lac county. Wis. Their 
family numbered two children: T. C, 
county judge of Waukesha county. Wis., 
and Daniel H., the subject proper of this 
sketch. 

Daniel H. Martin received his educa- 
tion at the schools of Waukesha county 
and Carroll College. In 186S he came 
to Brown county, locating in Morrison 
township, where he was engaged in the 
dual vocations of farming and teaching, 
in which he continued until January, 1 893, 
when he took office as county clerk, hav- 
ing been elected in 1892. In 1873 he was 
married in Morrison township. Brown 
county, to Miss Mary Josephine Gibbons, 
a native of the county, daughter of Pat- 
rick and Hannah (Clancy) Gibbons, early 



434 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 



settlers of Morrison township, where they 
yet reside. Three children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, viz. : Mary, 
Tessie and John. The family are mem- 
bers of St. John's Catholic Church, 
Green Bay. 

In his political predilections our sub- 
ject is a Democrat. In 1878 he was 
elected a member of the county board, 
and was a member of same at the time of 
his election to the county clerkship. He 
served as a justice of the peace many 
years, and, taking him all in all he is one 
of the most popular and useful of Brown 
county's much esteemed citizens. 



WE. FAIRFIELD. M. D., has 
been identified with Brown 
county for the past seven years, 
as one of the ablest and most 
successful physicians and surgeons in 
northern Wisconsin, though one of the 
youngest. 

The Doctor is a native of Clarence- 
ville. Province of Quebec, Canada, born 
in 1 86 1, a son of David and Eliza 
(Mosher) Fairfield, also natives of Can- 
ada. James Fairfield, grandfather of 
subject, was a native of England, whence 
in an early day he emigrated to Canada, 
being among the first settlers in Missisquoi 
county, Lower Canada ("Canada Bas"), 
now known as the Province of Quebec. 
The subject of these lines received his 
elementary education at the public schools 
of the neighborhood of his place of birth, 
and in 1882, having matriculated in arts 
in Ontario, commenced reading medicine 
at Montreal, Canada. In the same year 
he entered the University of Bishop's 
College, Faculty of Medicine, where he 
graduated with the class of '86. He was 
then appointed house surgeon to the 
Woman's Hospital in Montreal, serving 
in that capacity some eighteen months. 
At the end of that time, in 1887, he came 
to Wisconsin, taking up his residence in 
Scott township, Brown county, where he 
commenced the practice of his profession. 



In July, 1893, he moved to Green Bay, 
and here has since continued in the prac- 
tice of medicine and surgery, having met 
with eminent success. 

In 1889 Dr. Fairfield was married in 
Noyan, Canada, to Miss Winifred Der- 
rick, a native of that country, and a mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church. The Doctor 
is a "gold medalist" of the University of 
Bishop's College, Montreal, having re- 
ceived two medals — one for having passed 
the best examination in surgery, the other 
for having passed the highest examination 
in all the subjects of examination. He is 
a licentiate of the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec; 
a member of the Fox River Valley Medi- 
cal Society, and of the Brown County Medi- 
cal Society; also a member of the Board 
of Pension Examiners. Socially he is a 
member and noble grand of Green Bay 
Lodge No. 19, I. O. O. F. ; politically he 
is a Democrat. 



ALBERT WEISE is a son of Mar- 
tin and Caroline (Lincke) Weise, 
natives of Blankenburg, Schwarz- 
burg-Rudolstadt, Germany. Mar- 
tin Weise, who was a cooper by occupa- 
tion, died of typhoid fever October 15, 
1822, in Blankenburg, when his son, John 
Henry William Albert Weise, our subject, 
was not quite two years old. His widow 
subsequently married Christoph Frederick 
Straubel, of Blankenburg, a blacksmith, 
and in September, 1846, they came to 
Green Bay, Wis., where Mr. Straubel 
followed his trade till his death; Mrs. 
Straubel also died in Green V>a.y. She 
was the mother of seven children by her 
last husband, viz. : Dorothea, Wilhel- 
mina and Charley (deceased), a son that 
died in Germany, Ernest, Adolph (de- 
ceased), and August H., who is a wide- 
awake business man of Green Baj', a 
miller by occupation. 

Albert Weise. our subject, received a 
good common-school education in his 
native country. Before reaching the age 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



435 



of fourteen he was apprenticed to learn 
wagonmaking, and after serving a three- 
years' apprenticeship traveled three years 
in Germany, perfecting himself in his 
trade, and visiting the cities of Dresden, 
Leipsic, Hamburg and Bremen. Return- 
ing to his native town in 1840, he was 
sent to the army, and the next year, on 
June 3, 1 84 1, left his German home and 
embarked on a sailing vessel for New 
York, where he arrived August 9. He 
tried to get work in New York City, but, 
failing, went to Newark, N. J., where he 
obtained employment in a carriage fac- 
tory, making carriage wheels, and was 
paid six shillings per day (a "shilling" 
being twelve-and-a-half cents in the East 
in those days), two-thirds of which 
amount he was obliged to spend in the 
company's store, and his board cost 
him eighteen shillings per week. The 
foreman of the factory received but eight 
shillings a day. However, small as these 
wages may seem, they were much bet- 
ter than what was paid in Germany, where 
he received but forty cents a week and 
his board, the best wages he could earn 
there, working fourteen hours a day. 
What a lesson this is to the workingnien 
of to-day, with their eight hours a day 
and good wages! But these stern exper- 
iences only served to bring out the better 
qualities of the young German lad, who 
steadily worked on, and saved money from 
his meager earnings. In the spring of 
1842, a machine for making spokes hav- 
ing been manufactured, he and five others 
were thrown out of employment. Later 
he made a dollar a day, and saved money 
enough to come to Green Bay (also giving 
ten dollars to another man to come here), 
arriving October 4, 1842. In that spring 
the citizens of the town had raised one 
thousand dollars, with which, and another 
thousand contributed by the Astor Com- 
pany of New York, they sent Hamil- 
ton Arndt to New York to secure emi- 
grants for Green Bay. He advertised 
in the German papers of that city, 
one of which fell into Mr. Weise's 



hands, and being promised ten to 
twelve shillings a day and a shop to go to 
work in, he was persuaded to come hither. 
He found neither, but was induced by John 
B. Arndt to commence for himself, and 
Mr. Arndt furnishing the shop and lumber 
Mr. Weise, having his own tools, went to 
work. He paid $2.25 for board and shop 
rent, which was taken out in work. Mon- 
ey was not to be seen every day, but 
nevertheless Mr. Weise prospered, taking 
his pay in store goods and lumber. Part 
of the time he worked as ship and house 
carpenter at ten shillings a day, store pay or 
trade, working twelve hours a day. He also 
made cradles and other implements, and 
was in all respects a useful man to the 
new community. He was connected with 
railroad enterprises, the first being the 
Lake Shore from Manitowoc to Green 
Bay. The sum of three hundred thousand 
dollars was voted, and grants for depot 
secured. In addition to this enterprise, 
he always took an active part in getting 
a railroad to Green Bay. He assisted in 
starting the Green Bay & Madison rail- 
road, for which the city voted seventy- 
five thousand dollars. The citizens of 
Green Bay held a " v^'orking bee" to as- 
sist in the building of the road between 
that city and De Pere, and he became a 
director of the road, taking two thousand 
dollars worth of stock; and his enthusiasm 
in the scheme was so great that he was 
very nearly induced to morgage his farm, 
but did not. He worked hard for the 
Green Bay and Minnesota road. 

On July 9, 1844, Mr. Weise married 
Maria Holtzknecht, a native of Ellar, 
Prussia, on the Mosel, born August 12, 
1823. She was a true type of the thrifty 
German housewife, who could turn her 
attention to almost any kind of housework 
successfully, and the young couple com- 
menced keeping house immediately. 
Green Bay being the land office, they 
concluded to keep boarders, charging a 
shilling a meal, and one-half a shilling for 
lodging, thus making some money. Mr. 
Weise, who had his wagon shop and a 



436 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



number of men workinj^ for him, soon be- 
gan to manufacture finer grades of work, 
and called his shop " Weise's Carriage 
Factory." He conducted the business un- 
til 1876, meeting with great success, and 
then gave it over to his son, George 
Albert Weise. Much of his work he 
traded for lumber, brick and stone. In 
1846 he built a house, which is still stand- 
ing, on which a half dozen carpenters 
labored, each working out a score they 
owed Mr. Weise for work done. Since 
then he has put up many buildings in 
Green Bay. He also owns a table fact- 
ory in Green Bay, which gives employ- 
ment to fifty hands. To Albert and 
Maria Weise were born children as fol- 
lows: Peter E. ; George A. ; Mary, wife 
of Rev. G. C. Reim, of La Crosse, Wis. ; 
Carrie, wife of William Snelflohn, of 
Marinette, Wis. ; Herman F. ; Charles 
W. ; Augusta, wife of F. A. Hollman; 
Dorothea, who died at the age of two 
years; Lena, wife of F. F. Jeffrey, of 
Leadville, Colo. ; and Amanda, wife of 
F. H. Straubel; all yet li\ing except Doro- 
thea. The mother of these died Decem- 
ber 3, 1887, at the age of si.xty-three 
years, four months, and for his second 
wife Mr. Weise married, February 16, 
1888, Mrs. Amelia Miller, mother of 
Frank Miller. 

Mr. Weise got his first good start in 

1845, at which time he inherited three 
hundred dollars which was sent him from 
Germany. He bought a lot on Cherry 
street on which he built a shop, and from 
this small beginning his large business 
grew. In 1849 he bought another lot, on 
which he moved his old shop, adding 
thereto a blacksmith and paint shop. His 
stepfather, who came to Green Bay in 

1846, carried on the blacksmithing until 
1849, when he too engaged in the wagon 
business. In 1870 our subject, in part- 
nership with James Poole, embarked in 
the china and crockery business, after one 
year becoming sole proprietor of same, 
which he and his son, Herman F. con- 
ducted for many years, or until the latter 



moved to Winona, Minn., where he also 
carried on a crockery store; he is now in 
the State of Washington. At present Mr. 
Weise's partners are his two sons-in-law, 
F. A. Hollman and Frederick H. Strau- 
bel, the firm, which is known as Weise, 
Hollman & Co. .doing an extensive whole- 
sale and retail business through the north- 
ern part of Wisconsin and Michigan. Mr. 
Weise is president of the Green Bay Carri- 
age Company. He was formerly president 
of the Green Bay Savings Bank, and he has 
identified himself with almost every in- 
terest tending to benefit the town; has 
been one of the leading spirits in various 
enterprises, some disastrous to him finan- 
cially, but many of which benefited the 
town, as they furnished employment for 
several men and brought comfort to not a 
few homes. He has been interested in 
starting a furnace, was in the oil business 
in Pennsyhania, and in the iron-mining 
business in northern Michigan. He has 
always been enterprising, and even at the 
opening of the Kaukauna plank road, poor 
as he then was, he donated a new wagon, 
thereby showing his public spirit. 

In religious faith he is a member of 
the German Lutheran Church, in which 
he has always taken an active interest. 
He assisted in the organization of the 
Moravian Society, and helped to erect the 
church building; later on, when a Luth- 
eran missionary came to Green Bay, he 
assisted in the building of the German 
Lutheran Church, and has ever since 
contributed liberall}' toward its support. 
He was also actively interested in the or- 
ganization, January i, 1850, of the Ger- 
man Benevolent Socie*^y of Green Bay, 
he being one of the original thirteen char- 
ter members, and to-day, with the ex- 
ception of one other, is the only survivor. 
This society, which has been of vast ben- 
efit in German circles, was started by Mr. 
Weise and George Oldenburg, the latter 
of whom was its first treasurer, Mr. \\'^eise 
being its president for twenty years from 
its incipiency. In his political prefer- 
ments he has alwajs been a strong pro- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



437 



tective-tariff Republican in national af- 
fairs, but in civic matters he usually casts 
his ballot for the man he considers best 
adapted to the office, whatever it may be. 
He has served on the city council board, 
and as chairman of the same, as well as 
alderman, having been elected against his 
will. In fact, there is no more useful 
citizen in Green Bay than Albert Weise, 
and he is held in the highest esteem by all 
who know him. 



DH. GRIGNON, justice of the 
peace at Green Bay, is a native 
of that city, born Februarj- 17, 
1843, a son of Peter Bernard and 
Rachel (Lawe) Grignon. 

Peter Grignon was born in Green 
Bay, Wis., June 12, 1806, a son of Pierre 
Antoine Grignon, also a native of Wis- 
consin. He was a son of Pierre Grignon, 
in the long ago a merchant in Montreal, 
Canada, who married a daughter of 
Charles DeLanglade. Together they — 
Mr. and Mrs. Grignon and Mr. DeLang- 
lade — came in an early day to Green Bay, 
being among the first settlers of the place. 
Pierre Grignon was engaged in the Green 
Bay fur trade, as well as in merchandis- 
ing, and passed the rest of his days in 
that place. Pierre Antoine Grignon, 
grandfather of our subject, and the eldest 
son of Pierre Grignon, by his marriage 
with Domitille DeLanglade, continued 
the store business, established by his 
father, for twenty-eight years, that being 
the only store at Green Bay prior to the 
war of 18 12. Peter Bernard Grignon, 
son of Pierre Antoine, received his edu- 
cation in Green Bay, and in after life 
filled various public positions of trust, such 
as clerk of the district court; first sheriff of 
Brown county; deputy United States mar- 
shal; contractor for carrying the mail 
both on foot and on horseback to Mani- 
towoc, Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Chicago 
and Fort Snelling. Politically he was a 
Democrat. He married Miss Rachel 
Lawe, a daughter of Judge John Lawe, 



an early pioneer of Brown county, who 
with his wife died in Green Bay. To 
this union were born four children, as 
follows: D. H., subject of this sketch; 
Maria Jane, who died single; Cynthia 
Anna, wife of Jerome G. Vieau; and 
Martin L. , who died in 1870. The 
father was called from earth in June, 1888, 
the mother February 16, 1876. Pierre 
A. Grignon owned a considerable amount 
of real estate in Wisconsin, a portion of 
it being whereon the city of Green Bay 
now stands. 

D. H. Grignon, the subject proper of 
these lines, received a liberal education 
at the schools of Green Bay. After leav- 
ing school he read law, and in 1866 was 
admitted to the bar. In 1875 he was in- 
stalled in his present position as justice of 
the peace. 

On October 15, 1870, Mr. Grignon 
was united in marriage with Miss Louise 
C. Hamilton, a native of Green Bay, 
daughter of Finley Fisher and Catherine 
(Boyd) Hamilton, early settlers of Green 
Bay (both now deceased), the latter of 
whom was the daughter of Col. George 
Boyd, Indian agent. To this union have 
been born three children, viz. : Rachel 
Maria and Catherine A. (twins), and 
Quincy, who died November 13, 1S93. 
Rachel M. is a teacher in Freedom, Wis. 
Politically Mr. Grignon is a Democrat; in 
religious faith he is a member of the 
Catholic Church. 



WILLIAM GOW, one of the re- 
spected citizens of De Pere, 
Wis., was born at Cairney Hill, 
F"ifeshire, Scotland, September 
10, 1 8 19. 

His father, William Gow, Sr., was a 
native of the city of Perth, and his mother, 
Martha (Brough) Gow, was born in the 
village of Pittencrief, Fifeshire. William 
Gow, Sr. , was a plasterer by trade, and 
expired in the city of Glasgow. William 
Gow, the subject proper of this sketch, 
was educated in the parochial schools of 



438 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his native place, and at the age of sixteen 
began an apprenticeship at wagon mak- 
ing, which apprenticeship was completed 
after a service of four years. The fol- 
lowing three years he acted as foreman of 
the shop, and then for three and a half 
years was employed in a foundry at Ren- 
frew in the manufacture of derricks and 
their erection through Scotland and En- 
gland. On March 12, 1847, at Dumbar- 
ton, near Glasgow, Mr. Gow married Miss 
Mary McKinley, daughter of Duncan and 
Agnes (Irving) McKinley. The McKin- 
leys were an ancient clan of Highlanders 
from Argyleshire, and the Irvings were of 
an equally ancient family from near Car- 
lisle, on the border of England, where 
numerous members of the family still re- 
side. Three years, three months and 
three days after marriage Mr. Gow set 
sail on the "Three Bells" for Canada, 
and after a voyage of nine weeks arrived 
at Quebec, whence he soon after went 
about two hundred miles southwest, to the 
village of Metis, Canada, where he pur- 
chased eighty acres of wild land and en- 
gaged in farming; but the farm not 
proving to be a profitable in\estment, he 
relinquished its cultivation at the end of 
that period and came to De Pere, Wis., 
arriving the Saturday before the Fourth 
of July, 1853. The first work in which 
he here engaged was on a dam across the 
Fox river, but subsequently was employed 
at wagon making by O. W. Kingsley. On 
October i, 1855, Mr. Gow bought out 
the business of Mr. Kingsley, and the 
same day his wife, Mrs. Mary (McKinley) 
Gow, reached De Pere from Scotland, 
having landed at New York after a pass- 
age of six weeks from Liverpool on a 
sailing vessel. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gow have been devout 
members of the First Presbyterian Church 
of De Pere for the past twenty-five years, 
and enjoy the respect of the entire com- 
munity. Mrs. Gow has been a faithful 
member of the denomination for fifty-five 
years, having originally united with the 
Wall Park Presbyterian Church, on Lady 



Well street, Glasgow, Scotland, in Oc- 
tober, 1839. Mrs. Gow has always taken 
an active part in Church work and Church 
societies. In politics, Mr. Gow is a Re- 
publican, and has served as member of 
the city council of De Pere for two terms 
and as city assessor for two years. He 
is a member of Lodge No. 85, F. & A. M. 
at De Pere. and also of Brown County 
St. Andrew's Society. Although Mr. 
Gow did not bear arms in the Civil war 
for the integrity of the Union, his sympa- 
thies were strongly in favor (jf the govern- 
ment, which he aided by e\ery means in 
his power, being particularly active in rais- 
ing supplies for the sanitary commission 
and for the support of the army hospitals. 



CHARLES A. COTTON, engineer 
of the Chicago & North Western 
railway, and stationed at Fort 
Howard, was born in Green Bay, 
I \\'is. (then known as Astoria), in 1845, a 
I son of John Winslovv and Mary B. (Arndt) 
Cotton, who were among the early set- 
tlers of Brown county. 
1 John Winslow Cotton was born in 

I 1800, in Plymouth, Mass., of old Puritan 
I stock. He was graduated from the 
United States Military Academy at West 
Point, N. Y., July 4, 1823; commissioned 
second lieutenant Third Infantry, July 
I, 1823, commission signed by James 
Monroe; promoted to first lieutenant 
same regiment, October 4, 1827, signed 
by J. O. Adams; promoted to captain 
November 15, 1836, signed by Andrew 
Jackson. As early as 1S24 he was 
stationed at Fort Howard, being after- 
ward transferred to Jefferson Barracks, 
Mo. He was married in Green Bay, in 
1825, to Mary B. Arndt, and on his 
resignation from the regular service lo- 
cated on a farm in Allouez township, 
Brown county, where he became a promi- 
nent citizen, serving as town clerk and 
school superintendent of the township. 
He was a Mason, and for a number of 
years was a leader of the choir in the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



439 



Episcopal Church. On the loth day of 
September, 1878, he passed from life, 
leaving behind an honored and respected 
name. 

Mrs. Mary B. Cotton was born in the 
Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, and was 
a daughter of John P. and Elizabeth (Car- 
penter) Arndt. The father was a native 
of the Keystone State, of German descent, 
was a ship carpenter by trade, and early 
came to Green Bay, where he built the 
first vessel on Fox river. He was a much 
respected gentleman, and for some time 
filled the position of judge. He lost his 
wife in i860, and followed her to the 
grave in 1S61. The children born to 
John P. and Elizabeth Arndt were: Mary 
B. (Mrs. Cotton); John Wallace, of De- 
Pere; Mrs. Elizabeth Eastman, of Benton 
Harbor, Mich. ; Charles, who was shot 
and killed by James R. Vineyard, of 
Grant county, in the Senate chamber at 
Madison, Wis., February 11, 1842, and 
Hamilton. To John Winslow and Mary 
B. Cotton were born five children, as fol- 
lows: John R., a native of Plymouth, 
Mass. , and now a resident of Chicago, 
111. ; Elizabeth, wife of Charles R. Tyler, 
died in 188S; Priscilla, the wife of Hon. 
J. H. Howe, died in Allouez township. 
Brown Co., Wis., July 4, 1857; Mary 
Gordon, also married to Hon. J. H. Howe, 
died in I\enosha, Wis.,in September 1887, 
and Charles A., our subject. On July 6, 
1 86 1, Mrs. Mary B. Cotton was mustered 
into the service as nurse, at Racine, Wis., 
and served one year, during which time 
she was stationed in Baltimore, Md. (the 
old ' ' Relay House " ), and Newport News, 
Va. , until the regiment was ordered to 
New Orleans. 

Charles A. Cotton was educated in 
the public schools of Green Bay, and at 
the early age of sixteen, July 6, 1861, en- 
listed in Company H, Fourth Wis. V. C, 
for three years or during the war. He 
was mustered into the service at Racine, 
Wis., and assigned to duty, at first, in 
the Army of the Potomac, and later saw 
active service at New Orleans, Baton 



Rouge and Port Hudson, La., Vicksburg, 
Miss., and in the Red River campaign. 
On February 9, 1865, he received an 
honorable discharge at Baton Rouge, and 
on his return to Green Bay was employed 
by the Chicago & North Western Railway 
Company, with \\'hich he has been ever 
since. At Chicago, December 25, 1867, 
he was married to Miss Mary J. Whit- 
field; his second marriage in 1877, also 
at Chicago, was to Miss Alline Ivennedy, 
a native of Ireland, who bore him four 
children, to wit. : Elizabeth S. ; John 
Rossiter and James K. , both of whom 
were drowned No\'ember 25, 1892, at the 
respective ages of twelve and ten years, 
and Priscilla Augusta. In politics Mr. 
Cotton is a stanch Republican, and soci- 
ally he is a member of Washington Lodge, 
No. 21, F. & A. M., at Green Bay. Mrs. 
Cotton is a pious lady, a faithful adher- 
ent of the Church of Rome, and is a 
member of St. John's Congregation of 
Green Bav. 



JAMES KERR, editor and proprietor 
of the Fort Howard Rcviczl', was 
born in Montrose, Forfarshire, Scot- 
land, November 4, 1830, and when 
five years of age came to this country 
with his parents and two brothers, Rob- 
ert and Andrew, arriving in Charleston, 
S. C. The family remained only about 
two years in that city, when they returned 
to Montrose, Scotland. 

The subject of this sketch received a 
common education. During many of his 
spare hours he was fond of visiting one of 
the printing offices in the city of his birth, 
and gained the esteem of the foreman. 
He was a studious lad, and a great reader, 
and his ambition was to be a printer. To 
this his father was a little opposed, but 
found favor with his mother, consequently, 
on February 8, 1844, he entered the 
Standard printing office as an appren- 
tice. He proved to be such an excellent 
"devil" that he was promoted over two 
apprentices who were in the office before 



44° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



him, and "got a case" on the newspaper. 
He became a good compositor, not a fast 
one, but accurate, and always had a 
"clean proof." Not having a great 
liking for newspaper work at setting type, 
he during spare hours would be in the 
border case, and even changing lines in 
standing jobs and advertisements. This 
attracted the attention of the foreman, 
and he was promoted to hold the "Adv. 
Case " — -or rather he got all the adver- 
tisements to "set up." From this he 
was placed in the job-room, and long be- 
fore his seven-years' apprenticeship was 
finished had charge of the job depart- 
ment. 

During the term of his apprenticeship 
he attended night school, and was also a 
pupil of Isaac Pitman, who was then 
traveling through Scotland, giving lessons 
in /lis "Shorthand." Although not in 
love with newspaper work at the case, he 
nevertheless was local correspondent for 
two outside newspapers, as well as doing 
a little home work, and ultimately be- 
came connected in the management of the 
Montrose Citizen. 

After entering on the last year of his 
apprenticeship, he was offered a position, 
to take charge of a new printing office to 
be started in the city by a Mr. Rodgers. 
The position to a young man not out of 
his apprenticeship was a flattering one, 
as well as a lucrative one, compared to 
the wages of an apprentice in the last 
year of his "time," and as a matter of 
course James accepted the position. 
From Mr. Rodger's office was issued The 
Montrose Citizen, previously spoken of, 
and Mr. Kerr held his position in that 
office up to the time he left for the United 
States. 

The writer of this sketch obtained his 
information from Mr. Kerr, in conversa- 
tion, he not dreaming that it would ever 
appear in "cold type" or printed. He 
also gave some facts in regard to ' ' patent 
insides " now in so general use by news- 
papers in this country. "They talk 
about these ' patent insides ' being first 



used in this country; they were in use in 
the old country many years before they 
appeared here. Why, the Montrose Citi- 
zen, with which I was connected," said 
Mr. Kerr, "was printed on so-called 
' patent insides,' a.r\.d full j' illustrated, too; 
and what is more, news plates were fur- 
nished, similar to those now in use — but 
not to such perfection, I allow. I have a 
file of the Montrose Citizen, and proofs 
of the plates in my possession, so you see 
that the bottom is knocked out of the 
claim that the so-called 'patent insides' 
and plates were first used in this coun- 
try." Speaking, also, of all-brass galleys, 
on which Hoe, of New York, claimed a 
patent, Mr. Kerr says: " All-brass gallejs 
were in use when I was a boy serving my 
apprenticeship." 

Mr. Kerr left the "land of heather" 
August 26, 1854, leaving Montrose on 
the sailing vessel "Helen," bound for 
Quebec, Canada. Two days before his 
departure, August 24, he was married by 
Rev. Colin McCulloch, of the Estab- 
lished Church of Scotland, to Miss Eliza- 
beth Birnie Dickie, daughter of George 
Dickie, shipbuilder, Mfjntrose, and before 
leaving they were the recipients of valua- 
ble gifts from their many friends. The 
voyage was a tedious and stormy one, 
and their travel by rail was greatly de- 
layed, so that it was the 20th of October 
before they reached the point of their 
destination — Milwaukee, Wis. Here they 
met Andrew Murison, formerly of Mont- 
rose, a schoolmate and a "chum" 
printer of Mr. Kerr's, and who had left 
Scotland some few years before. Mr. 
Kerr's youngest brother, Andrew Brand 
I\err, was also one of the party which 
left with them August 26, 1854. He 
died (at Milwaukee) April 23, 1886. He 
was married to Miss Harriet Travers, 
daughter of an early partner of the late 
John Flankinton, of Milwaukee. He 
left a widow, two sons and a daughter. 
Robert, the eldest son, is a widower 
with one daughter, who resides with her 
grandmother in New York Cit}-; Andrew, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



441 



the other son, is unmarried; the daughter, 
Henrietta, is married, and resides in Aber- 
deen, Washington. 

Mr. Murison, then in Milwaukee, was 
a member of the firm of Chapman & 
Murison, job printers. Mr. Cfiapman, 
the well-known map publisher, being de- 
sirous of selling out his interest in the 
printing office, an arrangement was made 
by which James Kerr purchased his inter- 
est on November 4, his anniversary birth- 
day, and the business firm became Muri- 
son & Kerr. On the following year they 
sold out their printing office, and both 
entered the Daily News office in the job 
department. A short time after Mr. Kerr 
had taken a position in the A^cws office, 
he was offered a situation in Port Wash- 
ington, Ozaukee Co., Wis., to take charge 
of the 0::aiikcc Comity Advertiser office, 
which he accepted. C. F. Huntsman, 
who was superintendent of the Nczvs, 
greatly regretted the step he had taken, 
as he desired his services in the job de- 
partment; but Mr. Huntsman informed 
Mr. Kerr that if the position did not suit 
him, or if he desired to return to Mil- 
waukee at any time, he would find a situ- 
ation open for him in the Ncivs office — 
which was very flattering to Mr. Kerr, as 
well as evidence of Mr. Huntsman's ap- 
preciation of his services. 

Tlie Ozaukee County Advertiser was 
owned by R. L. Gove, who was post- 
master, and Mr. Kerr attended to the 



management of the office. 



During that 



year Seymour G. Wait and Mr. Kerr pur- 
chased the office, and enlarged and other- 
wise improved the paper, greatly to the 
satisfaction of the business community. 
But Mr. Gove was ill at ease; the paper 
was not run according to his political 
standard; his editorials were rejected; and 
he found his influence fading. He held 
a chattel mortgage on the office, with an 
"iron-clad" condition, which he ulti- 
mately foreclosed without an hour's warn- 
ing. This as a matter of course led to a 
lawsuit. Sheriff Luetfringtook possession, 
and Kerr & Wait employed Mr. Blair, an 



able attorney, to look after their interest. 
Many of the business men were indignant 
at the course Mr. Gove had taken, and 
agreed to secure funds enough to start a 
new office and newspaper; but as Mr. 
Wait preferred to go East and Mr. Kerr 
returning to Milwaukee, nothing was done 
toward starting a new paper. Suit was 
commenced in the circuit court, but a 
change of venue was taken to Racine 
county. About one year afterward the 
case of Kerr & Wait vs. R. L. Gove came 
for trial at the city of Racine, and it was 
settled by Mr. Gove paying a certain 
amount of damages. 

After leaving Port Washington Mr. 
Kerr again held a position in the Alil- 
tuaukee Nezus office, and remained on that 
paper nearly seven years. During these 
years many were the changes which took 
place in the business and editorial man- 
agement of that paper — Benton, Clason, 
Huntsman, Hon. Beriah Brown, Joseph 
Lathrop, Hon. John R. Sharpstein, Dr. 
Orton, J. Lyon, Hon. George H. Paul, 
etc. "I must relate to you, Sir," said 
Mr. Kerr, as the writer was making his 
notes, ' ' a circumstance which occurred, 
and which elevated me considerablj'. It 
was during the Buchanan campaign. Mil- 
waukee was the headquarters, and the 
election tickets were printed in the iVeit's 
office, from where the different points 
were supplied, especially north. These 
tickets were being printed in several dif- 
ferent languages, and there was a small 
room almost filled with tickets, all cut 
and packed ready for shipment. I spoke 
to Mr. Huntsman one day about them, 
stating that they would be worthless, and 
that only tickets printed in the English 
language could be used, no matter where 
the election was held. He said I was a 
good job printer, but a "greenhorn" in 
these matters. However, Mr. Huntsman 
spoke to one or two of the committee 
about what the " green " Scotchman had 
said in a sort of derision; the matter to 
them had a more serious aspect; a com- 
mittee meeting was called at once, and 



442 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the result was that all the "foreign" 
tickets were consigned to the flames and 
the presses had to run night and da)' on 
' Buck and Breck ' tickets in order to 
get them out in time for election. " "To 
this circumstance,"' continued Mr. Kerr, 
"I owe my clcvatiun — in the AVrci office ; 
for, a few weeks afterward, I was given 
the position of foreman of the office and 
my wages considerably increased." 

In the spring of 1856 Mr. Kerr's 
brother, Robert Laing Kerr, and wife 
came to Milwaukee from Montrose, Scot- 
land, and in the fall of the same year his 
parents with three sisters also arrived 
from Scotland in Milwaukee. Robert L. 
Kerr now resides in Monmouth, 111. He 
married Elizabeth Reoch at Brechin, 
Scotland, and has a family of sons and 
daughters — one son and daughter mar- 
ried — Mrs. Frank Foster, tjf Beloit, Wis., 
and Andrew Kerr, of Duiuth, Minnesota. 

On Augu.st 9. 1S57, George Dickie 
Kerr, a son of James Kerr, died; and on 
December 25, same year, his sister, Mary, 
died; in the following year, on February 
21, his infant daughter, Margaret Jane 
Kerr, died; and on May 26, i860, his 
mother, Margaret Taylor-Kerr, died. All 
these deaths occurred in Milwaukee, and 
the remains interred in the family grounds 
in Forest Home Cemetery. 

In 1863 Mr. Kerr's father and his two 
sisters, Georgianna .\llarclice Kerr and 
Elizabeth Clark Kerr, returned to Scot- 
land and their native home. 

In the same year Mr. Kerr left the 
Nc'MS office, and for a time was in the 
Wisconsin office. In the fall he made 
his mind up to enlist in the army, with 
which intent he went to the mustering and 
disbursing office, desiring, however, to 
enlist in the Twenty-fourth Wis. V. I., 
as many of his friends were members of 
that regiment, and they were at that time 
filling up the old regiments with new men 
to keep the companies full. The Twenty- 
fourth had been filled up; Mr. Kerr had a 
friend in the mustering office, a Mr. Leach, 
who was chief clerk, and he gave him a 



position in the office. In the fall of the 
following year Gen. Grant issued an order 
for all men who had "soft snaps" at 
home offices to get to the front, and Mr. 
Kerr had "to get." The Forty-sixth 
Wisconsin Regiment was then being 
formed, and a recruiting officer was get- 
ting up a company in Milwaukee. This 
company — Company F — Mr. Kerr joined, 
and was appointed first sergeant. The 
regiment rendezvoused at Camp Randall, 
Madison, and was organized under Col. 
Fred S. Lovell. Henry B. Williams was 
captain of Company F. The regiment 
did not leave the State until the begin- 
ning of March, when it proceeded to 
Louisville, Ky., and thence to Athens, 
Ala., where it was assigned to guard duty 
against bushwhackers and guerrillas. The 
regiment remained at Athens until called 
to Wisconsin, being mustered out at 
Nashville, Tenn., paid off in Madison, 
and disbanded early in October. 

When the regiment reached Chicago 
Mr. Kerr received the sad intelligence of 
the death of his four-year-old son, Albert 
Edward Kerr, on the 24th of September, 
but a few days before, and after the regi- 
ment disbanded at Madison he made all 
haste to his home of mourning at Milwau- 
kee, which he had left less than a year 
before, with hopes of returning joy and 
happiness. "At the time I enlisted," said 
Mr. Kerr, ' ' I was robust and hearty, and 
weighed 198 pounds; but on my return 
home I only weighed 1 14 pounds! " Dur- 
ing the time Mr. Kerr was in the army he 
wrote some very interesting letters for the 
Wisconsiti. 

After remaining at home a short time 
Mr. Kerr accepted a position in Horton 
& Leonard's office in Chicago. He re- 
mained in Chicago about a year, when he 
returned to Milwaukee to accept the 
management of the book department in 
Starr's printing establishment; he also 
became foreman of the job department. 
In Starr's office he remained for several 
years. Mr. Kerr was offered a lucrative 
position in the journal of Commerce 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPUICAL RECORD. 



443 



printing establishment, which he ac- 
cepted. This was a new office, and he 
had the entire management of the con- 
cern until it changed hands in 1874. Mr. 
Kerr was interested with Mr. Bailey in 
the publishing of directories in Milwau- 
kee, as well as engaged in publishing sev- 
eral meritorious advertising literature, 
etc. During his long residence in Mil- 
waukee — from 1854 to 1874 — he was 
considered a first-class printer in all de- 
tails, and authority in the settlement of 
any disputes among the craft. He was a 
valuable member of the Typographical 
Union, and for many years president of 
the organization, is a member of the In- 
ternational Typographical Union, and 
represented Milwaukee at its convention 
in the city of Albany, N. Y. ; was a mem- 
of the I. O. O. F., No. 20; was a charter 
member of Sheridan Post No. 6, G. A. 
R., and was adjutant of the post for sev- 
eral terms and also vice-commander. 

In 1 874 the proprietors of the foiirnai 
of Commerce sold out their establishment 
to practical printers, and Mr. Kerr being 
offered a position in Green Bay, to take 
charge of the job department of the State 
Gazette, he at once accepted, and the 
early days of the month of March, 1874, 
found him on duty with Hoskinson 
& Follett, the then proprietors. 
Shortly afterward he assumed the 
duties of local editor, and held that 
position until April, 1884. During the 
time he was "localizing" on the Daily 
Ga::ette, he published and managed the 
Fort Howard Rez'ie-io. The history of the 
ups and downs of the lives of newspapers 
in Fort Howard is so remarkable that the 
city was named, by neighboring contem- 
poraries, as the "newspaper cemetery," 
and from an article published on "The 
Press of Brown County — past and pres- 
ent," which appeared in August, 1886, 
we glean the following facts: 

The first paper published was the Ej-a, 
on 20th April, 1855; the second number 
was never published; the Fort Howard 
Times was the next paper, but the office 



was destroyed by fire October 22, 1872, 
and publication was never resumed. In 
the same year the Fort Howard Monitor 
was started, and after going through many 
changes in its management suspended in 
March, 1877. The i'l/tiw/Zi;'/- had the con- 
tract for city printing, and the proprietor 
turned over the contract to the RcvieiK.'. 
The Reviezu was then printed in Green 
Bay, and ordinances, etc., had to be pub- 
lished in a paper printed in the city. The 
Fort Howard Herald was then printed in 
Fort Howard, and the proprietor claimed 
the contract ; but Mr. Kerr was sufficient 
for the emergency. J. H. Tayler had an 
amateur press, and Mr. Kerr had the or- 
dinances and other official matter "set 
up " in Green Bay and printed the matter 
on the small press in P'ort Howard, which 
covered the provision of the city charter, 
and satisfied the city council, much to the 
chagrin of the proprietor of the Herald. 
The Herald was established in 1872, but 
had a checkered life; it passed into other 
hands in 1 877, and changed hands in 1878, 
when the name was also changed to the 
Broivit County Herald, and published but 
a short time. In 1879 the Fort Howard 
Journal appeared, but lived only a short 
time ; then followed the Morning Journal, 
and after its demise came the Broicii 
County Democrat, which followed the 
/;?//;-«rt/after a short life. In June, 1882, 
the Fort Howard Sentinel made its ap- 
pearance, and continued publication until 
February, 1890, when it followed the fate 
of those gone before. The Fort Howard 
Reviezu was started by David M. Burns 
as an advertising sheet for his own busi- 
ness in September, 1875, and published 
monthly. It was a small three-column 
four-page publication. In November, 
1876, Mr. Burns turned over the Rcviezv 
to James Kerr, who enlarged the paper to 
a five-column folio, and gave attention to 
local matters. It was received by the 
public with so much favor that on the 
following January he commenced publish- 
ing the Revieiv weekly, and enlarged it to 
a six-column folio. 



444 



COMMEMORATIVE BI06RAPBICAL RECORD. 



When Mr. Kerr left the Green Bay 
Gazette to commence business in Fort 
Howard, his son, Charles Stuart, became 
partner, and shortly afterward the AV- 
vieix.' was enlarged to a six-column quarto 
— the standard size — and has been printed 
and published continuously under their 
management up to the present day. The 
article on "The Press of Brown County," 
previously mentioned, in speaking of the 
Review and its proprietors, says: "Con- 
sidering the sad fate of so many attempts 
at journalism in Fort Howard, and the 
many disadvantages the Review has had 
to contend with, its present position is 
both a matter of pride and gratification to 
its proprietors and originators." 

In September, 1880, Mr. Kerr's 
mother-in-law, Mrs. George Dickie, died, 
and was consigned to the grave on the 
memorable day of the Great Fire in Green 
Bay. After her husband's death in Mil- 
waukee, in i860, Mrs. Dickie became one 
of the family circle, and resided at Mr. 
Kerr's home for nearly twenty years. She 
was a kind-hearted, cheerful and affec- 
tionate woman, and her loss was keenly 
felt by the entire family. 

Mr. Kerr's father died on March 18, 
1 88 1, at Montrose, in his native land, 
after a long illness, where he was attended 
with constant care and devotion, which 
only two loving daughters could give. 
After his death, all tender ties being 
broken — lie being the last of the family 
race in Scot/and — they left for America, 
coming to Fort Howard in the fall of 
1 88 1, and resided with their brother, 
James Kerr, for over a year, when they 
removed to Milwaukee to make that city 
their home. 

In the same \ear, and but little over 
three months after the death of Mr. 
Kerr's father, he lost a son. James Tay- 
lor Kerr was aged about seventeen years 
at the time of his death. He was a 
bright and intelligent young lad, far above 
his years, and gave promise of a brilliant 
and useful life. His death was a heavy 
blow to the parents, and a sorrowful one 



to all his acquaintances and those who 
came in close contact with him. The 
Green Bay Globe of July 13, 1881, in 
speaking of his death, said: 

The unlooked-for death of Jjtnniie Kerr is 
the occasion of profound sorrow in the printing' 
offices, where he was well known, as it is among 
all who knew him. He was one of the most g^en- 
tlemanly unobtrusive and intelligent little fel- 
lows we ever met with. It seemed to us, when- 
ever he came to our sanctum, that his kind, 
earnest, serious face was itself a prophecj- of a 
life that would expand to greatness and useful- 
ness as the years grew. But God plucks his 
choicest flowers first. The prophecy may not 
reach its fulfillment, unless the influence of his 
life and aspirations shall inspire his compan- 
ions with higher aims and better purposes. Jim- 
mie was in his seventeenth year. He had been 
suffering since the Fourth with an attack of 
cholera morbus, which was not considered dan- 
gerous; but it took an unfavorable turn on Mon- 
day evening, and he died before midnight. 

On the evening of October 21, 1884, 
Death seemed for a time to hover o'er the 
the family circle, but through the mercy 
of Divine Providence took wings, and the 
threshhold was not passed. But that 
night was a sad and melancholy one with- 
in their home, as well as a dark and dreary 
one outside; the parents frantic with grief 
and sorrowing and kind friends bestowing 
all assistance and sympathy that bleeding 
hearts could offer — when the almost life- 
less body of their son, William Lowe 
Kerr, of but fourteen years of age, was 
carried to his home; and as Dr. Brett 
stated to a friend — "it was one of the 
most pitiful sights he ever saw." The 
boy had met with an accident, and been 
run over by the cars on the North West- 
ern road. The accident was one which 
aroused the sympathy of every one, for 
the lad was well known, and was a favor- 
ite with all who knew him. Of the sad 
accident the local papers spoke in the 
most feeling terms, and we make an ex- 
tract from an extended account which ap- 
peared in the Fort Howard Sentinel. 

The unfortunate lad was the carrier of the 
Milirniikii Journal for this citj'. He had gone to 
the Milwaukee & Northern station, in Green 
Bay. as was his custom, and returning boarded 
the C. & N. W. incoming train to ride to the 
lower part of the city, which was not customary 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



445 



with him. It is supposed that he jumped from 
the train when opposite the fire engine house, 
as his hat and bundle of papers were subse- 
quently found at that point, and had fallen in 
such a manner as to cause one arm and one 
hand to cross the track, and it is probable that 
several wheels passed over them. He bore his 
injuries with remarkable fortitude; after re- 
ceiving- them, he rose and walked to the spot 
where he was afterward discovered lying, and 
where it is evident he tripped over a projecting- 
board and fell to the ground, he seemingly 
unconscious of the terrible character of his 
injuries. 

Doctors Bartran and Brett were summoned, 
and it was found that it would be necessary to 
amputate the right arm near the shoulder, and 
the whole of the left hand, save the upper por- 
tion and the thumb, and the operation was suc- 
cessfully performed. The unfortunate lad is 
doing as well as possible under the circum- 
stances, but he will, of course, be helpless for 
life, which is more particularly regretful since 
he was a boy of much energy and activity, and 
gave good promise of a life of much usefulness. 

Contrary to expectation, and not- 
withstanding the severity of his injuries, 
the young man rapidly recovered, and in 
the course of a few weeks was out again 
and attending school as usual, the rapid- 
ity of his recovery from such fearful injur- 
ies being a matter of wonder to the com- 
munity and the medical fraternity. He 
soon learned to hold a pen or pencil with 
his thumb and mutilated left hand, and 
in a short time was enabled to write leg- 
ibly in a flowing back-handed style of pen- 
manship, which admitted of his keeping 
books, and attending to ordinary matters 
of business apparently without trouble or 
inconvenience. He continued his studies 
until he graduated from the High School, 
with honors heaped upon him, and at the 
" Commencement " was the recipient of 
many valuable gifts from friends. Since 
his graduation he has taught in the public 
schools with satisfactory results to the 
school board and pupils. He has twice 
been elected city clerk, at present hold- 
ing that position; is also secretary-treas- 
urer of the local lodge of the K. O. T. M. 
He is now twenty-four years of age, in 
full and perfect enjoyment of health, and 
every indication points to many years of 
usefulness to the community and prosper- 
ity for himself. 



Again the Grim Reaper enters the 
family, and cuts off Mr. Kerr's youngest 
sister. Just as the city bells in Milwau- 
kee were ringing out the hour of noon on 
the 5th day of January, 1895, with a soft 
and almost silent sigh, life departed — her 
soul went out to meet the Maker — a ling- 
ering and painful illness of nearly three 
years was ended, endured with true Chris- 
tian patience and fortitude, often deceiving 
her friends by her cheery smile and jocular 
remarks which were assumed to hide her 
intense suffering. Elizabeth Clark Kerr at 
the time of her death was fifty-two years 
of age. She was a true tender-hearted wo- 
man, naturally of a cheerful disposition, 
which served her well during her long sick- 
ness. Her remains were laid to rest along- 
side the grave of her mother, in the family 
grounds at Forest Home. 

Mr. and Mrs. James Kerr reside in an 
unpretentious residence on the corner of 
Broadway and Hubbard streets, one of 
the most prominent and pleasant street 
corners in the city; he also owns some 
valuable residence and business property, 
has the most extensive private library in 
the city, and is the possessor of many 
rare and valuable articles of virtu. Their 
surviving family consists of two sons and 
one daughter. 

Charles Stuart, their eldest son, is as- 
sociated with his father in the steam job- 
printing business, and the publishing of the 
Fort Howard Rc7'icii.'. He is a member 
of the Sons of Veterans, Modern Wood- 
men of America, the Knights of the Mac- 
cabees, the Green Lake Quartette — a lo- 
cal musical organization of considerable 
note — besides several social clubs in Fort 
Howard and Green Bay. He is a young 
man of good principle, and a hustler in 
a business way. Socially, he is very 
popular. 

Their daughter, Harriet Ann Taylor, 
is married to D. M. Hagerty, district 
illuminating oil inspector, and an influen- 
tial and prominent citizen of Green Bay. 
She is an accomplished lady and a favorite 
in society. She can set type or take 



446 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



charge of the editorial department of a 
newspaper, both of which she has done in 
her father's office. Thej' have one child, 
Mildred. 

William Lowe, the youngest son of 
the family, I have alread\- spoken of in 
detail. , 

Mrs. Kerr is a model wife and mother, 
and possesses an exemplary Christian 
character. She is a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church, taking an active interest 
in all that pertains to that society. In 
appearance she is petite, of a pleasant 
disposition, extremely social, making 
friends easily, and holding their regard 
and esteem. She has three sisters — Mrs. 
Martin Durward (Isabella, twin sister), of 
Milwaukee; Mrs. William S. Lowe (Mary), 
of Spottsylvania, \'a. ; and Mrs. David 
Dickie (Annj, of Dunedin, New Zealand. 
Mrs. Lowe and Miss Isabella Dickie were 
of the party that accompanied Mr. and 
Mrs. Kerr to this countr\' in August, 

1854. 

James Kerr is in his sixty-fifth }ear, 
and though the frosts of many winters have 
limned his head as with a halo, he is still 
as hale and hearty, genial and pleasant, 
as when, forty years ago, he first left the 
land of brown heath and shaggy woods. 
Time has dealt gently with him, his portly 
form and jovial, expressive face indicat- 
ing a life well spent and the possession of 
a contented mind. He has during his 
residence in Fort Howard been a member 
of the county board of supervisors, and 
an officer in Green Bay Lodge, I. O. O. 
F. , No. 19; is an active and valuable 
member of Howard Lodge, A. O. U. W. , 
No. 72 ; and a member of the Grand Lodge 
of the State, having been elected for three 
terms to represent No. 72 in that body, 
and is D. G. M. W. for the district. He 
is also a member of T. O. Howe Post, G. 
A. R. , an influential citizen and highly 
respected in the community. He has one 
brother and one sister living, namely: 
Robert Laing Kerr, of Monmouth, 111., 
and Georgianna AUardice Kerr, of Mil- 
waukee. 



Mr. Kerr has resided in Fort Howard 
since the first day of his arrival, and The 
Rcvicii' has been continuously printed and 
published under his charge. The paper 
is Republican in politics, and being al- 
ways watchful for the best interests of the 
city, and enjoying a large circulation, it 
has naturally a wide influence. The office 
is well equipped with power presses run 
by steam, and all modern material, 
being one of the best appointed in north- 
eastern Wisconsin. — J. W. S. 



WELLINGTON B. COFFEEN, 
M. D. Ever}' profession has its 
prominent men, some made such 
by long membership, others by 
their proficiency in their calling. The 
subject of this sketch is made conspicuous 
among the ph\sicians of Brown county, 
not so much by the length of time he has 
devoted to the calling — for he is as yet a 
young man — as by the eminent success 
he has already made of it. 

He is a native of Wisconsin, born 
August 26, 1858, in Taycheedah, Fond 
du Lac county. The progenitor of the 
famil)' of which he is a member was a 
young Irish lad who boarded a vessel in 
Ireland and worked his passage across the 
ocean, his labor being subsequently sold 
out in Boston to pay the rest of his pass- 
age. He prospered, married, and had 
several sons who settled in different 
States, one in New York State, probably 
in Watertown, Jefferson county, where 
his decendants became well-to-do farmers. 
Grandfather David Coffeen, who was a 
farmer of Watertown, N. Y., was a very 
active man, and in middle life removed 
with his family to Calumet county, Wis., 
where he resided till he was seventy-two 
years of age, when, having always ex- 
pressed a desire to die in his old home at 
Watertown, he removed thither and died 
a few weeks afterward. He was a stanch 
Republican, taking a deep interest in 
local and State politics, was a man of the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGMAPHWAL RECORD. 



447 



most positive character, and possessed of 
great will power.- He married in Water- 
town, and had a family of children named 
respecti\ely: Curtis, David, Louis, Por- 
ter and Emma. Of these, Louis was born 
in Watertown, and was a young man 
of about sixteen when he came to Wis- 
consin, where he worked for eight dol- 
lars per month until he was enabled to 
buy a piece of land in Fond du Lac 
county, afterward accumulating there con- 
siderable property, including several fine 
farms. He now resides in Vassar, Mich. 
His wife, Lucy (Abner), died at the 
age of forty-nine years, the mother of 
five children, of whom our subject is the 
second. 

Dr. Coffeen is principally a self-made 
and self-educated man, his earlier educa- 
tion having been limited to the district 
schools of Fond du Lac count}-, Wis. At 
the age of eighteen years he entered the 
State Normal School at Oshkosh, paying 
his own waj' there, and also through the 
medical course, later on. After a two- 
years' course at the Normal, he entered 
the office of Dr. Louis Grasnmck, a well- 
known and successful physician of Men- 
asha, who subsequently removed to Colo- 
rado. .At an early age, even in childhood, 
our subject had a great desire to become 
a physician, which desire was probably 
inherited from his mother, who was a 
splendid nurse and a great blessing to the 
sick in her family and neighborhood. She 
had the gentle ways of the Sister of 
Charity, and the hope that springs from 
affection. After studying in the of^ce for 
two years he proceeded to Ann Arbor, 
Mich., and entered the Homeopathic 
Medical Department of the University of 
Michigan, where he labored diligently at 
his books, and took his Freshman and 
Junior studies in one year. From there 
he went to the Homeopathic Medical 
College, Chicae:o, 111., from which insti- 
tution he graduated March 4, 1884, and 
immediately located at Fort Howard and 
Green Bay, where he has continued to 
practice ever since. In 1889 he removed 

25 



his residence to Green Bay, and has built 
up a good practice. 

Dr. Coffeen was married, in Fort 
Howard, September 29, 1886, to Miss 
Nellie Camm, a native of that place, 
daughter of Capt. James M. Camm and 
Dr. Mary Bass Camm, the former of 
whom was an officer in the Florida war, 
Mexican war and the war of the Rebellion. 
In the Mexican war Capt. Camm was 
shot through the neck, the vocal cords 
being severed, but is a hale and hearty 
man to-day, now residing in Valentine, 
Neb. The mother of Mrs. Dr. Coffeen 
was a well-known Homeopathic physician, 
with a lucrative practice in Fort Howard 
and Green Bay, where she is held in 
loving and kindly remembrance for her 
many acts of charity and devotion to the 
sick and afflicted. She died of pneumonia, 
in March, 1889, at the house of her 
daughter, at the age of fifty-five years. 
Dr. Coffeen has two sons: James How- 
ard and Lew Wallace. The Doctor has 
been a member of the Royal Arcanum for 
nine years, and was examining physician 
of same for many years; is a past Regent, 
having filled all the offices, and is a mem- 
ber of the Grand Council of the State of 
Wisconsin. He is also a member of the 
Modern Woodmen of America, Green Bay 
Lodge, and is its examining physician; is 
also a member of the Knights of the Mac- 
cabees of the World, is its examining 
physician, and is now its commander. At 
the last biennial session of the State con- 
vention, held in Green Bay, April 3, 1895, 
he was also elected representative to the 
Supreme Tent from this State. He is a 
member of the Brown County Medical 
Association, the State Homeopathic Medi- 
cal Association, and the American Insti- 
tute of Homeopathy. 

Dr. Coffeen is one of those men who 
ma)' be said to have chosen well. Pos- 
sessed of a kind, sympathetic nature, a 
keen sense of discrimination, a natural 
taste for the various branches of the medi- 
cal profession, he has made a signal 
success. 



448 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



This gentleman 



CA. NEWELL 
has been a resident of Green Bay 
for the past quarter of a century, 
during which time he has earned 
the respect of the community, both as a 
private citizen and as a tradesman. 

He is a native of New York State, 
born in Delaware county, in 1825, a son 
of Harry and Jerusha (Foot) Newell, both 
of New York birth. The father was a 
farmer in Delaware county, and on re- 
tiring from active work made his home in 
New York, dying there in 18 — ; his wife 
passed away in 1S48. Grandfather Rob- 
ert Newell was a native of New York, a 
sea captain by occupation, and partici- 
pated in the war of the Revolution. 

After his school days were over, 
which were passed in his native county, 
our subject commenced to learn the trade 
of carpenter, completing same in Wiscon- 
sin, whither he came in 1845, arriving in 
Milwaukee, and locating first in Dodge 
county. After remaining there some 
years engaged closely at his trade, he 
moved to Waupun, Fond du Lac county, 
and from there came in 1869 to Green Bay 
which has since been his home. This 
was not his first visit, however, to the 
town, for in 1854 we find him working here 
in the shipyards. He was also engaged 
in shipbuilding in Pensaukee and Little 
Sturgeon, and among the vessels he 
helped to build may be mentioned the 
schooner "Fannie Gardner," steamer 
"Union," brig " F. B. Gardner," and 
others, A. Gilson, of Oshkosh, Wis., his 
brother-in-law, being the master ship- 
builder. Our subject is now engaged chiefly 
in contracting for residence buildings, and 
in Green Bay, alone, there are to be seen 
many evidences of his skill, such as the 
" Kellogg House," the Orphan Asylum, 
the "Albright House," the Pierce resi- 
dence and many others, besides the Court 
House for Ontonagon county, Mich. He 
also owns three lots in Green Bay, and 
has built thereon two residences. In ad- 
dition to his other interests, he carries on 
a cabinet shop, doing desk and fine cabi- 



net work of all kinds, chiefly expert 
work. 

On November 11, 1851, Mr. Newell 
was married in Winneconne, Winnebago 
Co., Wis , to Miss Isabella Hall, daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Isabella Hall, all na- 
tives of Canada, whence they came to 
Wisconsin in 1849. One child, a daugh- 
ter, Imogene, was the result of this union, 
born October 11, 1854, died No^\ember 
7, 1855. On February 26, 1858, Mr. 
Newell was married in Door county, 
Wis., to Miss Mary Howlett, a school 
teacher of Sturgeon Bay, daughter of 
James and Alice (Finch) Howlett, all na- 
tives of England, who about the year 1848 
came to Wisconsin, settling on a farm in 
Fond du Lac county, where the mother 
died, the father subsequently remo\ing 
into the town of \\'aupaca, where he died 
in 1888. In his political preferences Mr. 
Newell is a Republican, a zealous sup- 
porter of the principles of the part}'. He 
and his amiable life partner enjo\' the 
highest esteem on the part of their many 
friends, and they are useful members of 
society. 



REV. CHRISTIAN ANTON 
FREDERICK POPP. Among 
the pioneer ministers of Wiscon- 
sin, who faithfully represented the 
German Lutheran Church, we must men- 
tion Rev. Popp, who was born August 5, 
1825, in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany. 

He comes from an old German family 
who, in the time of the Duchess of Bran- 
denburg, resided in Bayreuth, Anspach, 
which was the home of his ancestors for 
many generations. A great many of the 
progenitors of Rev. Popp were teachers. 
His grandfather, Stephen Popp, was a 
soldier in Germany, and musical director 
of the regimental band. In June, 1777, 
he and three thousand fellow soldiers 
were sold by the Markgrave Casimir of 
Brandenburg, and when preparations were 
made to ship them to America the regi- 
ment rose in mutiny, at Marktbreit-on- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



449 



the-Main. Markgrave Casimir, however, 
had received an enormous sum for the 
use of the troops, and he was bound to 
fulfill his contract. He surrounded the 
regiment with his body-guard, disarmed 
the soldiers and put them in chains, nine 
of the leaders being hanged. This inhu- 
man act was witnessed by the remaining 
soldiers of the regiment, who were then 
taken to boats and shipped to Rotterdam, 
Holland, where English frigates were in 
readiness to receive them and bear them to 
America, to swell the army of Lord Corn- 
wallis. Stephen Popp participated in the 
Revolutionary war, and was taken pris- 
oner at Yorktown. After peace was de- 
clared he settled in York, Penn., where 
he married the daughter of a German 
farmer by the name of Baumann, and by 
.her had six children, all of whom they 
lost by death. After the war he turned 
his musical talents to account, and, be- 
coming quite a prosperous man, in course 
of time set out to return to Germany 
with a small fortune, but the ship in 
which he took passage was lost together 
with all his valuables, he and his wife 
barely escaping with their lives; and thus 
they reached their home, poor in worldly 
possessions, but rich in faith in God. 
Soon after they settled in Neustadt-on- 
the-Aesch, where a son, Johann George, 
was born November 27, 1796. Thus, 
after many adventures and much tribula- 
tion, a life as varied as a romance, a 
blessing in the birth of a son came to 
them in the evening of life. The mother, 
however, gave up her life in giving birth 
to the son. The father of this child was 
afflicted with blindness during the last 
twenty years of his life, and died in 
Neustadt in 1821, at the age of sixty-two. 
The son, Johann George Popp, was 
educated in Neustadt, and become a 
teacher in the public schools in Bayreuth, 
where he taught about twenty-five years. 
He died. May 28, 1845, of grief at the 
loss of his beloved wife, Johanna Kather- 
ine (Kroher), whose death occurred Jan- 
uary 22, 1838; she was born April 27, 



1804. The couple were much devoted to 
one another, and lived an ideal married 
life. The marriage was blessed with six 
children, viz: Christian Anton Frederick 
Popp (our subject); a brother, now super- 
intendent of the Lutheran church at 
Wiesenbroun, Germany; Henrietta, who 
died of croup at the age of four years; 
Franz, deceased, who was procurist (con- 
fidential clerk) in the Rothschild Bank at 
Vienna; Carl, who became a wanderer, 
led an adventurous life, and fought with 
Kossuth in the Turkish service against 
Russia (after peace was declared, he went 
to England, where he married a banker's 
daughter in Birmingham; he served a 
number of years as Imperial German 
Consul); andElenore, married to a teacher 
named Lindner. 

Rev. C. A. F. Popp studied first in 
Bayreuth, and later in the University of 
Erlangen, where he made a specialty of 
theology from 1841 to 1845. He after- 
ward became a private teacher in the 
family of Baron Reinhardt, of Bavaria, 
in which capacity he served for a year 
and a half, at the end of which time he 
received a call from the Consistory to the 
ministry, which he obeyed. He was or- 
dained May 5, 1848, and took charge as 
administrator of the church Parochy at 
Marktbenten, at the end of one year be- 
coming assistant pastor at Mistlegau, 
near Bayreuth. Later in the year 1849, 
he emigrated to America (where many of 
his friends and fellow students had pre- 
ceded him), taking with him letters of 
recommendation to the Lutheran Synod 
of Pennsylvania, of which he became a 
member, his membership continuing from 
1850 to i860, during which time he had 
charge of the Lutheran Church at Bir- 
mingham, Penn. In 1855 he moved to 
Quincy, 111., where he preached six years, 
and then went to Warsaw, 111., remain- 
ing six years as pastor of a Lutheran 
Church of that place, and his next pas- 
torage was in Bethlehem, III, where he 
served two years. As a means of build- 
ing up his health which, by reason of his 



450 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



many years hard work liad become im- 
paired, he in 1868 left Bethlehem for 
Oshkosh, Wis., and in 1870 removed to 
Kenosha. In 1881 he took up his abode 
in Wrightstown, where he assumed charge 
of the Lutheran Church. He has be- 
come well known as an earnest and valu- 
able worker, both in the Church and in 
the parochial schools, which latter, under 
his supervision, are scattered over four 
townships and thirteen school districts, 
and are limited to children from thirteen 
to si.\teen years of aj,'e. He is held in 
high esteem bj" his people, who value him 
as a friend, and wherever he has been he 
is remembered as a pastor who has the 
welfare of his parishioners at heart. He 
is a preacher of the old school, and has 
the mien of a patriarch, his influence over 
the people of his congregation being 
abundantly felt throughout life. Rev. 
Popp was married in Mistlegau, Germany, 
June 16, 1849, to Miss Emeline Wilhcl- 
niina Christiana Hagen, who was born 
May 18, 1830, in Neudrossenfeld, daugh- 
ter of Rev. Christian Hagen, a Lutheran 
minister, and fourteen children were born 
to this union, of whom the following are 
now living: Anna Margaretha, Franz 
Johannes, Sophia Maria E., Fred Peter 
August, Godfrey George Ludwig, Rosa- 
linda F. J. A. and Carl Jacob F. A. Of 
these, 

GonFRKV G. L. Popr was born May 
28, 186S, in Bethlehem, 111., was edu- 
cated in Kenosha and W'rightstown, stud- 
ied pharmacy at Racine and Baraboo, 
Wis. , and in September, 1 890, received a 
license from the State of Wisconsin. He 
opened a drug store in Wrightstown in 
the fall of 1889, and has continued in 
same ever since with eminent success. 
He was married November 20, 1890, to 
Miss Emma Rather, a native of W'rights- 
town, daughter of Albert Rather, a hard- 
ware merchant. Two children have 
blessed this union, Viola Caroline E. and 
Ida Nellie. Mr. and Mrs. Popp are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church; politically he 
is identified with the Democratic party. 



CAPTAIN H. W. WEBSTER, ply- 
ing on the lakes between Green 
Bay and Chicago and intervening 
ports, was born in De Pere, Wis., 
in 1847, and is a son of Levi and Mary 
P. (Smith) Webster. 

Levi Webster was a native of Ver- 
mont, and in 1833 or 1834 came to Wis- 
consin, locating in Green Bay, and then 
settled at De Pere, and assisted in putting 
in the locks. He later purchased and 
moved to a farm near the city, and made 
it his home till his death, which occurred 
in October, 1862, being followed by his 
wife in February, 1863; both were mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church at De- 
Pere, of which she was a charter member. 
They reared a family of four sons, viz. : 
Lewis B., who resides in Rutland, Vt., 
was a three-years' volunteer in the Fifty- 
eighth 111. V. I., but was discharged on 
account of disability in 1862, probably 
within a year after enlisting; he is now 
employed at the Howe Scale Works. 
Levi H., the second son, enlisted in the 
Twentieth Wis. V. I. for three years; 
took part in the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
ing, and in the fights on the Gulf; he is 
now a farmer in Minnesota. Edgar E. , 
the third son, served his full three years, 
in the Civil war, in the Fourteenth Wis- 
consin Infantry. 

Capt. H. W. Webster, the fourth son, 
was reared on his father's farm, and edu- 
cated in Lawrence township, Brown 
county. In 1869 he entered on his lake 
life as a fireman on a steamer, and in 1871 
reached a captaincy. He was married, 
at Green Bay, to Miss Sarah N. Lewis, a 
native of Montello, Marquette Co., Wis., 
and a daughter of Thomas and Asenath 
(Buck) Lewis, natives of Ohio. This 
union has been blessed with one child, 
Herbert Lewis Webster. Mr. and Mrs. 
Webster are conscientious members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church ; in poli- 
tics the Captain is a Prohibitionist; social- 
ly he is a member of the Royal Arcanum, 
Lodge No. 546. Grandfather Smith was 
a native of Vermont, and one of the pio- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



451 



neers of Green Bay. Of Green Bay the 
Captain has witnessed much of the re- 
markable development, as well as of the 
complete growth of Lawrence township. 
His temperate and upright life has won 
for him many sincere friends, as well as 
the respect of his fellow citizens of Brown 
county. 



CHARLES L. DAVIS, farmer and 
stock raiser, and one of the pro- 
gressive, public-spirited citizens 
of Lawrence township. Brown 
county, was born July 25, 1848, in the 
town of Rovalton, Niagara count}-, New 
York. 

His father, E. B. Davis, was a native 
of Schenectady county, N. Y., where he 
married Polly Schadd, and while living in 
New York thev had children as follows: 
John, a member of Company I, Third 
Wisconsin Cavalr\-, who died at Madison, 
Wis.; George, who died in Elyria, Ohio; 
and Charles L. , whose name introduces 
this sketch. Mr. Davis was a farmer in 
New York State, and, in 1849, he removed 
to Lorain county, Ohio, and purchased a 
farm in Carlisle township, where he con- 
tinued to follow agricultural pursuits, and 
here he also dealt extensively in lumber, 
principall}- the purchasing of staves for a 
Buffalo firm. In Lorain county was born 
another child, Jane C, who married 
Bruce Lindsle}', and died in Flintville, 
Brown Co., Wis. Mrs. Polly Davis died 
in Lorain county January 17, 1857, and 
was buried in Elyria, same county, and 
Mr. Davis then married Miss Susan Oak- 
ley, who died in Lorain county July 11, 
1858. In 1859 he wedded, in Lockport, 
N. Y., for his third wife. Miss Mary Bar- 
rett. In i860, the lumber business hav- 
ing gradually declined with the clearing 
away of the forests, Mr. Davis concluded 
to remove farther west, and brought his 
family to Brown county, Wis. , traveling 
by rail to Oshkosh, and from there by 
stage to Wrightstown, Brown county, 
where they located. Mr. Davis again 



engaged in the stave business, buying 
timber from farmers, and he put consid- 
erable money into circulation here, as his 
trade was an extensive one. He invested 
in a large amount of land in Brown county, 
and pre-empted over three hundred 
acres of government land. He was a 
well-built man, of splendid physique, and 
was well-known and highly respected in 
his community. At the time of his 
death, which occurred March 11, 1878, 
he was comfortably situated. In his polit- 
ical belief he was a Democrat, and a 
stanch supporter of the party, but was 
not an active politician. He lies buried 
in Wrightstown cemetery. 

Charles L. Davis received his first 
school training in Carlisle township, Lo- 
rain Co., Ohio. After the death of his 
mother he returned to Niagara county, 
N. Y. , and for two years made his home 
with his grandfather, then, in i860, com- 
ing to Wisconsin. In October, 1864, 
then but little over sixteen years of age, 
he enlisted, at Green Bay, Wis., in Com- 
pany H, Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry, 
was sent South, and, joining the regiment 
at Marietta, Ga. , participated in the en- 
tire campaign through the Carolinas. He 
took part in the Grand Review at Wash- 
ington, D. C, was mustered out at 
Louisville, Ky. , and received an honorable 
discharge at Madison, Wis. When he 
first came to W'isconsin, the schools were 
very poor, and he did not attend much, 
as he assisted his father in the latter's 
extensive lumber business, becoming 
familiar with the details of same when 
j'et a mere boy. After the war he be- 
came partner with his father in the 
business, and continued to hold an inter- 
est in same until 1879. 

On April 9, 1877, at Wrightstown, 
Wis. , by Rev. Father De Wilt, Mr. Davis 
was united in marriage to Miss Ellen 
Sullivan, who was born January 22, 1857, 
in Winchendon, Worcester Co., Mass., 
eldest child of John and Ellen (Harris) 
Sullivan. For five years previous to her 
marriage, she followed the profession of 



» 
452 



COMyrEMOIiATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



school teaching, in the meantime having 
her residence in Lawrence. In 1882 Mr. 
Davis purchased his present farm, in 
Lawrence township, and moved thereon, 
at the same time severing completely his 
connection with the lumber business. 
Since that time he has been exclusively 
engaged in general farming and stock 
raising, and he now has a fertile, well- 
improved farm of ninety-nine acres. In 
politics he is one of the leaders of the 
Democratic party in his section, and for 
three years has been chairman of the 
Democratic committee. He is always 
among the foremost men in the township 
in any enterprise tending to benefit the 
community in general. To him and his 
wife have come children as follows: Jen- 
nie E., born August 2, 1879; Mamie L. , 
born February 4, 1881, died February 7, 

1882; John E., born June 18, 1882; Har- 
riet C, born May 24, 1886, died May 7, 

1887; and Charles F., born April i, 1889. 



OJ. B. BKICE. The Kingdom of 
Belgium has given to the United 
States man}- of her industrious, 
loyal and prosperous citizens, 
among whom may be justly numbered the 
gentleman whose name here appears — a 
name in northern Wisconsin as "familiar 
as household words." 

Mr. Brice has the distinguished honor 
of representing his native land as consul 
for Wisconsin, Minnesota and the two 
Dakotas, his appointment, over the sign- 
manual of the King of the Belgians, dating 
June 16, 1880, the United States being 
at the time under the administration of 
Gen. K. B. Hayes. In addition to his 
consular duties Mr. Brice carries on exten- 
sive real-estate and insurance businesses, 
and is ticket agent for Ocean steamship 
lines. He was born April 6, 1837, in the 
city of Jodoigne, Province of Brabant, 
Belgium, a son of John Louis and Mary 
J. (Straele) Brice, also of Belgian nativ- 
ity. They had a family of nine children, 



of whom five died in infancy, and the 
others (four brothers) came to Brown 
county. Wis., viz.: Joseph, who settled 
in the town of Scott, Brown county, in 
1856; Louis and Albert, both house and 
sign painters, and residing in Green Bay; 
and our subject. The father died in Bel- 
gium in 1849; the mother came to Green 
Bay in 1859, and died here in 1861. 

The subject proper of this memoir was 
reared and educated in his native country 
up to the age of eighteen years, at which 
time, in the spring of 1855, he immi- 
grated to the United States, locating at 
first in Milwaukee, where he worked at 
the trade of house and sign painter (which 
he had learned in Belgium). In the fall 
of the same year, he moved to West Troy, 
Walworth Co., Wis., where he worked as 
wagon and carriage painter, and whence, 
in the early part of 1856, he moved to 
Green Bay. His first work, after arriv- 
ing at Green Bay, was on a farm in the 
town of Green Bay, in said county, but 
at the end of nine months he aban- 
doned the plough (the a.xe and hoe, 
rather) for the counter, engaging as 
clerk in a grocery and provision store in 
Green Bay. For some years thereafter 
he followed his trade of house and sign 
painter. In 1863 he was appointed dep- 
uty sheriff under George Longton; in 1868 
he was elected sheriff, and served in that 
capacity till 1871. In 1871-72 he was 
jailer, and in the fall of 1872 he engaged 
in mercantile business, but on account of 
ill-health sold out the same in 1874. In 
1875 he was elected chief of police. In 
1877 he was elected justice of the peace 
for the term of two 3'ears; in 1879 he 
was elected police justice, ser\'ing two 
years, at the end of which time he was 
again elected police justice, and again in 
1883, an incumbency he filled up to the 
spring of 1885. The capabilities of Mr. 
Brice were now further substantially rec- 
ognized by his election to the office of 
citj' clerk, in which he served two years, 
and was immediately re-elected to his old 
position of police justice, holding same 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



453 



this time for four years, or up to the spring 
of 1893. 

In 1857 Mr. Brice was united in mar- 
riage in Green Bay with Miss Odile Fon- 
taine, a native of Belgium, daughter of 
John Remy and EHzabeth Fontaine, who 
came to Brown county in 1855, where 
they died. To Mr. and Mrs. Brice were 
born four children, of whom one died in 
infancy; the following is a brief record of 
the other three: Jules R. is married, 
and is a stenographer and typewriter in 
the general freight offices of the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad at Chi- 
cago; Alfred L. , married, is an attorney- 
at-law'in Minneapolis, Minn.; Ella D. is 
the wife of Louis Schimel, of Chicago, 
111. The mother of these died in 1876, 
and in 1879 Mr. Brice married Miss Mary 
Rebecca Gray, a Philadelphia lady. They 
attend the services of the Presbyterian 
Church, in the choir of which Mr. Brice's 
fine bass voice is heard each Sabbath of 
the year. Socially he is a member and 
past chancellor of Pochequette Lodge No. 
26, Knights of Pythias; politically he is a 
pronounced Republican. 



H PORTER CAMPBELL, the well- 
known nurseryman, and the pres- 
ent city treasurer of Green Bay, 
was born in Scott township. Bay 
Settlement, Brown county, Wis., in 1840, 
and is the son of John and Elizabeth 
(Davenport) Campbell. 

John Campbell, the father, was born 
and reared in Scotland, whence when a 
young man he emigrated to America, lo- 
cating at Mackinac, Mich., later coming 
to Brown county. Wis., where he settled 
on a farm. About the year 1842 he re- 
ceived the appointment of government 
blacksmith at Grande Traverse, remain- 
ing there about nineteen years, and then 
returning to Brown county, where his 
death occurred in July, 1864, his wife 
surviving him until 1871. They were the 
parents of eleven children, as follows: 
Hiram, drowned at Green Bay; Robert, 



died on the old homestead in Scott town- 
ship in 1S69; John, still living at Bay 
Settlement, Wis. ; Samuel, died in Michi- 
gan; Sylvester, died at the age of seven; 
William, who enlisted, in 1864, in the 
Thirteenth Wis. V. I., and died in a hos- 
pital in Te.xas; Hannah, died in Michigan; 
Elizabeth and an infant unnamed, also 
died in Michigan; Henry, of Two Rivers, 
Wis., and H. Porter, the subject of this 
sketch. 

H. Porter Campbell was reared among 
the Indians at Grande Traverse, and 
learned the language of the Ottawa tribe, 
living with them when there was only one 
other white family among them, until 
1845. In i860 he returned to Scott 
township. Brown county, and settled on 
a farm. In August, 1864, he enlisted in 
Company B, Forty-fourth Wis. V. I., and 
was assigned to the Western army. He 
took part in the battle of Nashville, Tenn. , 
and was then placed on garrison duty at 
Paducah, Ky. ; served as acting sergeant 
until July 4, 1865, when he was promoted 
to orderly sergeant and was honorably 
discharged at Paducah in September of 
the same }'ear. Returning home, he re- 
sumed farming, which he followed until 
1880, when he removed to Green Bay 
and engaged in the dairy business; later 
opened a restaurant, and finally engaged 
in handling nursery stock. 

Mr. Campbell was married in 1866, in 
Winnebago county. Wis., to Miss Eliza- 
beth Townsend, a native of that county, 
and a daughter of Lucius B. and Lucy 
(Bowker) Townsend, who came from Ver- 
mont to Racine, Wis., at an early day, 
and in 1846 to Winnebago county. The 
father was a farmer, and 1867 removed 
to Minnesota, then came to Bay Settle- 
ment, Brown county. Wis., but again 
went to Minnesota, and there died in 
1892; the mother passed away in Winne- 
bago county. Wis., in 1874. To the mar- 
riage of H. P. Campbell and wife have 
been born eight children, viz. : Lucius 
T., of Fort Howard; Maud, living in 
Green Bay; John, of Chicago; Nora, who 



454 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



died in infancy; Samuel, in Chicago; 
Frank, in Green Bay; Charles, died at 
the ape of one year, and Harry, attend- 
ing school. In politics Mr. Campbell is 
a Republican; while on his farm he was 
school district clerk in 1878; was also 
elected chairman of the town of Scott, 
and in the spring of 1894 was elected to 
his 'present position of city treasurer of 
Green Bay. Fraternally, he is a mem- 
ber of F. b. Howe Post No. 1 24, G. A. 
R., being its adjutant. 



FJ. B. DUCHATEAU. This gen- 
tleman, who is one of the most 
enterprising business men of 
Green Bay, is a native of that 
city, born, in 1867, of French and Belgian 
ancestry. 

His father, Abelard Duchateau, by 
birth a typical son of " La Belle France," 
came to the United States in 1856, and 
for some years was engaged in the wine 
and liquor trade as a traveling salesman. 
About 1867 he came to Green Bay, and 
at Shoemaker's Point established a grocery 
and trading business, which he carried on 
until 1870, when he opened in Green Baj' 
a wholesale liquor concern. In 1874 he 
and his brother, L. A. K. Duchateau, 
built a commodious business block, two 
stories high with basement. In 1888 
the father died, and his widow and son, 
F. J. B., have since conducted the busi- 
ness. Abelard Duchateau was married 
in Green Bay to Miss Felicite Delwiche, 
a lady of Belgian birth, and five children 
have blessed their union, viz.: Heloise, 
wife of W. E. Duncan, of Westboro, 
Wis. ; Arthur H. ; Lizzie, wife of C. D. 
Brower, of Milwaukee, Wis.; F. J. B.. 
subject of sketch; and Rose, wife of 
William Hope, with her mother, who is 
still living in Green Bay. 

The subject of this sketch was reared 
and educated in his native town, and was 
brought up to the business he is engaged 
in. In 1890 he was married in Green 
Bay to Miss Mar}' Beaupre, who was born 



in that city, a daughter of Dr. William 
Beaupre, who now resides at Merrill, 
Wis. To this union were born two chil- 
dren, one of whom, Olive Felicite, is liv- 
ing. The mother of these died in 1892, 
and in 1893 .Mr. Duchateau wedded Mrs. 
Julia (Lucas) O'Leary, daughter of Abe 
Lucas, an early settler of Green- Bay. 
In politics our subject is a Republican; 
has served as a member of the council 
two years, and has been elected for two 
more terms. He is associated with the 
K. of P., \'igilant Lodge No. 120, Kewau- 
nee, Wiscon.-^in. 



M 



J. McCORMICK,agent at Green 
Hay for the Lackawanna and the 
Goodrich Transportation lines, 
is a natixe of Brown coimt)', 
\\'is., born in 1 854. 

His parents, John and Mar}- (Earley) 
McCormick. who were born in Ireland, 
came in 1850 to the United States, hrst 
locating in New Jersey, but in 1852 moved 
to Wisconsin and settled in Suamico 
township. Brown county, where they 
hewed a farm out of the wilderness. 
John McCormick died in 1865 on the 
home place, and his widow now resides 
in Green Ba\'. They had born to their 
marriage three children, viz. : Sarah, 
Amelia and M. J., the two sisters now 
making their home with our subject. 

M. J. McCormick was reared in his 
native township until 1870, when he came 
to live in Green Hay. The two years of 
1872 and 1873, however, he passed in 
Escanaba, in the employ of Day & Mc- 
Kenna, a grocery firm, and at the close 
of 1873 returned to Green Bay, where he 
became bookkeeper for the Monitor Iron 
Works, of Fort Howard; later was book- 
keeper with Pres. N. C. Foster, in a lum- 
ber yard until 1876, when he engaged in 
the grain and feed business, which in 
1885 he relinquished. In 1878 he be- 
came the agent for the Goodrich Trans- 
portation Co., and in 1886 the agent for 
the Lackawanna Co. In the winter of 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPSICAL RECORD. 



455' 



1892 he erected the large warehouse, 
84 X 140 feet, at the foot of Pine street, 
and here he conducts his present business. 
Since 1885 he has also been agent for the 
Northwestern Fuel Company. 

In politics Mr. McCormick is a Demo- 
crat, in religion he is a Catholic. He is 
secretary of the Business Men's Associa- 
tion, and has always been alive to and 
identified with the promotion of the best 
interests of Green Bay, of which he has 
so long been a resident, and in which he 
has seen so many changes for the better. 



P.\TRicK Mccormick, of the 
firm of McCormick & Flatley, 
dealers in hay, oats, wood and 
coal. Green Bay, was born April 3, 
1848, in Ireland, and is a son of John and 
Ann (Dunn) McCormick, who came to 
America about 185 1, and located in Fond 
du Lac county. Wis. , where they opened 
up a farm in the woods, on which the 
father still resides, and where the mother 
died in 1863. They reared a family of 
eight children, of whom the following six 
still survive: Patrick, whose name opens 
this sketch; Thomas, of Oregon, Wis.; 
William, of Wausau, Wis. ; Bridget, wife 
of John Mullin, of Fond du Lac county; 
Anna, now Mrs. McCuUen, of the same 
county, and Jane, married to Milton Kerr, 
of St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Patrick McCormick was reared in 
Fond du Lac county until sixteen years 
old, at which early age he enlisted, in 
May, 1864, at Madison, Wis., in Com- 
pany K, Thirty-seventh Wis. V. I., for 
three years or during the war. He was 
assigned to the army of Virginia, first met 
the enemy at the battle of Mine Run, 
and from that time on was with his regi- 
ment in all its marches and engagements 
until the close of the war; after passing 
through the Grand Review at Washing- 
ton, D. C, May 23-24, 1865, he was 
honorably discharged at Madison, Wis. , 
in September, 1865, and returned to 
Fond du Lac county. In 1867 he came 



to Green Bay and worked for P. Flatley, 
for four years. His marriage took place 
in Green Bay, in 1872, to Mary Harram, 
a native of Liverpool, England, and 
daughter of John and Sarah (Flatley) 
Harram, natives of Ireland and pioneers 
of Green Bay. To this union have been 
born eleven children, viz: John, William 
(clerk in the Citizens Bank), Mary, Anna, 
Sadie, Edward, Thomas, Jennie, James, 
Charley and Rosaline. Mr. McCormick 
started his present business in 1886 — first 
in Paul Fox's block, Washington street, 
Green Bay; in 1890 he bought the 
George Cook dock, and in 1891 built an 
elevator with a capacity of i 5,000 bushels, 
besides several .storage sheds, and has 
been successful from the start. Mr. and 
Mrs. McCormick are devout members 
of the Catholic Church. In his politics 
he is independent, and gives his vote to 
the best men and for the best measures, 
as his judgment may dictate. He was 
one of the promoters of the Brown 
County Fair & Park Association, and is 
one of the board of directors. 



CAPT. GEORGE A. GAYLORD, 
keeper of the Tail Point Light- 
house, distant some seven miles 
from Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a 
shrewd, careful, weather-beaten, life-long 
sea-faring man, having commenced sail- 
ing the lakes in boyhood. 

He. is a native of Ohio, born in Dela- 
ware county in 1826, a son of Eleazer 
and Anna (Earl) Gaylord, the mother 
born in Clinton county, N. Y. , but reared 
in Ohio. The father was born, in 1790, 
in Luzerne county, Penn., a son of 
Eleazer Gaylord, of Connecticut birth, 
who came to Pennsylvania, and in 1800 
moved to Delaware county, Ohio, where 
he passed the rest of his days. Our sub- 
ject's father was by trade a miller, which 
he followed in Delaware county, in later 
life moving to Sandusky, Erie county, 
where he died in 1890, his wife in 18S7. 
They had a family of seven children. 



456 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



namely: George A., subject of sketch; 
Earl, a resident of Livingston county, 
111. (he was a sailor, spending four years 
of his life at sea); William, drowned at 
the age of three years; James, who died 
in Delaware county, Ohio, when six 
years old; Edwin; William, a physician 
and surgeon, and Catherine, wife of Solon 
Stanley, all three residents of Sandusky, 
Ohio. 

The subject of these lines was reared 
and educated in Delaware county, Ohio, 
and at the age of sixteen years commenced 
the life of a sailor, making his first trips 
between Sandusky and Buffalo. By close 
application to his duties, and rapidly 
making himself acquainted with the 
science of navigation, he found speedy 
promotion through the various grades up 
to captain in 1852, from which time for- 
ward he had command of vessels till re- 
tiring from the vocation. In 1866 he 
brought his family to Green Bay, between 
which port and Buffalo he had captained 
the steamer " Rocket" since 1862. In 
1878 he made his last trip, retiring into 
private life after a successful career of 
thirty-five years on the lakes. In the 
spring of 1 880 he was appointed to his 
present position, in which, it is almost un- 
necessary to say, he exercises the same 
care and vigilance as he did while a 
mariner, whose motto might well be 
"eternal vigilance is the price of safety." 

In 1855 Capt. Gaylord was married 
to Miss Deborah Landsdowne, who was 
born in Sandusky, Ohio, a daughter of 
Samuel Landsdowne, a native of En- 
gland, who with his wife Rachel emi- 
grated to this countrj-, settling in 
Sandusky, Ohio, where they died. To 
our subject and wife were born four chil- 
dren, viz. : George, single, in the cattle 
business at Folsom, N. Mcx. ; Catherine, 
a teacher in the public schools of Green 
Baj'; Marion, at home with her parents; 
and Edith, who died at the age of twenty- 
three years. In his political preferences 
Capt. Gaylord is a standi Republican; 
socially he is a member of Washington 



Lodge No. 21, F. & A. M., and of War- 
ren Chapter No. 50; he received his 
initiation in Science Lodge No. 30, San- 
dusky. During the thirty-two years from 
the first day he set foot in Green Bay he 
has seen some marvelous changes in the 
place, and has been identified with it as 
an honored, upright citizen, well-known 
and highly respected. 



WILLIAM PERRY WAGNER. 
This well-known gentleman, the 
popular and esteemed cashier 
of the Citizens National Bank 
of Green Ba)', by virtue of his prominent 
position in the commercial as well as 
social world of northern Wisconsin, is de- 
serving of more than a passing notice in 
the pages of this \olume. 

He was born March 5, 1859, in Mount 
Morris, Ogle Co., 111., a son of Reuben 
and Leah (Brubakcr) Wagner, natives 
respecti\ely of ^^'ashington county, Md. , 
and Huntington county, Penn., and de- 
scendants of the earl}' German settlers of 
those States. Reuben Wagner is at pres- 
ent in the stock business in Chicago, a 
member of the firm of Wagner Bros. & 
Co. The mother of our subject died in 
Ogle county. 111., in 1876, aged forty- 
three years. 

William P. Wagner received his edu- 
cation at the schools of Polo, Ogle Co., 
111., and having completed his studies, it 
became necessary for him to select a pro- 
fession, or to decide what occupation he 
would pursue in future life. He was suc- 
cessful in securing employment in the 
Exchange National Bank of Polo, and 
from that time pursued the even tenor of 
his way, confidently anticipating the ar- 
rival of the turning point which always 
attends the promotion due to industry 
and integrity. In this and other banking 
institutions in that county he remained 
until 1886, when he went to Chicago, and 
for a short time was employed in the pri- 
vate bank of S. A. Kean & Co., of that 
city. In the summer of the same year, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



457 



his services being sought by R. B. Kel- 
logg, he came to Green Bay, and for the 
following two years was employed in the 
Kellogg National Bank, at the end of 
which time he organized the Citizens 
National Bank of Green Bay with a capi- 
tal of $100,000. That this institution 
has proven a financial success goes with- 
out saying, and the deposit accounts now 
average from $350,000 to $500,000, rep- 
resenting about half of the business de- 
posits of the city. A dividend of six per 
cent, was declared in 1890, and seven per 
cent, annual dividends have been de- 
clared each year since then, besides accu- 
mulating a surplus of over $20, 000, which 
in itself speaks more than well of the 
financial management of the concern. 

In January, 1881, Mr. Wagner was 
married to Miss Emma Whitcomb, of 
Minneapolis, who died in December of 
the same year in Ogle county. 111., leav- 
ing an infant son, named Paul W. On 
October 17, 18S8, Mr. Wagner, for his 
second wife, was married in Polo, 111., to 
Miss Anna Shumwaj', a daughter of R. G. 
Shumwa}', a banker at that place, and to 
this union have come two children: Perry, 
born April 5, 1890, and Eugenia, born 
August 9, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner 
are members of the Presbyterian Church, 
and of the choir. In social organizations 
he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. 
Still young, and with all the buoyancy of 
)'outh, a host of friends and deserved 
prosperity, he is certainly a man to be 
contented — and to be envied. Politically 
he is a Republican. 



M 



AGNUS JOHNSON. The 
Scandinavian peninsula has sent 
thousands of its sons and 
daughters to the United States, 
where they have become substantial, 
thrifty and public-spirited citizens. The 
gentleman for whom this sketch has been 
prepared was born in 1837 in Gotten- 
borg, Sweden, being one of a family of 
four children reared by Johan Magnuson 



and Angeline (Nelson), both natives of 
the same country. The father died in 
1868, the mother in 1872. Of their chil- 
dren, Andrew yet resides in Sweden; John 
lives in Colorado, and Loue in Minne- 
sota. 

Magnus Johnson was educated in the 
schools of his native country, relying up- 
on his own efforts to store his mind with 
practical knowledge, of usefulness to a 
man battling with the grave problems of 
life. He early learned the trade of ship 
carpenter, and was so proficient as to be 
made foreman at the age of nineteen. 
For twelve years he sailed the Atlantic, 
between Sweden and the West Indies, 
the Cape of Good Hope, Brazil and the 
principal European ports, his knowledge 
of ship carpentry more than once being 
the means of saving his vessel. In 
1858 his fortunes were united with those 
of Miss Anna Helen Johnson, also of 
Swedish parentage and nativity. Her 
parents, John Bergenson and wife, lived 
and died among the scenes of their nativ- 
ity. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the par- 
ents of children as follows: Angeline, 
who died at Green Bay aged twenty 
years; Charlotte, residing in Green Bay; 
Maly, who married AUie Britton, and 
died in Green Bay when but nineteen 
years of age; John, a resident also of 
Green Bay; Tene, now Mrs. Williams, of 
Milwaukee; Henry, Laura and Jennie, at 
home; another child, named Charlotte, 
died young. 

In 1866 Mr. Johnson immigrated with 
his family to Green Bay, and for about 
sixteen years was employed at the blast 
furnace, working also for some years at 
his old trade of ship carpenter. For the 
past eight years he has been engaged in 
the line of contracting and building, and 
at the present time employs about twenty 
men. Many of the city's residences and 
business houses have been erected under 
his supervision. He holds the position of 
city plumber and inspector, and is super- 
visor of the Fourth ward, which he also 
represented one term in the city council. 



458 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In politics Mr. Johnson is a Kepnblican. 
Both he and his wife are members of 
Christ Church. He is a prominent Odd 
Fellow, having passed through the chairs 
of both the Subordinate Lodge and En- 
campment. For several years he has 
been chairman of the board of trustees of 
Green Bay Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., 
and has also served the local branch of 
the Royal Arcanum as a trustee. That 
such a man should be ranked among the 
stanch citizens of Green Bay is but just 
in the lit:ht of his honorable record. 



H.\. W OTTER, M. D. This 
gentleuian, one of the leading 
physicians and surgeons of north- 
ern \\'isconsin, is a native of the 
State, born August 21, 1855, in Green- 
ville township, Outagamie county. 

Frederick and Helen (Schaefer) Wot- 
ter, parents of our subject, natives of 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, immi- 
grated to the United States in 1855, set- 
ling on a farm in Greenville township, 
Outagamie Co., Wis. Here the father 
died in 1891; he was a Democrat in his 
political associations, and held various 
township oilfices. The mother is now a 
resident of Appleton, Wis. Their family 
numbered eight children, all residents of 
Appleton e.xcept the Doctor, as follows: 
B. C. is a dealer in farm machinery, 
hardware, etc. ; H. A. is the subject of 
this sketch; Frederick; Henry is a cigar 
manufacturer; Otto; Dora is the wife of 
J. L. Pringle: Lotta is the wife of Julius 
Waite, and Helen is the wife of George 
Hanchett. 

H. A. Wotter was reared on his fath- 
er's farm up to the age of sixteen, receiv- 
ing his earlier education at the common 
schools of the neighborhood, after which 
he attended the high school at Appleton. 
He then for a time taught school in Outa- 
gamie county, in the evenings reading 
medicine with Dr. Charles \'on Hiddeson, 
of Appleton, after which, in 1878, he en- 
tered Rush Medical College, Chicago, 



where he graduated in the class of '81. 
Dr. \\'otter commenced the practice of his 
profession in Fountain City, W'is. ; from 
there moved to Oconto, same State, thence 
in 1891 coming to Green Bay, where he 
has since been engaged in regular practice, 
meeting with the most gratifying success. 
In 1 884 he took a post-graduate course at 
the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
New York. 

Dr. Wotter is a member of the Fox 
River Medical Society ; socially he is 
affiliated with the I. O. O. F., and of the 
Iron Gate Council, Royal Arcanum. He 
is interested in the G. B. Hess Co. flour- 
ing-mill, built in 1893, having a capacity 
of 200 barrels per day, and he is recog- 
nized as a useful, wide-awake, loyal 
citizen. 



REV. WILLIAM FRANCIS VAN- 
ROOS.MALEN, pastor of St. Wil- 
librord's Catholic Church at Green 
Bay, is a native of Holland, born 
February 13, 1857, in 's Hertogenbosch, 
where his paternal ancestry had resided 
for many generations. 

The city of 's Hertogenbosch was 
built in 1 1 13, and the old house erected 
by the Duke of Brabant is still standing. 
As far back as 1600 mention is made in 
the Church records of the Van Roosmalen 
family, who were then residents of that 
city; they were descendants of a noble 
house, and held offices of trust in 's 
Hertogenbosch. Christianus Van Roos- 
malen, paternal great-grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch, was a merchant, 
as was also the grandfather, whose busi- 
ness is known to have been that of a 
grocer. James Van Roosmalen, son of 
the latter, and who still resides in Hol- 
land, is an architect and contractor, 
highly esteemed and beloved by many. 
He married Miss Adriana Van de Ven, 
who was born at Cromvoirt, Holland, 
and is still living, the mother of two chil- 
dren, William Francis four subject), and 
Mary fwife of Henry Kitzlaar). 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



459 



Belgium 
Oil finishing 



The subject proper of these Hnes at- 
tended the schools of his native town, 
later the gymnasium at Gemert, whence 
after two years he proceeded to Bruges, 
Belgium, where for four j'ears he read in 
the classical course; the main object of 
his going there, however, being to be- 
come more familiar with the French lan- 
guage, which the citizens of 
speak almost exclusively 
his course he returned to Holland, and 
from there, after a sojourn of ten months, 
emigrated to the United States with the 
view of preparing himself for the priest- 
hood in this country. Arriving in New 
York December i, 1881, he proceeded to 
Notre Dame, Ind. , where he studied 
philosophy under Rev. Father Fitt until 
June 16, 18S3, during which time he also 
acted as assistant professor of the Latin 
and French languages in the university. 
On September 7, 1883, he moved to Mil- 
waukee, and at St. Francis Theological 
Seminary completed his course in 
theology. On June 24, 1886, he was or- 
dained a priest by the late Archbishop 
Michael Heiss, and immediately after- 
ward was appointed pastor of the Holy 
Cross Church in Mishicot, Manitowoc 
Co., Wis., of which he had charge three 
years and five months. The congrega- 
tion being composed of Germans and 
French, and the children having no op- 
portunity to learn those languages, he 
found himself obliged to preach in three 
different languages — German, French and 
English. On P'ebruary 12, 1890, he was 
appointed, by Bishop Katzer, to his pres- 
ent charge of St. Willibrord's Church, 
Green Bay, where he has ever since been 
a faithful and earnest pastor, all his tem- 
poral as well as spiritual relations having 
been conducted in a meritorious manner. 
The old church was presided over by the 
Rev. Father Bongers, who laid the 
foundation stone of the new church 
building, the completion of which Bishop 
Katzer entrusted to Father Van Roos- 
malen. On May i, 1891, the first brick 
was laid, and the church was completed 



December 12, 1893; its dimensions are 
136x50 feet, the steeple being 240 feet 
high and containing one of the Howard 
clocks and bell weighing 4,000 pounds. 
The entire building will forever be a 
monument to Father Roosmalen's in- 
tegrity, and will speak of him when he is 
no longer numbered among the living. 
His people have come to understand his 
good intentions, and are aiding him in 
every way possible. His life is like a 
poem in its far-reaching benefits. He 
has a spmpathy for all afflictions and a 
kind and encouraging word for those who 
are downcast and careworn — in a word, 
he represents the true shepherd that 
guards well his tiock. 



DR. COLONEL ORMAN GAGE, 
who is successfully engaged in the 
practice of dentistry in Green Bay, 
is one of the natix'e sons of Wis- 
consin, having been born near Fond du 
Lac, June 11, 1861. 

The Gage family is one of English 
origin. The Doctor's father, Capt. 
Nathaniel Gage, who was a native of 
Rome, N. Y. , was one of a family of nine 
children. He there obtained his educa- 
tion, and afterward owned a packet and 
passenger boat on the Erie canal, con- 
tinuing his residence in the Empire State 
until 1840, when with his famil}' he emi- 
grated westward, taking up his residence 
in Dodge county. Wis. There he en- 
gaged in dealing in real estate, also buy- 
ing and selling fine horses. He became 
a well-known and prominent citizen of 
Dodge county, a leader in political circles, 
and was frequently called to positions of 
honor and trust, serving for many years 
as chairman of the board of supervisors 
and in various other offices. He was an 
active and earnest Republican, and dur- 
ing the Rebellion strongly supported all 
war measures; but on account of impaired 
health was unable to enter service in the 
field, so had to content himself with his 



460 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



labors at home in behalf of the army. He 
induced many to enter the service, acted 
as enrolHng master in Dodge county, and 
helped to raise the quota of troops. 
He became well and favorably known 
throughout this part of the State, and 
wherever he went won friends who held 
him in high regard. His death occurred 
in October, 1866. Capt. Gage was mar- 
ried in Utica, N. Y., to Miss Lodoska 
Rose, daughter of Elisha Rose, and she 
still survives her husband. In the family 
were twelve children, five of whom are 
yet living: Walter M., who is now a 
resident of California; Jasper D., a dental 
surgeon; Colonel Orman, subject of this 
sketch; Mrs. Hattie Jones, of Seattle, 
Wash. ; and Mrs. Nellie Gage, of De- 
Pere, Wisconsin. 

Dr. C. O. Gage, whose name opens 
this sketch, obtained his primary ed- 
ucation in the schools of his native 
city, later pursuing his studies in De- 
lavan. Wis. , and subsequently in the 
Episcopal Parish School of Fond du Lac. 
His first independent effort in life was in 
the line oi railroad work, he entering the 
employ of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- 
road Company; but his active mind soon 
tiring of this, he sought a wider field of 
usefulness. At the age of twenty he took 
up the study of medicine in the office of 
Dr. R. L. Moore, of Spring Valley, Minn., 
and after a year's preparation, went to 
Austin, Minn., where he began the study 
of dentistry in the office of Dr. H. A. 
Avery, a well-known dentist of that place. 
Having fitted himself for practice, he then 
opened an office in Waupun, Wis., in the 
spring of i<S83, and soon had all the busi- 
ness that he could well attend to, for his 
merit and abilit}' were recognized. Com- 
ing to Green Bay, he was alike successful 
in this place, in a very short period build- 
ing up a fine business. He is especially 
qualified to take up the constitutional 
treatment of his patients, and has been 
very successful in that line. The fine 
quality of his work is indicated by his 
constantly increasing patronage, and in 



the high reputation which he bears among 
his professional brethren. 

On the i6th of June. 1886, at Oak- 
field, Wis., Dr. Gage was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Hattie R. Smith, daugh- 
ter of L. S. Smith, and their union has 
been blessed with one child, Bessie Ruth. 
The Doctor and his wife are members of 
the First Presbyterian Church; fraternally 
he is connected with the Knights of P\th- 
ias, in politics, with the Republican party, 
the principles of which he warmly advo- 
cates. In social circles he and his wife 
hold an enviable position, and their home 
is noted for its hospitality. 



PJ. VAN DEUREN, engaged as a 
general merchant at Green Bay, 
\\'is. , was born in the Province of 
Brabant, Belgium, in 1850, a son 
of G. J. and Mary (Avant) Van Deuren, 
also natives of Belgium, who left that 
country in 1857, locating for a year in 
Bellevue township. Brown county, and 
then settled in Green Bay. 

Here the father followed his trade of 
tailoring until 1865, when he engaged in 
the clothing business in partnership with 
H. J. Bush until 1869, at which time the 
latter sold his interest to H. Watermolen, 
the style of the firm being changed to 
Van Deuren & Watermolen, the firm 
name so continuing until 1871, when Mr. 
Van Deuren bought the entire interest, 
and conducted the establishment under 
his exclusive name until 1880, in which 
3'ear his son, P. J. , was admitted to a part- 
nership. Van Deuren & Son carried on 
the business until January i, 1894, when 
the son assumed the entire charge, the 
father retiring in comfort. G. J. Van- 
Deuren was twice married, first time to 
Miss Mary Avant, by whom he had chil- 
dren as follows: Elizabeth, widow of 
Joseph Heyrman; P. J., our subject; 
Henry, city treasurer; John B., a cigar 
manufacturer, and August. The mother 
of these died in 1866, and in 1868 Mr. 
Van Deuren married Miss Caroline De- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



461 



Graff, a native of Belgium (daughter of 
Anton DeGraff), wtio came to Brown 
county, Wis., in 1852, and died some 
years ago. 

P. J. Van Deuren, who was but seven 
years of age when he came to America, 
received his education in Green Bay, and 
his first employment was one year at the 
tailoring business. He then carried a 
general stock of goods on Adams street, 
in 1873 erecting a two-story brick build- 
ing, 22 X 80 feet, which he carried on until 
he united in business with his father; in ad- 
dition to this he also carries on an insur- 
ance business. He was married in Green 
Bay in 1875, to Adeline Motto, a native 
of France, whose father was a pioneer of 
Brown county. Wis., and an early hard- 
ware merchant. The union of Mr. and 
Mrs. Van Deuren has been blessed with 
seven children, vi^. : W. L. , Caroline, 
Emma, Mary, Lizzie, Mark and Lenore. 
The family are devout members of St. 
Willibrord's Catholic Church, and their 
position in society is a most enviable one. 
In politics Mr. Van Deuren is a thorough- 
going Democrat, and has three times 
served as alderman from the Third ward; 
fraternally he is a member of the Modern 
Woodmen. He is one of the old-time 
business men of Green Bay, one worthy 
of being intrusted with the management 
of the city's public affairs 



EDWARD ENGELS, of the firm 
of Engels & Mohr, boot and shoe 
dealers of Green Bay, was born 
in the Province of Liege, Belgium, 
September 28, 1839, a son of John B. 
and Gertrude (Serron) Engels. 

John B. Engels, who was a tailor, 
brought his family to America in 1856, 
sailing from Antwerp, and after a voyage 
of forty-six days landed at Quebec, from 
which point they reached Green Bay, 
having in their possession only eighteen 
Belgian francs. In the fall of 1856 Mr. 
Engels purchased 120 acres in Humboldt 
township, Brown county, of which twenty 



acres were cleared, and began the manu- 
facture of shingles. Here the mother 
died April 26, 1878, and the husband in 

1887, having cleared sixty acres of the 
original one hundred and twenty, and 
left a well-improved farm to his heirs. 
The parents were pious Catholics, and 
contributed to the erection of four differ- 
ent church edifices in Brown county. 
They reared a family of seven children, 
viz.: Edward, subject of sketch; Peter, 
who was in the lumber business in Brown 
and Oconto counties, but went to Wash- 
ington in 1874; Henry, on the homestead 
in Humboldt township; William, proprie- 
tor of the " Champion Hotel," Green Bay; 
Rosa, who was married to a Mr. Koenen 
in Belgium, but became a widow and re- 
married, coming to the United States in 
1882, the wife of Gerhart Schuurmans, 
and now residing in Oconto county. Wis. ; 
Julius, still in Belgium, on the maternal 
homestead; and Nicholas, born in the 
town of Humboldt, in 1859, and now re- 
siding in Fort Howard, Wisconsin. 

Edward Engels was educated in Bel- 
gium, and on coming to Wisconsin assist- 
ed in clearing up the farm, etc., until 
1S67, and in cutting timber in Brown and 
Oconto counties. In 1867 he married, 
in Brown county, Mary V. Vincent, a 
native of Belgium and daughter of John 
B. and Anna (Bredaal) Vincent, who set- 
tled in Humboldt township. Brown 
county, in 1856, on a farm, but in 1869 
moved to Green Bay and engaged in the 
furniture business — owning two stores on 
Main street. His death occurred in 

1888. In 1867 Mr. Engels came to 
Green Bay, erected a brick building on 
Main street, carried on a grocery and 
saloon business until 1889, and then en- 
gaged in the boot and shoe trade on 
Washington street, in which he has be- 
come most popular and prosperous. In 
politics he is a stanch Democrat, and in 
1882 was a member of the city council; 
he was city weighmaster for five or six 
years, and in 1 890 was city treasurer. 

In 1885 Mr. Engels was deprived by 



462 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



death of his wife, who had borne him ten 
children, viz.: Jolin H. ; Henry; W'iUiam, 
a tailor of Ashland, Wis., of the firm of 
Welch & Engels; Louis, a clerk; Edward 
and August, attending school; Louis J., 
who died in 1874; Angeline, who died in 
1884; Rosa, who died in 1883; and Anna, 
who died in 1885 at the age of ten 
months. Mr. Engels is a member of St. 
Willibrord's Church, of which he was 
treasurer nine y^ars. He is a member of 
the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, and 
in 1894 a delegate to the State conven- 
tion of that Order; he is also a member 
of the St. Joseph Society. He is a self- 
made man, having begun business on a very 
small capital, but he has never ceased his 
contributions to the worthy public aid of 
Green Bay and Brown county. 



FRANK B. SEYMOUR, superin- 
tendent of the Green Bay, Winona 
& St. Paul, and the Kewaunee, 
Green Baj' & Western railroads, 
has a reputation second to none as a care- 
ful, painstaking and vigilant railroad of- 
ficial. He came to Green Bay in 1872, 
and was engaged as brakeman on the 
Green Bay & Lake Pepin railroad, first 
on freights, later on passenger trains, and 
from May, 1874, to August, 1878, as 
freight conductor. At the latter date he 
was promoted to passenger conductor, run- 
ning passenger trains till January 1 8, 1 887, 
when he was appointed assistant superin- 
tendent of the roads of which he has been 
superintendent since November i, 1890. 
Born in Jefferson county, N. Y. , in 
1856, Mr. Seymour is yet young, and has 
in all human probability the best and 
most important years of his life yet to 
come. He is a son of Gilbert and Mary 
(McDonald) Seymour, natives, the father 
of France, the mother of County Clare, 
Ireland. Gilbert Seymour immigrated to 
this country with his father, who was also 
of French birth, and about 1832 they 
located in Plattsburg, N. Y. , where grand- 
father Seymour died. Gilbert there mar- 



ried Miss Mary McDonald, and in the fall 
of 1863 they came to New London, Outa- 
gamie Co., Wis. In August, 1864, he 
joined Company A, Forty-second Regi- 
ment Wis. V. I., and after the close of 
the war worked at the carpenter trade 
until 1883, when the family moved to 
Green Bay to make their home with their 
son, Frank B. Here the father died 
July 23, 1892, and here the mother yet 
resides. They had a family of five child- 
ren, of whom the following is a brief 
record: Frederick is a clerk in a railroad 
freight ofBce at Ft. Howard; Frank B. is 
the subject of this sketch; William H. 
and Albert were both killed while in the 
employ of the Chicago & Northwestern 
railroad, William in December, 1879, at 
St. Peter, Minn., and Albert in August, 
1883, at Utica, Minn.; John J. is a pass- 
enger conductor on the Green Bay, Win- 
ona & St. Paul railroad, with residence 
at Ft. Howard. 

Frank B. Seymour, the subject proper 
of these lines, was about seven jears of 
age when the family moved to New Lon- 
don, and he here received his education. 
In May, 1S71, he commenced work, as a 
day laborer, grading on the Green Bay, 
Winona & St. Paul railroad, then laying 
iron, after which he was a brakeman on 
a construction train, e.\tra conductor on 
freight, and finally as conductor on way 
freight and passenger train until January 
iS, 1887, the date of promotion, as al- 
ready related. Mr. Seymour was mar- 
ried at La Crosse. Wis., to Miss Delia 
M. Vincent, a nati\e of that town, daugh- 
ter of James Vincent, an early pioneer of 
La Crosse and well-known lumber dealer. 
By this union there is one child, Ida M. 
A Republican in politics, our subject is 
active in the interests of that party. He 
is a member of Washington Lodge No. 
21, F. & A. M., of Warren Chapter No. 
8, of Palestine Commandery No. 20, and 
of the \\'isconsin Consistory; is also a 
member of the K. of P., No. 26, Green 
Bay, and is a charter member of the 
Lodge at La Crosse. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHIVAL RECORD. 



463 



D BRADLEY, proprietor of the 
"Bradley House," Green Bay, 
was born in the city of Brooklyn, 
N. v., December 18, 1846, a son 
of John and Mar\' (McKelver) Bradlej', 
natives of Ireland, but who, when young, 
came to America and located in New 
York. 

After marriage the elder Bradley 
brought his family to the town of Lake, 
near Milwaukee, Wis., and engaged in 
farming until his death; his wife had died 
in Brooklyn. He reared the following 
family, born to this marriage: John, who 
enlisted in Company E, First Wis. V. I., 
was appointed color bearer, served through 
the war, and died in Chicago in 1S73; 
Hugh, who joined the navy at New York, 
and is now a barber in Chicago; William, 
who enlisted in Beloit in the First Wis- 
consin Heavy Artillery, served two and a 
half years, and now lives in Chicago, and 
D. Bradley, the subject of this sketch. 
The children of John Bradley, b}' a sec- 
ond marriage, are Burney, a farmer of 
Oak Creek, Wis. ; James, born in the 
town of Lake, and now in the mail ser- 
vice at Milwaukee; Michael, also born in 
the town of Lake, and also in the mail 
service; Mary, wife of James Monohan, 
of Lake county, 111. ; Ellen, wife of J. 
Monohan, also in Lake county. 111., and 
Catherine, who resides in Milwaukee. 

D. Bradley was educated in the town 
of Lake, Milwaukee Co, . Wis. , and was 
reared a farmer. For a time he worked 
at the "Nevvhall House" in Milwaukee, 
and in 187 1 came to Green Bay as stew- 
ard for the "Beaumont House"; from 
1872 to 1883 he worked for Joannes 
Bros., and in September, 1883, opened 
the "Bradley House." In 1890 he 
erected the building at the corner of 
Crooks and Washington streets, where 
he has since also run a saloon. In 1874 
lie was married, at Menasha, Wis., to 
Elizabeth Boyle, a native of New York, 
whose parents, Michael and Mary (Mc- 
Laughlin) Boyle, came to Green Bay in 
1S82; here her father died in 1886, and 

26-.^ 



here the mother resides with our subject. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Bradley was born one 
son that died when but one year old. 
Mr. Bradley is a stanch Democrat; he is 
supervisor from the Second ward of 
Green Bay, and is also deputy collector 
for the port of Green Bay. He is a 
member of the French Catholic Church, 
and is vice-president of the Catholic 
Knights of Wisconsin, No. 21. He is a 
self-made man, takes much interest in the 
well-being of his adopted city and county, 
and is respected both as a citizen and as 
a business man. 



JAMES BLACK, one of the most in- 
telligent farmers of Suamico town- 
ship, Brown county, was born Octo- 
ber 14, 1826, in Kingston, Canada, 
a son of Adam and Elizabeth (Kerr) 
Black, natives of near Dundee, Scotland. 
The father, who was a general trader, 
came to America about the 3'ear 181 5, and 
he and his wife died at Kingston, Canada, 
he at the early age of thirty-eight, she 
when sixty-six years old. They were the 
parents of two children, James and 
Matthew, the latter of whom served two 
years in Company E, Twelfth Wis. V. I., 
was discharged for disability, and died, 
unmarried, at the home of our subject, 
when aged fifty-eight. The parents of 
Adam Black were James and Elizabeth 
Black, natives of Scotland, who came to 
Canada about 1827, at advanced ages, 
and settled on a farm near Toronto; they 
had two sons and three daughters. Eliz- 
abeth (Kerr) Black's parents were Scotch 
people, and had a family of three chil- 
dren — two sons and one daughter. 

James Black was practically a resi- 
dent of the home farm up to the age of sev- 
enteen, when he began life as a lumber- 
man on the Ottawa river. On May 21, 
1861, at the call for 75,000 men, he en- 
listed in a Pennsylvania regiment of vol- 
unteers, but that State having filled her 
quota, he was assigned to Company A, 
Second W. Va. V. I. At the front he 



464 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



was appointed sergeant, and soon after- 
ward — in the early part of 1 862 — was 
commissioned second lieutenant, serving 
as such with his company in all its en- 
gagements till May, 18C3. He was then 
detailed to the quartermaster's depart- 
ment in Nashville, Tenn., serving in this 
department until the close of the war; 
was never off duty except once, when he 
lay in Libby Prison forty-six days, until 
exchanged. While on scout duty one 
day he was thrown over a precipice, by 
which accident he lost an eye, sustained 
a rupture, and received several flesh 
wounds; but, being granted a furlough and 
transportation to Pittsburg, Penn., he 
soon afterward reached his home. It is 
recorded of Mr. Black that he was among 
the first to draw blood in the great war in 
the West. After the war was over Mr. 
Black, in 1865, came to Wisconsin and 
settled where he now lives in Suamico 
township, Brown county. For fourteen 
years he was foreman in the logging camp 
of Martin E. Trimble; then bought forty 
acres of wild land, to which he subse- 
quently added ninety-three acres, and is 
now carrying on general farming, being 
largely interested in dairying, at which he 
is as successful as he formerly was at 
logging, for which he was famous all over 
the section, at one time receiving as much 
as $10 per day for his services. 

James Black was united in marriage 
April I, 1873, with Mrs. Rhoda Salter, 
widow of George H. Salter, who was 
born in Dorchester, England, and died in 
Chicago, 111., at the age of forty-six 
years, leaving three children, two of 
whom are still living: George H., and 
Rosalind, wife of Thomas Gillingham, of 
Oshkosh. Mrs. Rhoda Black is a native 
of Somersetshire, England, and in her 
earlier days passed nine years in a dry- 
goods store in London, with her cousin, 
Robert Cornish, coming to .the United 
States when twenty-four j'ears old. She 
is a highly accomplished lady, being a 
graduate of one of the most fashionable 
boarding schools of England, and is de- 



scended from a very ancient family, the 
Wyatts, who trace their lineage to King 
Henry VIII, of which fact she holds his- 
torical documents in proof. She is one 
of nine children born to William and 
Susanna (Gillett) Wyatt, the former of 
whom was a builder by occupation in 
early life, later becoming a lawyer of 
note; he died in Somersetshire, England; 
his wife also passed away in England, 
aged fifty-two years. 0ne of Mrs. Black's 
brothers was well known as a leading 
barrister in Great Britian. After her first 
husband's death Mrs. Black came to Wis- 
consin and bought the farm on which she 
was residing at the time of her union 
with Mr. Black, enjoying to the full the 
love and respect of all who knew her. 

In politics Mr. Black is a thorough 
Republican, and first voted for Abraham 
Lincoln for President. He has filled sev- 
eral local offices, is a member of T. O. 
Howe Post No. 124, G. A. R., at Green 
Bay, and is in receipt of a pension for his 
gallant services during the Civil war. 
He is a churchwarden in the Episcopal 
Church, of which he and his first em- 
ployer in Suamico were the founders, and 
builders of the edifice; Mrs. Black is also 
an Episcopalian, adhering to the faith of 
her ancestors. She and her husband are 
most sincere in their religious professions, 
and their daily walk through life, their 
works of charity and unswerving devotion 
to duty, give full evidence of that sincer- 
ity coming directly from the heart. No 
family in the county is more highly re- 
spected, and none fills a more prominent 
position within its social circles. 



ABRAUNS, insurance agent, civil 
engineer for Green Bay, and 
county surveyor for Brown county. 
Wis., was born in the Province 
of Hanover, Germany, August 4, 1842, a 
son of Henry and Dora (Hotop) Brauns, 
both af whom died in their native land, 
the father in 1881, the mother in 1884. 
They reared a family of four children: 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



465 



Dora and Henry, still living in Hanover; 
A., the subject of this sketch, and Caro- 
line, wife of Henry Mueller, a furniture 
manufacturer of Berlin, Germany. 

Our subject was educated in the city 
of Gifhorn, and later in the engineer's 
department of the Military school at 
Hanover, and then took a course in the 
Polytechnic Institute. For five and a 
half years he was in the army as a mem- 
ber of the corps of engineers, and was in 
the Danish and German war in 1863, and 
in the Prussian and Austrian war of 1866. 
In the fall of the latter year he came to 
Green Bay, and engaged as clerk, then 
as bookkeeper for A. Klaus; next he en- 
tered upon the profession of architecture, 
and while thus engaged furnished the 
specifications for the Bishop's and other 
buildings. He then opened a wholesale 
grocery under the firm name of Klaus, 
Lenz & Brauns, and, later, that of Lenz 
& Brauns, which was continued until 
1877, when he established himself in in- 
surance, architecture and civil engineer- 
ing, which have been his vocations ever 
since. In politics Mr. Brauns is inde- 
pendent; he has served as alderman, and 
while filling that office introduced the 
system of bookkeeping at present used 
by the city; he was city treasurer from 
1876 to 1877, and was elected county 
surveyor in 1886. He is a member of 
Navarino Lodge No. 1384, K. of H. ; 
member of the Royal Arcanum, Iron 
Gate Lodge No. 546; of the American 
Legion of Honor, Northern Council No. 
1170; of the Modern Woodmen, Navarino 
Camp No. 534; and of the Turn Verein. 
In religion he is a member of the Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr. Brauns was married in Green Bay, 
in 1867, to Miss Magdalena Maria Barth, 
of Bavaria, a daughter of Christopher 
Barth, and who came to Green Bay in 
1 85 1. To this union were born four 
children: August E. ; Otto Henry, who 
died May 20, 1874; Lydia, principal of 
the high school of Edgerton, Wis. ; and 
Otto Fred, who is studying dentistry. 



Mr. Brauns is thoroughly acquainted with 
the topography of Brown county, while 
his residence of over twenty-seven years 
in Green Bay has made him fully familiar 
with the city, and he is equally identified 
with the phenomenal growth of both. His 
standing, socially and professionally, is 
with the highest. 



ARCHIBALD M. DUNCAN, of 
Fort Howard, Brown county, is 
of Scottish descent, as his name 
indicates, but is a native of the 
State of Wisconsin, having been born in 
Milwaukee January 23, 1853. Hisparents, 
John and Margaret (McCune) Duncan, 
were natives of the land of Duncan of old, 
of Bruce and Wallace, and were the 
immediate founders of the famil)- in this 
State. 

John Duncan learned the trade of ma- 
chinist and iron-founder in the old coun- 
try, and learned it well, as his after 
career in America gave full proof. He 
there married Miss Margaret McCune, a 
native of Glasgow, and when about 
twenty-five years of age came to the 
United States, sailing from Glasgow and 
landing in New York after a voyage of 
six weeks. Thence coming directly to 
Milwaukee, Wis., Mr. Duncan followed 
his trade in that city, working in the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul machine 
shops for nearly fourteen years, and con- 
structing the first locomotive ever turned 
out of a machine shop in Wisconsin. 
After leaving these shops Mr. Duncan 
came, in about 1868, to Fort Howard, 
and bought the foundry and machine shop 
formerly operated by John Whitney in a 
somewhat primitive manner, managing 
this so successfully that, when burned 
out, in 1878, he was able to erect a far 
better frame structure, one and a half 
stories high, 55 feet front, and 190 feet 
deep. In this shop he employed from 
ten to fifteen men, until it was burned 
down in 1888; when, with unflagging 
energy, he erected his present brick 



466 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



foundry and machine shop, 55 x 190 feet, 
complete with all modern improvements. 
In the winter of 1890-91 he built two 
steam barges for freigjht traffic on the 
lakes, for the accommodation of his own 
trade, but later sold one. At one time 
Mr. Duncan made a specialty of saw- 
milling, and in 1875-76 built a mill at 
^^'estboro, Wis., which is now in charge 
of his three sons. Being strictly a busi- 
ness man, he has never mingled much in 
politics, but has served his fellow citizens 
more than once as alderman, feeling it to 
be his duty to answer at their call. He 
has been absorbed in his business, and 
has invested at least $200,000 in his 
foundry and boat-building in Fort Howard 
alone, to say nothing of the mill at West- 
boro, where he has a son as manager of 
the store in connection with the same, 
and another employed as bookkeeper. 
His four sons are all married and have 
families, and all learned their trade of 
their father. John Duncan is to-day 
worth a quarter of a million, every cent 
of which he has made by his own labor, 
and no man stands higher in the esteem 
of the community, or is a more hofiored 
member of the Presbyterian Church. He 
has now withdrawn from the cares of 
business and retired for the remainder of 
his days, to live in ease and comfort on 
his well-earned competency. 

Archibald M. Duncan began his busi- 
ness life, at the age of eleven, as a cash 
boy in a dry -goods store, and was one of 
the first to engage in this kind of employ- 
ment. After two years' experience in this 
line, he entered the railroad shops at 
Watertown, Jefferson Co., Wis., of which 
his father was then superintendent, and 
since that time he has been identified with 
his father's business. On October 6, 1876, 
he married Miss Katie Eisman, a native 
of Washington county. Wis., daughter of 
John and Katie (Imig) Eisman, who had 
a family of six children— two sons and 
four daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Eisman 
were born in Germany, and came to the 
United States when quite young, Mr. 



Eisman becoming a merchant of Fort 
Howard, where he and his wife ended 
their days, honored by all who knew them. 
To the union of Archibald M. and Katie 
(Eisman) Duncan have been born four 
children, two of whom are deceased. The 
survivors, Kate ^f. and Jessie, are receiv- 
ing the best educations that money can 
provide. Mr. Duncan has manifested ex- 
traordinarj- capacity for business, to which 
he has added diligence, which indeed may 
be considered a component of business 
capacity. He has risen from the position 
of a cash boy to that of proprietor of one 
of the most important foundries and ma- 
chine shops of northern Wisconsin, hav- 
ing had entire charge of his father's im- 
mense plant for two years, and now, in 
1894, succeeded to the ownership on the 
virtual retirement of his honored father. 



GEORGE O. SPEAR, a citizen of 
whom any State might be proud, 
a man whose presence would 
benefit any community, and 
whose name would reflect honor upon 
any office or station, is one of the many 
loyal and industrious men New England 
has sent to the Western States. 

He was born in Sagadahoc county, 
Maine, in 1840, a son of Thomas and 
Amanda (Preble) Spear, also natives of 
Maine. The father, who was a ship- 
builder by occupation, came in 1857 to 
Wisconsin, bringing his family, and locat- 
ing in Fort Howard, Brown county, con- 
tinued his trade there with much success. 
He built the "Permelia Flood," a fine 
full-rigged barque, which was sent to the 
Atlantic laden with oak staves. In i860 
he went to St. Louis, Mo., but in 1861 
returned to Wisconsin, and for two j'ears 
resided at Peshtigo, Marinette county, 
where he built lake vessels; thence pro- 
ceeded to Red River, and there erected a 
sawmill, which in 1S65 was destroyed by 
fire, entailing a heavy loss. From Red 
River he moved to Little Sturgeon, Door 
county, where he rebuilt the " F. B. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



467 



Gardner" and the "Union." In 1866 
he built the vessel now known as the 
"James G. Blaine," also the tug "John 
Spry," the schooners "Halsted." "Ellen 
Spry," and "Doane," and in all these in- 
dustries he was assisted by his son George 
O. In 1887 the father returned to Green 
Bay, and lived a retired life the remainder 
of his davs, dying in 1891 ; his wife passed 
awa}' in 1883, while residing at Sturgeon 
Bay. They were the parents of two 
children, George O., subject of sketch, 
and Marshall, in Maryland. Great-grand- 
father Robert Spear, who was an officer 
in the Revolutionary army, built the first 
house erected in Brunswick, Maine. 
Grandfather Thomas Spear passed his 
entire life in Maine, his native State. 

George O. Spear received his educa- 
tion at the public schools of the vicinity 
of his place of birth, and at the age of 
seventeen came to Green Bay, Wis., 
where he assisted his father in the ship- 
yard. He accompanied him to Missouri, 
Peshtigo, Red River and Little Sturgeon, 
and in all these places was closely identi- 
fied with him in the various enterprises 
in which he was engaged. In 1879 our 
subject removed to Sturgeon Bay, where 
he purchased the McMaster property, 
consisting of a complete sawmill plant, 
besides about two thousand acres of land, 
and immediately went into the manufac- 
ture of lumber. He also operated a line 
of tugs and several scows, known as the 
"Dummy Line," employed in carrying 
lumber to Chicago. This Mr. Spear con- 
tinued in until 1885, when he commenced 
the banking and brokerage business in 
Sturgeon Bay, which in 1891 he trans- 
ferred to Green Bay, where he now 
resides. 

In 1873 Mr. Spear was married to 
Miss Louise Graves, who was born in 
Green Bay, of which place her parents, 
Orlo B. and Lucy Lessey Graves, were 
early settlers. Mr. Graves, who was an 
Indian trader, and for many years served 
as sheriff and district attorney, died in 
1 88 1, at Green Bay, where his widow is 



yet living. To Mr. and Mrs. Spear were 
born four children, only one of whom is 
now living, Clara; the deceased are 
Thomas, who died at the age of six 
months; Cordelia, in early infancy, and 
Frank, when two years old. Mr. Spear 
is prominent in social orders; he is a mem- 
ber of Washington Lodge No. 21, F. & 
A. M. ; Warren Chapter No. 8, and is a 
Knight Templar of Palestine Commandery 
No. 20; he is also a member of the I. O. 
O. F. and Encampment; of the Order of 
Rebekah, of the K. of P. and of the Elks. 
In politics he is a Republican, but his 
wife is a Democrat. 



CAPTAIN CHARLES A. GRAVES, 
commander of the propeller, 
" Fountain City," ph'ing between 
Chicago and lake ports, is a son 
of Orlo and Lucy Ann (Lessey) Graves, 
and was born in Green Bay in 1862. 

Orlo Graves was born at Chagrin 
Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, October 23, 
1819, and some time in the "thirties" 
came to Green Ba}', where he was first 
employed as a mechanic. Later he served 
as deputy sheriff, and then as sheriff of 
Brown county, Wis. ; later still, studied 
law at Green Bay, was admitted to the 
bar, and became prosecuting attorney, 
which office he held for twenty years, and 
also cit\- attorney for si.x or seven years. 
He was married at Green Bay, March 14, 
1 84 1, to Miss Lucy Ann Lesse}', who was 
born in Litchfield, Conn., but reared in 
New York; her father died in New York, 
her mother in Green Bay. Orlo Graves 
was a prominent Odd Fellow, being vice- 
grand of Wisconsin; he died February 19, 
1 879; his widow now resides with her son, 
Capt. Graves. To Orlo Graves and his 
wife were born five children, as follows: 
Cornelia H., wife of A. M. Spear, of 
Marshall Hall, Charles Co., Md. ; Orlo 
J., who died at the age of thirty-seven, at 
Fort Howard: Chester F., of Green Bay, 
who died when forty-one; Louise, wife of 



46S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



George O. Spear, a capitalist of Green 
Bay, and Charles A., our subject. 

Capt. Charles A. Graves was reared 
and educated in his native city, and com- 
menced life on the lakes at the age of 
twenty as linesman, but soon worked his 
way upward, receiving his commission as 
captain in 1883, and as such has served 
on the Bay and lakes ever since. He was 
at one time foreman of Company No. 3, 
of the Fire Department of Green Bay. In 
politics he is a Democrat. His mother 
had two brothers who were Indian traders 
in the early history of Brown county, viz. : 
John F. , who was a marble cutter by 
trade, and also clerk of courts in an early 
day, but who later kept a store and was a 
successful trader (he died November 20, 
1879), and Henry, who was also a trader, 
and died in 1S50. The father of- Capt. 
Graves also had an experience as an In- 
dian trader in the early days. Our sub- 
ject being a descendant of one of the 
earliest families to locate in the county, 
and having led an industrious and useful 
life, enjoys to the full the esteem and con- 
fidence of the inhabitants of Green Bay 
and all the points to which he trades. 



Mary 
born 



FW. BASCHE, the well-known and 
gentlemanly merchant of Green 
Bay, is a native of that city, born 
June 8, 1844, son of Jacob and 
(Smith) Basche, who were both 
near the ancient and historic city 
of Frankfort, Germany. 

Jacob learned the trade of shoemak- 
ing in his native country, remaining there 
until 1 841, when he came with his wife 
and family to America, and settling in 
Green Bay, Wis., followed his trade there 
until his decease, in 1846. He left five 
children, as follows: Kate, who became 
the wife of Jacob Juker, sergeant-major 
at Ft. Howard, who went thence to Cali- 
fornia, and died at Dallas, Oreg. ; An- 
thon}', who has for the past twenty-five 
years been a member of the firm of Du- 
ville & Basche; Michael, a carpenter of 



Green Bay; Peter, a resident of Baker 
City, Oreg., where he has been engaged 
in the hardware and agricultural imple- 
ment business since 1868 or 1869; and F. 
W. , subject of sketch. Mrs. Basche was 
an honored resident of Green Baj' for 
many years, surviving until June, 1894, 
when she was called to her last resting- 
place. 

F. W. Basche was reared and edu- 
cated in Green Bay. In i S64 he enlisted 
at Green Bay in Company C, Forty- 
seventh Wis. \'. I., for three years or 
during the war, and for some time was 
post quartermaster's clerk at Tullahoma, 
Tenn., afterward serving as parole clerk, 
signing thousands of passes. He was 
stationed in Tennessee, on garrison duty, 
and when peace was declared received an 
honorable discharge at Nashville in 1865. 
On returning to Green Bay he became a 
traveling salesman, selling notions, sta- 
tionery, etc., through northern Wisconsin 
and Michigan, until 1868, when he com- 
menced business in Green Bay, at the cor- 
ner of Cherry and Adams streets. In Au- 
gust, 1889, he bought his present place, at 
No. 22 1 North Washington street, where he 
has a large stock of wallpaper, toys, fancy 
goods, etc. ; he has met with unusual suc- 
cess, having always commanded a liberal 
share of the public patronage through his 
affability, fair dealing and moderate prices. 
Mr. Basche in his business career has won 
for himself the proud distinction of being 
one of the few merchants of the city who 
have pursued a continuous course of hon- 
orable trade so many years without defal- 
cation or failure or compromise. He is 
entirely self-made in a business point of 
view, having earned all he possesses by 
his frugality, strict attention to the wants 
of his customers, and the exercise of a 
sense of strict justice in all his dealings. 
Having continued in his line of trade for 
so long a period, he has necessarily been 
a witness of the great changes that have 
taken place in his native city during the 
interval, and he has ever taken an active 
and ardent part in every change that has 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



469 



tended to its moral and material progress. 
He is fully recognized as one of the sub- 
stantial citizens of Green Bay and Brown 
county, and is deservedly entitled to the 
high esteem in which he is held. 

On October 4, 1871, Mr. Basche was 
united in marriage, in Green Bay, with 
Miss Elizabeth Moger, a native of New 
York and daughter of Ezra Moger, an 
honored pioneer of Green Bay and a 
practical cooper. To this union have 
been born four children, two of whom 
died in infancy, of diphtheria, and two 
are still living: Maud, now twenty years 
of age, and Douglass, sixteen years old. 
Politically Mr. Basche is a Republican; 
fraternally he, is a member of the K. of 
P., Uniform Rank; he was for some years 
an Odd Fellow, is a member of the K. of 
H., Lodge No. 1384, and was one of its 
financial reporters. In religion Mr. and 
Mrs. Basche are Presbyterians, and both 
are consistent members of the Green Bay 
Congregation. 



THE LAU FAMILY have ever been 
counted among the most indus- 
trious and substantial citizens of 
Preble township, Brown county. 
Jacob Lau was born in Alsace (now a 
portion of Germany), and in 1850 came 
to the United States and to Green Bay, 
Wis. Here, on July 28, 1853, he mar- 
ried Miss Caroline Meister, who was born 
February iS, 1834, in Sachsen-Meiningen, 
Germany, daughter of George Henry 
Meister, who came to the United States 
in 1853 with his wife and three daugh- 
ters. The family crossed the ocean in a 
three-masted schooner, the voyage occu- 
pying seven weeks, during which time the 
masts were blown away, and it seemed at 
times as if they would never reach port 
safely. But their troubles did not end 
here. Mr. Meister's circumstances were 
limited, and by the time the family 
reached Buffalo, N. Y. , on their way 
westward, the funds gave out, and they 
were obliged to remain in that city four 



weeks, in order to earn the money to en- 
able them to continue their journey to 
Green Bay, Wis., their destination. 

Soon after coming to Green Bay Jacob 
Lau set out for Manitowoc, to look for 
work, but he lost his way in the woods, 
and had his feet so badly frozen that am- 
putation of one-third of each foot was 
found necessary, which proved a serious 
drawback to him. In the spring of 1851 
he embarked in the dairy business, begin- 
ning at first with three cows, and carry- 
ing the milk, but later he was able to 
purchase a horse, and as his business in- 
creased he became still better equipped. 
Shortly after his marriage he located in 
the east end of Green Bay, where he re- 
mained until 1867, when he located on a 
farm in the town of Preble, one mile east 
of the city limits, which the family still 
owns, and which is part of the present 
farm. Here, in a log house, they resided 
two years, or until 1870, when they re- 
moved to their present place, on which 
they have erected a very comfortable 
home. Mr. and Mrs. Lau became the 
parents of seven children, four of whom — 
two sons and two daughters^died young. 
Those living are (i) H. J., who married 
Miss Annie Heller, and has two children, 
Elmer and Benjamin H. ; he is a Repub- 
lican in politics, and has been a member 
of the school board in his township, at 
present holding the office of director. 
(2) Andrew H., who resides at home ; he 
is a Republican in politics. (3) Lena, 
also living at home. 

The dairy business, in which they 
have met with well-merited success, has 
been the principal business of the family, 
who are the pioneers in that industry 
here. They have stood the test where 
others failed, and by working together, 
father and sons have made the business a 
profitable one. The sons have assisted 
ever since they were old enough, and no 
small measure of the general success may 
be attributed to their energy and good 
management. They received in their 
youth the education afforded by the com- 



470 



COMMEMORATIVh: BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



moil schools of the time, but their enter- i 
prise and business sagacity fully make up 
for any lack of educational advantages. 
They have shown themselves capable of 
conducting their affairs in a systematic 
manner, and are owners of 200 acres of 
land, nearly all under cultivation. The 
farm of ninety acres, on which the family 
now reside, while a very productive one, 
has only been made so by a great deal of 
labor and expense, having been practi- 
cally redeemed from a swamp. Over 
five miles of drain tile have been put in, 
their outbuildings are equalled by none in 
the township, and all the other details of 
the farm work are equally well attended 
to. They now have about thirty cows, 
and own some of the finest Devon stock 
in the county, to the rearing of which 
strain they give no little attention; their 
first stock was secured from A. E. liaker, 
of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. 

In the economical management of the 
household, and in the general success of 
the family, Mrs. Lau has taken an im- 
portant part. During her fort}" years of 
married life she has ever been read}- and 
willing to do anything to improve their 
circumstances; and, though now nearh" 
si.xty years of age, she is still an active 
woman, notwithstanding the many years 
of hard work through which she has 
passed. In religious connection she is a 
member of the Moravian Church, and is 
highly respected and well-known in the 
neighborhood. 



JOSEPH KALB, retired, was born in 
Hessia, Germany, in 1826, a son of 
Melchor and Elizabeth (Schumm) 
Kalb, of the same part of the country, 
where they married. Melchor, who was 
a merchant of prominence in his day, died 
in 1828, his wife in 1838; they had but 
one child by their marriage, Joseph, the 
subject of this sketch, who has a half- 
brother yet living. 

Joseph Kalb received all his education 
and learned his trade, that of butcher, in 



Germany, being twent\-one years old 
when he came to the United States and 
to Wisconsin. He first located, in 1849, 
in Manitowoc county, where he carried 
on a harcfware business for some years, at 
the end of which time he took up his res- 
idence in the town of Two Rivers, and 
here conducted a meat market till 1864, 
the year of his coming to Green Bay, in 
which city he carried on a butchering 
business with considerable success, until 
retiring from same in 1880, having sold 
out to his son Louis. 

During the Civil war, he assisted State- 
officer Bates in raising Company F, T\\ en- 
ty-sixth \Ms. \'. 1., and went with the 
compan}- as sutler, his commission as such 
dating from 1861 to 1864, three months 
of which time he was in active service as 
a regular soldier. He participated in the 
battles of Chancellorsville and Gettys- 
burg, at which latter all the officers of his 
regiment were killed or wounded except 
two. At the close of the war he returned 
to Two Rivers, and same fall moved into 
Green Bay. In 1852 he married Miss 
Mary Hauser, a daughter of Frederic and 
Mary (Dedenon) Hauser, the father a na- 
tive of Germany, the mother and daugh- 
ter natives of France, the latter educated 
and reared in Germany. In 1845 they 
came to ^^'isconsin, settling on a farm in 
Manitowoc county, but in later years the 
parents moved into the town of Two 
Rivers, where they died, the father in 
1866, the mother in 1884. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Joseph Kalb were born five children, 
to wit: William, married, and residing 
in Idaho; Louis, a sketch of whom fol- 
lows; Otto, who lives in Manitowoc; 
Emma, who married Robert Kusterman, 
and died in 18S9; and Nora, wife of Will- 
iam Collett, of Menominee, Michigan. 

In politics Mr. Kalb is a stanch Re- 
publican, and he has served in various 
offices of honor and trust with ability and 
fidelity, among which may be mentioned: 
County treasurer, two years, from 1887 
to 1 889 (elected in a strongly Democratic 
county); member of the council; mem- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



471 



ber of the County Agricultural Society. 
Of the Turn Verein in Green Bay he has 
been a member ever since corning- to the 
city, and for twelve years of the Society 
in Two Rivers, their hall there being 
built by him. He has done a large 
amount of real-estate business, and for 
the past fifteen years has given consider- 
able attention to the cultivation of the 
grape — making specialities of the Dela- 
ware, Concord and Muscatel. After sup- 
plying the home market, the balance of 
fruit on hand he makes into choice wine, 
pronounced by connoiseurs to be excel- 
lent. In the summer of 1893 Mr. Kalb 
visited Europe in order to see his old 
home and such of his old acquaintances 
and friends as were still living there. 

Louis Kalb, proprietor of a meat- 
market in Green Bay, and a leading en- 
terprising citizen, is a native of Wiscon- 
sin, born in the town of Two Rivers in 
1862. 

He received a liberal education at the 
schools of Green Bay, whither the fam- 
ily had come when he was about five 
3'ears old, and then commenced to work 
for his father in the butchering and meat- 
market business, continuing with him 
until buying him out in 1884. Since 
then Mr. I-ialb has conducted the busi- 
ness alone with eminent success, proving 
himself in all his undertakings a worthy 
son of a worthy father. He has two 
places of business in Green Bay, one on 
Washington street, which was opened in 
1866, the other on the corner of Pine and 
Adams streets, established about twenty 
years ago. The Kalb meat-markets are 
known as the oldest establishments of the 
kind in Green Bay, and enjoy a high rep- 
utation in all respects. Employment is 
given to ten hands, besides the proprietor. 
As a Republican Mr. Kalb takes a lively 
interest in politics. He is a member of 
the Royal Arcanum, also of the Brown 
County Fair and Park Association, and 
he is a wide-awake, liberal and loyal citi- 
zen, enjoying the respect of all who 
know him. 



ERNST W. SERVOTTE, of the 
firm of E. W. & J. H. Servotte, 
the well-known contractors and 
builders, Green Bay, is a native 
of Belgium, and was born November 25, 
1850. 

His parents, Guillaume and Victoria 
(Demaiffe) Servotte, were also natives of 
Belgium, where the father followed the 
trade of carpenter until 1856, in which 
year he brought his family to America, 
settling in Brussels township. Door county, 
Wis., in the wild woods, and having for 
his neighbors the Indians of the then un- 
settled region. Here the family resided 
until 1864, and then moved to Green 
Bay, where the mother died October 25, 
1865. The father, while living in Door 
county, was a very popular citizen, and 
was honored by election on the Repub- 
lican ticket to several offices of trust. In 
Green Bay he followed his trade until his 
death, which occurred July 21, 1887. His 
four children, who were brought by him 
to Green Bay, were Ernst W. , whose 
name opens this sketch; Julia, widow of 
Emil Brosteau; Joseph H., partner of 
Ernst W. , and Desire, who died at the 
age of five years. One son, Frank, died 
in Door county, Wisconsin. 

Ernst W. Servotte had the advantages 
of the schools of Door county and of 
Green Bay until competent to enter an 
apprenticeship under his father. Having 
fully mastered his trade, he engaged in 
partnership with his brother under the 
title given above, and the young men 
have been very successful. In 1875 our 
subject was married in Green Ba}', to 
Flora Piraux, a native of Belgium and 
daughter of Peter and Angeline (Bradie) 
Piraux, who came from Belgium to 
America in 1856, locating in Milwaukee, 
W'is., same year. In 1877 Mr. Servotte 
built his present handsome residence in 
Green Bay, and has here had born to 
him three children, viz. : Frank, now at- 
tending business college; Emily A. and 
Edward J. In politics Mr. Servotte is a 
Republican, but has never been an office- 



472 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



seeker, although he has filled one or two 
official positions, when he has felt it to be 
his duty to do so as a good and faithful 
citizen. Mr. Servotte is a devout Catholic, 
and has reared his family in the same 
faith. He has depicted in his daily walk 
through life his earnestness in his religious 
belief, and has always manifested a de- 
cided interest in the progress of the city 
which he has chosen as his home, and in 
which he has seen many and rapid 
changes for the better since he has been 
a resident thereof. His business has been 
profitable and consquently satisfactory, 
and his social position is all that could be 
desired. 



JOSEPH H. SERVOTTE, member 
of the widely-known firm of E. W. 
& J. H. Servotte, contractors and 
builders. Green Bay, is a native of 
Wisconsin, born in Door county on March 
17, 1862. 

Guillaume Servotte, father of subject, 
was a native of Belgium, where he mar- 
ried Miss Victoria Demaiffe, of the same 
country, and in 1856 they emigrated to 
the United States, locating in Green Bay, 
Wis., where the father followed his trade, 
that of carpenter, until 1858, in which 
3'ear the family moved to Door county, 
same State, settling on a farm for eight 
years, in 1864 returning to Green Bay, 
where Mr. Servotte resumed his trade. 
Here he died July 21. 1887, the mother 
October 25, 1865. Five children were 
born to them, viz: Frank, deceased in 
Door county; Ernst W., in business 
with our subject; Julia, widow of E. 
Brosteau a resident of Green Bay; Desire, 
who died in Green Bay at the age of five 
years, and Joseph H. 

The subject of this sketch received a 
liberal education at the schools of Green 
Bay, and afterward learned carpentry, a 
trade he followed exclusively till 1888, 
when he commenced contracting and 
building in both Green Bay and Fort 
Howard, in partnership with his brother 



Ernst W., the firm confining themselves 
chiefly to residence building, in which 
they have met with well-merited success. 
In 1 89 1 Mr. Servotte was united in mar- 
riage, in Green Bay, with Miss Mary 
Theresa Lefebvre, who was born in Brown 
county. Wis. , January 21,1 867, a daughter 
of John B. Lefebvre, an early settler of 
Green Ba}-, who for several years owned 
and operated a saw and grist mill com- 
bined in the town of Green Bay. To 
this union was born July 28, 1894, one 
child, Agnes Albertina. Our subject, as 
was his father before him, is a Republican, 
and from 1889 to 1892 he served the 
city as alderman from the First ward;- 
in 1892 was elected supervisor, in 1893 
re-elected, and is serving in that office at 
the present time. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of the Royal Arcanum, and enjoys the 
respect, confidence and esteem of a wide 
circle of friends and acquaintances. 



REV. H. W. THOMPSON. The 
experiences of a minister of the 
Gospel in a comparatively unset- 
tled region must of necessity be 
full of interest, and the reverend gentle- 
man whose name introduces this article 
could furnish many chapters of such na- 
ture from his years of life in the work of 
his Master in the northern country. But, 
more than this, the entire span of his ex- 
istence has been within an atmosphere 
out of which the thrilling events of his- 
tory have come forth, and to an unusual 
degree is he qualified to entertain those 
who seek after substantial facts in the 
history of a nation's progress. 

Mr. Thompson conies of a pioneer 
family. His parents, William and Ellen 
M. (Browne) Thompson, natives respec- 
tively of Seneca and Niagara counties, N. 
Y. , removed in an early day to Michigan, 
in which State they were united in mar- 
riage. They originally located in Hills- 
dale county, but later settled upon a farm 
in Livingston county. The elder Thomp- 
son died October 2, 1894, his wife having 



COMMEMORATIVE BlOGBAPIllCAL RECORD. 



473 



preceded him to the grave in iS88. This 
worthy couple reared a family of five 
children: H. W. , the subject of this 
sketch; Frederick William, of Fenton, 
Mich. ; Frank Howard, of Rockford, 111. ; 
Nellie, now Mrs. Fisher, of Reeseville, 
Wis. ; and Charley, who resides at Sault 
Ste. Marie. 

H. W. Thompson, the eldest child, 
was born in Brooklyn township, Jackson 
Co., Mich., in 1847, and grew to young 
manhood in Tyrone, Livingston county, 
receiving his early education in the schools 
of that period. His youthful blood was 
stirred by patriotic impulses when the 
tremendous wave of rebellion broke upon 
the land, and in 1863 he tendered his 
services to the government, enlisting in a 
cavalry regiment. In the spring of 1864 
he became a member of Company F, 
Tenth Michigan Infantry, which formed 
part of the First Brigade, Second 
Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, and 
served with great distinction under Gen. 
W. T. Sherman. Mr. Thompson took 
part with his command in the battles of 
Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, Kenesaw 
Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Rome and 
the two-days' fight with Thomas at Nash- 
ville, being wounded during the second 
day's engagement at the latter place. He 
was present at the memorable grand 
review of the army at Washington in 
May, 1865; was honorably discharged 
soon after at Louisville, Ky., and finally 
mustered out of the service at Jackson, 
Mich. Returning to Livingston county 
he engaged in farming until 1871, when 
he entered the ministry of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, Detroit Conference. 
In 1876 he was transferred to North 
Michigan, laboring on the Manistique cir- 
cuit, thirty-nine miles in extent, and 
having few settlements. During two 
terms of three years each he was sta- 
tioned at Escanaba, and later one year 
at De Pere, from which latter point he 
came to Green Bay in 1890. He is now 
pastor of the First M. E. Church in the 
last named place. During his seventeen 



years service in pastoral labor in this 
northern country many changes have 
come under his notice, and his experience 
has been of a nature to ripen his judg- 
ment and qualify him for even more effi- 
cient work in the future. 

The soldier who successfully with- 
stood the ordeal of severe service in the 
field during the great Civil war, and re- 
turned to his home to pursue the voca- 
tions of peace, was strongly impressed 
with the necessity for being well-equipped 
for the struggles of life, and the first act 
of many a "boy in blue" was to take to 
himself a helpmeet for the years to come. 
Young Thompson, not yet of age when 
the war closed, only awaited the year of 
his majority to take the next great step 
of his life. On May 24, 1868, in Oak- 
land county, Mich., he married Miss Mary 
J. House, a native of Hartland township, 
Livingston county, and daughter of 
Amasa and Cynthia (Durfee) House, na- 
tives of New York and early pioneers of 
Michigan, both now deceased. Three 
children have been given these parents: 
Minnie L. , wife of John Symmons, of 
Escanaba, Mich.; Harry A., now freight 
and ticket auditor of the Wisconsin & 
Michigan railroad, with offices at 418 and 
419 Western Union Building, Chicago, 
111., and Berenice M. 

Mr. Thompson has met the reward of 
preferment at the hands of his fellows in 
other lines than those of the ministry. 
As a Republican in politics, he served 
from the Delta District in the Michigan 
Legislature in 1887. In Grand Army 
circles he is also well known, having 
served as chaplain of the Department of 
Michigan in 1887, and been elected to a 
similar position for the Department of 
Wisconsin, April 28, 1894. He is a mem- 
ber of T. O. Howe Post No. 124, G. A. 
R. , and a past commander of the T. O. 
Howe Post in the order. He is also 
chaplain in Washington Lodge No. 21, 
F. & A. M. ; Scribe in Warren Chapter 
No. 8, R. A. M., and Prelate in Palestine 
Commandery No. 20, K. T. 



474 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



WW. NUSS, a photographic art- 
ist of much merit and ability, 
having his studio at No. 215 
North Washington street. Green 
Bay, was born in 1858 in Bucks county, 
Penn., son of Michael and Matilda 
(Wiedner) Nuss, natives of the same 
county and State, where they were mar- 
ried. 

The father enlisted, in 1863, in a 
Pennsylvania regiment, and served in the 
Civil war as a snare drummer, and in 
1865 came to Wisconsin and located in 
De Pere, where he worked at his trade as 
a mason until 1869, when he purchased a 
farm of 140 acres; but in a short time re- 
turned to De Pere, where he is now en- 
gaged in tailoring, having learned that 
among several other trades in his earlier 
years. He was also a minister of the 
Evangelical Association, and preached for 
a long time after his arrival in Brown 
county, \\'is. His wife left her earthly 
cares in August, 1882, her remains find- 
ing their last resting place in De Pere. 
She had borne her husband fifteen chil- 
dren, of whom eight sons and three 
daughters still survive, viz. : Amelia, 
living with her father; Elniina, w'ife of F. 
W. Schneider, of Green Bay; M. W., of 
St. Paul, Minn.; W. W. , our subject; P. 
W. , of Minnesota; A. O., preaching at 
Montello, ^^"is. ; James Franklin, of Ana- 
conda, Mont. ; Edwin Michael, of Chilton, 
Wis. ; Anderson K. , bookkeeper at Dous- 
man's Mill, De Pere; Charles H., in the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad 
office, De Pere; and Carrie, wife of Jules 
Roels, of the same city. 

W. W. Nuss, the accomplished pho- 
tographer of whom this sketch pertains, 
reached De Pere about 1865, and was 
here reared, but learned his art in Green 
Bay, where he has now the best gallerj' 
in the city, and is also recognized as being 
one of the city's best artists. In October, 
1890, he married Miss Clara Rathman, a 
native of Green Bay and a daughter of 
one of its early pioneers. One child, 
Verna W. , now adds sunshine to the 



happy household. Mr. Nuss is a member 
of Pochequette Lodge No. 26, K. P., and 
also a member of the Koyal Arcanum at 
Green Bay; in politics he is a Republican, 
and socially fills a high position. 



ASPRAGUE, veterinary surgeon. 
Green Bay, also conducting a 
horse infirmary and boarding barn, 
is a native of Broome county, N. 
Y. , born November 25, 1856, a son of 
Milton and Jerusha E. (Elwood) Sprague, 
natives of Delaware county, New York. 

Milton Sprague when a young man 
served in the United States Navy during 
the Mexican war, being stationed along 
the Pacific coast, and at the close of the 
struggle returned to Delaware county, 
where he married, shortly afterward 
bringing his young wife to Wisconsin, for 
a time settling in Calumet county, where 
he carried on blacksmithing, later moving 
to the town of Shawano, Shawanc county, 
making their home with their son, our 
subject. The mother died in 1881 at 
Brothertown, Wis., and the father is now 
living in Green Bay, with his son. They 
were the parents of eleven children, four 
of whom are j'et living, to wit: Milton, 
married, in business with his brother A. ; 
Catherine, wife of Andrew Moyes, of 
Brothertown, Wis ; Dr. A. Sprague and 
Mary, wife of Needham Richmond, of 
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Great-grandfather 
Abram Sprague, and Grandfather Daniel 
Sprague. were both natives of Delaware 
county, N. Y. , and were in the Revolu- 
tion and war of 181 2, respectively. 

The subject of this sketch received his 
elementary education at the common 
schools of Calumet county, and learned 
the trade of blacksmith. Being desirous 
of following the profession of veterinary 
surgeon, he attended Indiana College, In- 
dianapolis, where he received a diploma, 
and he also studied under Dr. R. W. Ea- 
ton, of Fond du Lac. In 1881 he com- 
menced practice in Calumet county, re- 
maining there till November, 1890, when 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



475 



he came to Green Bay and opened an of- 
fice on Cherry street, later moving to his 
present place on the corner of Washing- 
ton and Stuart streets. 

In 1876 Dr. Sprague married Miss 
Victoria Keliher, who was born in Calu- 
met county, a daughter of John C. and 
Bridget (Morrissey) I\eliher, the father a 
native of London, England the latter of 
Ireland, who emigrated many years ago 
to America, settling in Wisconsin. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Sprague have been born 
five children, viz. : Walton, married and 
living at Lake Geneva; and Ralph, Harry, 
Olive and Lottie. Mr. Sprague in his 
political associations is independent; he 
is a member and past grand of Green 
Bay Lodge No. 19, I. O. O. F. ; was 
grand representative of Shawano Lodge 
in June, 1890, and was noble grand of 
Shawano Lodge at Eau Claire, Wis. 
The Doctor, by his widely-known skill, 
has succeeded in securing an excellent 
practice, and he is now the city veterina- 
rian of Green Bay. 



IVI 



y. CLAREY, an engineer of 
some considerable note in the 
employ of the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul Railway 
Company, was born at Menasha, W^inne- 
bago county. Wis., June i, 1857. 

Maurice and Catherine (Scanlan) 
Clarey, his parents, were natives of Ire- 
land, but were married in America. 
Maurice Clarey first located in Worcester, 
Mass., and was there married. After fol- 
lowing railroading at Worcester several 
years he came to Menasha, Wis. , where 
his death took place a few years after his 
arrival; his widow still has her residence in 
Menasha, and is venerated by all who 
know her. She has reared a family of 
five sons, the first of whom, Michael, an 
engineer on the Milwaukee & Northern 
railroad, died at Marinette; Garrett re- 
sides in Everett, Wash; M. J. is the sub- 
ject of this sketch; John is an engineer 
at Menominee, Mich., in the employ of 



the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- 
way Company, and T. L. , passenger con- 
ductor for the same company from Mil- 
waukee, Wis., to Champion, Michigan. 

M. J. Clarey was educated in the 
schools of Menasha, began his railroad 
life by firing on the Wisconsin Central, 
working up to the position of engineer, 
and is now the oldest engineer on the 
Lake Superior Division of the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul railway. Since 
1 878 his residence has been in Green Bay. 
His marriage took place, in 1877, to Miss 
Delia Scott, daughter of John Scott, a 
native of Canada, and one of the oldest 
settlers of Stevens Point, Portage county, 
Wis., but now deceased. Two children 
have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
Clarey, and are named Katherine and 
Willie G. Mr. Clarey and wife are mem- 
bers of St. John's Catholic Church, and he 
is affiliated with the Brotherhood of Loco- 
motive Engineers, No. 297, at Green 
Bay. In politics he is a Democrat, but 
has never been an office seeker, his strict 
attention to his duties having placed him 
beyond the seeking of extraneous public 
aid. 



FE. DUBOIS, the congenial and 
accommodating conductor on the 
Chicago, Milw^aukee & St. Paul 
railway, having his run between 
Green Bay and Milwaukee, has punched 
checks and tickets from 1882 until the 
present time, and is now the oldest and 
most popular passenger conductor running 
into Green Bay. As a railroad man, his 
apprenticeship began on the Wisconsin 
Central, in 1873, as brakeman, and by 
his faithful attendance to his duties he 
has been advanced, degree by degree, to 
his present responsible position. 

Our subject first saw the light in 1856 
in Fort Howard, Wis., and is a son of C. 
E. and Augusta (Alexander) Dubois, who 
were born in the State of New York, 
were married there, and in 1855 came to 
Wisconsin, stopping for a time at Kau- 



476 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



kauna and settlinfj, within a year, at Fort 
Howard. The father was one of the 
early school-teachers at this point, follow- 
ing the profession until 1866, when he 
went to Menasha, Wis., and taught until 
1883, the year he and his family came to 
Green Bay. Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Dubois 
reared four children, viz. : Charles, of 
Chicago; F. E. ; Carrie, wife of W. E. 
Smith, district carpenter on the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad; and J. 
W. , engineer of a passenger train on the 
same railroad, and residing in Green Bay. 
Mr. Dubois is a Freemason of promi- 
nence, being a member of Palestine Com- 
mandery No. 20, having, of course, 
passed through the various degrees; he is 
also a member of Island City Chapter 
No. 23, of Wisconsin Consistory, of 
Tripoli Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and 
still is an active member of the Blue 
Lodge, Chilton No. 1 54. He is also a 
member of the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks; socially he enjoys the ad- 
miration of a large and influential circle 
of acquaintances. 



CHARLES THEODORE KIM- 
BALL, manager of the A. Kim- 
ball wholesale and retail hardware 
store. Green Bay, was born Oc- 
tober 10, 1847, in Dalton, Berkshire 
county, Mass., son of Alonzo and Sarah 
(Weston) Kimball, who came to Green 
Bay in 1849. The father was a highly- 
educated gentleman, and in early life was 
a school-teacher. These parents had a 
family of six children, viz.: Mary C, 
who is married to M. H. Walker, of 
Green Bay; A. Weston, general agent 
for the State of Illinois of the Northwest- 
ern Life Insurance Company, of Milwau- 
kee, and located at Chicago; Charles T. , 
the subject proper of this sketch; Mather 
D., the literary manager of the North- 
western Life Insurance Company, at Mil- 
waukee; Sarah, widow of L. B. Sale, 
who with his two sons, Richard and 
Robert, was drowned in the Fox river; 



and William Dwight, who died at the age 
of two years. 

Charles T. Kimball received his 
primary education in the city schools of 
Green Bay, and his commercial training 
at a Milwaukee business college. Some 
time after his graduation from the latter 
(now over thirty years ago), he became 
associated with his father in the hardware 
trade — in 1870 — and is now general man- 
ager of the business, his father having 
retired some \ears since. The business 
has always been a successful one, having 
been at the start based on principles of 
strict integrity and square dealing. On 
September 5, 1872, C. T. Kimball was 
united in the bonds of matrimony, in 
Green Bay, with Miss Hannah Elizabeth 
Cawthorne, a native of Canada, of English 
descent, and daughter of \\'illiam B. and 
Jane (Bell) Cawthorne, who came to 
Green Bay about the year 1868. Here 
Mrs. Cawthorne passed the remainder of 
her life; William B. Cawthorne is a 
jeweler by vocation, and is now a resi- 
dent of Henry, S. D. To the happy 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. 
Kimball have been born three children — 
Mary Bell, Myra Weston and Charles 
Theodore — and there are few families in 
the city more highly respected. 

Mr. Kimball is an active member of 
the K. of P., affiliated with Pochequette 
Lodge No. 26, and C. T. Kimball Di- 
vision, Uniform Rank, and he is Past 
Grand Chancellor of the State of Wis- 
consin. He is an accomplished musician 
and composer, and in connection with 
Mr. Dorn has published a number of 
meritorious and popular compositions, in- 
cluding well-known church music and 
temperance songs and band publications. 
For many \'ears he was leader of Kim- 
ball's Silver Cornet Band of Green Bay, 
comprising eighteen pieces, and also for 
a number of years choir leader and or- 
ganist for the First Presbyterian Church. 
He is highly respected as a business man, 
and his social standing is equally high. 
In all enterprises having a tendency to 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



477 



improve the intellectual advancement of 
his fellow citizens he has taken an active 
part, and he has freely given of his means 
to promote the material progress of the 
city in which he has been reared, and of 
the population of which he is so promi- 
nent a factor. 



FRANK B. DESNOYERS. This 
gentleman, who is a member of 
the well-known tirni of Desnoyers 
& Duchateau, breeders of horses. 
Green Bay, is a native of that city, born 
in 1859. 

Francis Desnoyers, father of our sub- 
ject, was a native of Michigan, and came 
from Detroit to Green Baj', where he was 
engaged in mercantile pursuits some 
years. On retiring from same he took 
up the real-estate business, and among 
other buildings he, about the year 1865, 
erected what is known as " Uncle Frank's 
Block," besides six stores on the west 
side of Washington (which belong to the 
family) and four on the east side. At 
Green Bay he married Miss Louisa A. 
Beard, a native of Philadelphia, and 
daughter of Capt. Beard, who at one 
time was a captain in the regular army, 
and died in Pennsylvania; he was a 
brother of judge Beard, of Green Bay. 
She came to Green Bay with Mrs. Law- 
ton. Three children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Francis Desnoj'ers, viz. : Marie 
L. , Elizabeth and Frank B. The father 
died in 1868; he was a Republican, and 
at different times served as alderman and 
mayor of Green Bay. His widow was 
subsequently married to Dr. C. E. Crane, 
and died in 1888. 

Frank B. Desnoj'ers, the subject 
proper of this sketch, received a liberal 
education in the schools of Green Bay, 
after which he proceeded to Milwaukee, 
Wis., where for a time he clerked in the 
dry-goods store of Skeeles cS: Best, and 
returning to Green Bay continued clerk- 
ing about two and one-half years in that 
town. He then opened out for his own 



account a gents' furnishing-goods estab- 
lishment, which he successfully conducted 
until 1 890, in which year he embarked in 
his present line of business, in partner- 
ship with Mr. Duchateau. In the same 
year they built a commodious and well- 
equipped barn on Monroe avenue, be- 
tween Main and Pine streets. 

In 1883, at Green Bay, Wis., Mr. 
Desnoyers was united in marriage with 
Felia A. Lindsley, a native of that city, 
daughter of Myron P. and Frances F. 
(Ingalls) Lindsley, who in an early day 
came to Brown county from Lockport, 
N. Y. Mr. Lindsley was an attorney at 
law and dealer in real estate, and a promi- 
nent member of the I. O. O. F., in which 
Order he held the office of State Lec- 
turer. He died in Madison, Wis., in 
1882. To our subject and wife have 
been born three children, viz. : Frank 
L. , Mary Elizabeth and Henry B. In 
politics Mr. Desnoyers is a Republican, 
and for the past four years he has repre- 
sented the Second ward in the council as 
alderman, and was chairman of the 
finance committee two years. 



JULES C. NEVILLE. This wide- 
awake young hustling business man 
of Green Bay, member of the firm 
of Delaporte & Neville, proprietors 
of "The Hub," a leading clothing and 
gents' furnishing store, is descended from 
an upright, honored Belgian family. 

Julian Neville, his father, was born in 
May, 1842, in Belgium, a son of Josef 
Neville, who had a family of four sons 
and one daughter, and died in Belgium 
when Julian was three }'ears old. His 
widow and her little son, then, in 1855, 
came to the United States, and from New 
York, their port of debarkation, came 
westward to Wisconsin, making their first 
Western home in Green Bay. The de- 
voted mother died at the home of her 
son in Scott township. Brown county, 
Wisconsin. Julian received a fair educa- 
tion at the schools of Green Bay, and 



478 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



then took up agricultural pursuits for his 
life vocation. In Door county he cleared 
a farm, also one near Sturgeon Bay, on 
which he resided some seventeen j'ears. 
In 1874 he came to his present home in 
Green Bay, where in i>S83 he built a fine 
brick residence and business room com- 
bined, which latter he carries on, as well 
as a hotel. In every sense of the word 
he is a self-made man, a hard worker, 
progressive and public-spirited, honest 
and upright, one who has brought up his 
family well, giving them all a good educa- 
tion, and a fair start in life. He is a Re- 
publican in politics; in religious faith a 
member of the Holy Cross Church at Bay 
Settlement, and enjoys-the respect of the 
community as a well-to-do loyal citizen. 
He has been twice married; first time at 
Sturgeon Bay. Wis., to Miss Mary V. 
Erlache, who bore him five children, viz. : 
Josef E. (died when young), Jules C. 
(subject proper of this sketch), and Henry, 
Mary and Vina. The mother of these 
died in 1880, and Mr. Neville subsequent- 
ly married Miss Philomena Brice, by 
whom there are six children: Josef, 
Octavian, Louis. Vina, John and Albert. 
Jules C. Neville, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, was born March 25, 
1 87 1, in Door county, Wisconsin, where, 
at the common schools, he received his 
literary education, which was supple- 
mented with an eighteen-months' course 
at a business college, after which he en- 
tered the employ of J. P. C. Schmidt, 
wholesale liquor dealers, remaining with 
them three years, part of the time having 
charge of the government books. Later 
he engaged as traveling salesman, and on 
leaving the road he entered into a partner- 
ship with C. H. E. Delaporte, at Fort 
Howard; but after conducting the business 
one year and four months, they opened 
up their present place of business, "The 
Hub," in Green Bay. In October, 1893, 
Mr. Neville was married to Miss Bertha 
Zerrener, daughter of Frederick Zerrener. 
It his political proclivities our subject is 
a straight Republican. 



LOUIS C. VAN DYCKE (deceased), 
for many years a prominent citi- 
zen of Green Bay, was born in 
Antwerp, Belgium, April 12, 1829, 
and died in Green Bay, Wis., January 9, 
1 88 1 . 

The family were originally Holland- 
Dutch, and were of noble origin, as is 
shown by their coat of arms, now owned 
by the Van Dyckes of Green Bay. 
Grandfather Constante Van Dycke was a 
seafaring man for many years as captain 
of his own ship, and was remarkably 
handsome and attractive. He married 
MissCoUette Blankeman, a beautiful Bel- 
gian girl, truly called "the rose of Ant- 
werp," who lived to a ripe old age, re- 
taining to the last much of her beaut}', 
as proven by a portrait of her taken in 
Paris, France, when she was sixty-five 
years of age, and which is now in the 
possession of her daughter-in-law, Mrs. 
Louis Van Dycke; her husband died in 
Ostend, Belgium. 

Their only son, Louis C, was edu- 
cated in Antwerp, and in his younger days 
was a sea captain; he was a great linguist, 
being able to read and write seven dif- 
ferent languages. At the age of twenty- 
seven, in 1855, he immigrated to the 
United States, and for nearly one year 
was a merchant in New York City. In 
1857 he came to Wisconsin, making his 
first Western home in Brown county, but 
two years later moved Kewaunee county, 
where he established a general store at a 
point in Red River township, on Green 
Bay, which came to be known as Dyckes- 
ville, being named in his honor. He was 
also postmaster there, and first district 
attorney, and township treasurer ten 
years. In 1868 he returned to Green 
Bay, and was here engaged in mercantile 
business, brewing, etc., up to his death. 
In 1875, in connection with John M. 
Shoemaker, he established the dry-goods 
house of Shoemaker & Van Dycke, and 
in all his enterprises he made a success, 
becoming a man of great influence 
throughout the country. On May 11, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHIOAL RECORD. 



479 



1857, Mr. Van Dycke was married to 
Miss Octavia Cesar, a daughter of Lam- 
bert Cesar, a native of Belgium, as is also 
Mrs. Van Dycke, who was born August 
4, 1840, in Bouvechen, near Louvain, 
Belgium. Si.x children came to the union 
of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Van Dycke, 
namely: Erma (wife of Dr. H. M. Beck), 
Emil C, Julius J., Constance F. , Alice 
C. and Louis Paul. The mother is still 
making her home in Green Bay. 

Julius J. Van Dvcke, son of Louis 
C. and Octavia Van Dycke, was born 
August 14, 1868, in Red River township, 
Kewaunee Co., Wis. His elementary 
education was received at the public 
schools of Green Bay, after which he 
attended the Business College in that 
cit}', graduating there in 1887. Becom- 
ing interested in pharmac)-, he studied 
the science t\\'o j'ears under the pre- 
ceptorship of his brother-in-law. Dr. H. 
M. Beck, and then attended the uni- 
versity at Madison. Returning to Green 
Bay, and having passed his examination 
in Milwaukee before the State Iioard 
of Pharmacy, in 1890, he, in part- 
nership with Charles LeComte, opened a 
drug store, the firm continuing about 
three years, at the end of which time Mr. 
Van Dycke sold out his interest, and be- 
came associated in business with the O. 
Van Dycke Brewing Company, of which 
he is now the bookkeeper and financial 
agent. As a druggist he was a pronounced 
success, and he still maintains close re- 
lations with the profession. In social 
circles he holds prominent place, being 
bright and intellectual, and in fraternal 
associations he is a member of the Ro\'al 
Arcanum. 



GEORGE GROESSL, foreman of 
the Van Dycke Brewery, Green 
Bay, was born November 22, 
185 I, near Furth, Bavaria, Ger- 
many, on the confines of Bohemia, in the 
Bohmer Wald. His ancestry for the 

most part were industrious, plodding 
27— .\ 



farming people in that part of the world, 
living uneventful lives. 

Ignatz Groessl, also a native of near 
Furth, a farmer by occupation, came to 
America some time after his son George, 
the subject of sketch, had emigrated, and 
making a settlement in Manitowoc county, 
Wis., resumed agricultural pursuits. He 
is now seventy-five years old, and is living 
a retired life at Ahnapee, Kewaunee 
county, hale and hearty, as is also his be- 
loved wife, a German by birth, whose 
maiden name was Barbara Pry. They 
had a family of eight children. 

The subject of this sketch was seven- 
teen years old when he immigrated to 
America, and on landing at New York 
immediately came west to Indiana, where, 
in the town of La Porte, he had relatives. 
After a six-months' sojourn there he pro- 
ceeded to Ahnapee, Wis. , and from there, 
after a short stay, to Green Bay, where 
he secured work in the brewery of Henry 
Rahr, remaining some three years; then 
went to Milwaukee, and in the brewery 
of Frank Falk found employment for sev- 
eral months. From the " Cream City " 
he took a run up to Chicago, where in the 
brewery of M. Gottfried he worked for a 
time; from the "World's Fair City" he 
went to Naperville, 111. , and in the brew- 
ery of F. Stenger passed a few more 
months — in all his experiences in these 
various localities never losing sight of the 
main object he had in view, namely, 
making himself thoroughly acquainted 
with all the details of the brewing busi- 
ness, and perfecting himself in them. 
Being recalled to Green Bay, he secured 
the position of foreman in Rahr's brew- 
ery, but at the end of two years he once 
more moved to La Porte, Ind. , where he 
served in a similar capacity another two 
years, or until 1877, when he returned to 
Green Bay and connected himself with 
the Van Dycke brewery, since when he 
has been mainly identified with the con- 
cern as foreman; for five years he was 
partner in the business with Mrs. O. Van- 
Dvcke, widow of Louis Van Dycke, at 



4^0 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



one tiine proprietor of the brewery. Mr. 
Groessl is widely known as a thorough, 
practical brewer, second to none in the 
State, and no one has had better training 
to the business or knows more about it. 
Our subject was married in Green 
Bay, Wis., to Miss Antonia Hollub, a 
native of Wisconsin, and to this union 
have been born six children, named, re- 
spectively, Frank, George, Josephine, 
Jacob, Clara and Lena. Mr. and Mrs. 
Groessl are members of the Catholic 
Church, aud are highly respected in the 
community in which they live. 



ERNEST BECKER, a well-known 
citizen of F"ort Howard, Brown 
county, is a son of Peter and 
Elizabeth (Newfield) Becker, na- 
tives of Germany, in which country they 
were reared and married. They emi- 
grated to New York in 1852, thence 
moved to Savannah and finall}' to Oconto, 
Wis., the same year, in which latter city 
they are yet living. Their children were 
Charley, now deceased; Mary, wife of A. 
Watternich, of Oconto; Ernest, of Fort 
Howard, and Anna, who died at the age 
of four years. 

Our subject was born at Oconto, W^is., 
in 1864, and in that place received his ed- 
ucation. He learned the machinist's trade 
in the shops of A. Halbach, working later 
for D. C. Prescott, at Marinette; in the 
shops at Florence; afterward for the Green 
Bay, Winona & St. Paul Railroad Com- 
pany two years, and in 1887 he located 
at Fort Howard, where he has been in 
in the employ of the Milwaukee & North- 
ern Railroad Company six years and three 
months. He was at one time engaged in 
the hardware business on Broadway 
street. 

Mr. Becker was married January 31, 
1888, at Fort Howard, to Miss Carrie 
Schwarz, daughter of C. Schwarz, and 
they had four children, of whom three 
are now living: Erna, Carl Arthur and 
Mark Harry; Walter died when but eight 



months old. Socially Mr. Becker is a 
member of the Modern W'oodmen at Fort 
Howard, and like his wife belongs to St. 
Paul's Lutheran Church. He is super- 
visor from the Fourth ward. Fort Howard, 
was elected to that position in 1893, and 
has made a useful officer, serving on the 
extra committee on printing and tax cer- 
tificates. He is a substantial citizen, des- 
tined to become prominent in his city 
and count\'. 



CE. CRANE, M. D. In this 
gentleman the most noble, the 
most humane and the most phil- 
anthropic of all professions finds 
an honored and worthy representative. 
For fortj-three years he was in the active 
practice of physic and surgery, in earlier 
days making a specialty of the latter, but 
for the past few years he has been living 
retired. 

Dr. Crane was born November 27, 
1827, in that part of Huron county, Ohio, 
that is now embodied in Erie county. 
He is a son of Simeon and Eliza (In- 
graham) Crane, natives of Connecticut 
and Massachusetts, respectively, who in 
181 5 came to Huron (now Erie) county, 
Ohio, locating near the town of Florence, 
later moving to Oberlin, same State. 
Here the father, who was a farmer by 
occupation, died in 1877; the mother 
passed from earth when the subject of 
this sketch was seven years old. They 
were the parents of three children, all 
sons, as follows: C. E. ; Samuel I., who 
died in Erie county, Ohio, in 1868; and 
George M., who during the Civil war 
enlisted in the Eighth Missouri Infantry, 
was wounded at Jonesboro, and died 
three days after reaching his home in 
Erie county, Ohio. Simeon married a 
second time, and by this union had one 
son, Joel, who joined the Union army in 
Ohio. 

C. E. Crane was reared and educated 
in Erie county to the age of thirteen 
years, at which time he moved to Nor- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



48 1 



walk, where he remained until he was 
twenty-one 3'ears old, receiving the chief 
part of his education at the schools of 
that town, including the reading of 
medicine. In 1848-49 he attended the 
Western Reserve College, where he 
graduated in 1849, immediately there- 
after, in May, same year, coming to 
Green Bay, then but a small place with 
bright prospects, and here continued in 
the successful practice of his profession 
until 1S92, a period of over forty years 
(with the exception of the time, three 
years, he served in the army), when he 
retired. Dr. Crane was commissioned, 
in 1 86 1, assistant-surgeon of the Fifth 
Wisconsin Infantry, joining the regiment 
in June of that year at Madison, Wis. 
The Fifth was attached to the army of 
the East, and participated in the battle 
of Williamsburg; the Peninsular cam- 
paign of 1862; the second battle of Bull 
Run; the battles of Fredericksburg (under 
Gen. Burnside), Chancellorsville (1863), 
Gettysburg, Rappahannock Bridge (No- 
vember, 1S63), and finally in the Wilder- 
ness campaign. In 1S63 the Doctor was 
promoted to surgeon. In 1864 the regi- 
ment was mustered out and August 2, 
same year, our subject was discharged at 
Madison, Wis. He was recommissioned, 
but on account of impaired health de- 
clined the honor, and returned home, 
resuming practice at Green Bay. He is 
a member of the Brown County Medical 
Society (of which he was one of the 
organizers and president from 1868 to 
1880), and of the Fox River Valley Medi- 
cal Society. 

In 1872 Dr. C. E. Crane was married 
in Green Bay to Mrs. Louise Desnoyers, 
a native of Penn.sylvania, daughter of 
Capt. Beard, formerly of the United 
States army, who died many years ago. 
Mrs. Crane has three children by her first 
husband, viz.: Marie L. , Catherine and 
Frank B. In his political preferences he 
is a Republican, and he served his town 
as mayor five years, 1874-75-77-78 and 
'79; as president of the school board six 



years, and on the board of public health. 
Socially he is a member of T. O. Howe 
Post No. 124, G. A. R., Green Bay; of 
Washington Lodge No. 21, F. & A. M., 
Warren Chapter No. 8, and of Philistine 
Commandery No. 20, Green Bay. 



JOHN L. McABEE, one of the well- 
known successful agriculturists of 
Lawrence township, is a native of 
Brown county, born November i, 
1842, in Fort Howard, son of Lambert 
McAbee, an early resident of the county. 
Lambert McAbee was born, about 
1 8 18, in Detroit, Mich., of French and 
Scotch extraction, and was a member of 
one of the early families of his section of 
Michigan. In an early day he came to 
Green Bay, Wis., to trade with the In- 
dians, with whose language he was quite 
familiar, and this business, in which he 
was very successful, was his principal vo- 
cation. In about 1840 he married, in 
Green Bay, Miss Sophia La Vigue, who 
was born in that city in 1820, daughter of 
John La Vigue, a native of Canada, of 
French extraction. John La Vigue came 
to Green Bay in early manhood, and there 
married Elizabeth Huldrick, who was 
born in Fort Howard, daughter of Peter 
Huldrick, a native of Germany, who came 
to the United States about the beginning 
of the present century, arriving at Fort 
Howard with the first English troops that 
ever landed there. 

To Lambert and Sophia McAbee were 
born five children, namely: John L. , 
whose name introduces this memoir; 
Catherine, Mrs. Augustus Gerarden, of 
Outagamie county. Wis. ; Mary, unmar- 
ried, of Lawrence township; Angeline, de- 
ceased; and Josephine, unmarried, of 
Lawrence township. In the spring of 
1850 the father of this family died, and 
was buried in Allouez cemetery, and the 
widow was thus left with five small chil- 
dren, our subject, the eldest, being not 
yet eight years of age. The family at 
that time were living on a small piece of 



482 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



land along the Fox river, which Mr. Mc- 
Abee had purchased of the Government; 
but they were defrauded of this, and the 
only home left to them was an old sugar- 
house on Section 22, Lawrence township, 
where Mr. McAbee had operated a sugar 
camp. Never having been intended for 
a dwelling-house, it was but a rude con- 
struction, without even a floor; but with 
the assistance of willing and kind-hearted 
neighbors it was improved and made hab- 
itable, and here they lived until 1861, 
when a substantial log house was erected, 
which is yet standing. They squatted 
eighty acres of land, which they subse- 
quently purchased from the Fox River 
Land Company at $1.25 per acre, selling 
the only horse they had to pay for it. 
But one path led to or from their loca- 
tion, and that was a "winter road " lead- 
ing to the F"ox river, at a point one mile 
from Little Kaukauna. The first space 
cleared on the land was planted to corn 
and potatoes, and each year, as the land 
improved, and the children grew old 
enough to help, the farm became more 
and more productive, till it yielded them 
a comfortable support. 

John L. McAbee was about nineteen 
years old at the breaking out of the Civil 
war, and, like many other young men, 
longed to take part in the suppression of 
the Rebellion. Accordingly, in Decem- 
ber, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company K, 
Seventeenth Wis. V. I., being sent to 
Madison, Wis., whence, after a short 
stay at Camp Randall, he was sent to 
Camp Benton, St. Louis, and thence to 
Tennessee, arriving at Shiloh shortly after 
the engagement at that place. He partici- 
pated in the fight at Corinth (his first 
battle), and next in the engagement at 
Holly Springs, from there going to Mem- 
phis, where, in January, 1863, he was 
discharged on account of illness, the 
result of a cold he had contracted at 
Madison, Wis. Mr. McAbee returned to 
his home in Brown county. Wis., and 
after recuperating his health re-enlisted, 
in January, 1864, this time in Company 



F, Fourteenth Wis. V. I., proceeding 
with the command to \'icksburg, Miss., 
and thence to Eastport. He took part in 
the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, and in 
the march to Atlanta, participating in 
seventeen engagements around that city, 
and after its fall he was among those 
who returned to Nashville with Hood. 
From Nashville they were conveyed by 
transports to New Orleans, near where 
tiiey camped for three weeks, on Uauphin 
Island. He was in the engagement that 
followed at Spanish Fort, and in the land 
forces around Mobile, and at the time of 
Lee's surrender was on the march to 
Montgomery, Ala. Mr. McAbee was 
mustered out of the service at Mobile, 
and October 29, 1865, received an hon- 
orable discharge at Madison, Wis. ; during 
his long term of service he was never 
injured. 

Immediately after receiving his dis- 
charge our subject returned to Brown 
county, and on November 14, 1865, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Abigail 
Garity, who was born October 7, 1848, 
in Milwaukee, Wis. She was the daugh- 
ter of George and Abigail (Childs) Garity, 
natives, respective!}', of Ireland and New 
York State, who came in an early day to 
Milwaukee, and subsequently to Kau- 
kauna, Outagamie county, where they 
were residing at the time of Mrs. Mc- 
Abee's marriage. Mr. Garity was at one 
time an extensive landowner in Outaga- 
mie county, where he ranked among the 
leading men of his section. He died in 
Kaukauna, and his widow now makes 
her home in Wausau, Wisconsin. 

After his marriage Mr. McAbee built 
a log house on his present farm, and here 
he and his family resided until the erec- 
tion of the pleasant home they now oc- 
cupy. They have had children as fol- 
lows: Angeline, deceased in infancy; 
Amos and Lambert, at home; Geneva, 
Mrs. James Sullivan, of Lawrence town- 
ship; Martha, deceased when two years 
old; James, at home; Sophia, a well edu- 
cated young lady, who has held a teach- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



4S3 



er's certificate since her fifteenth year; 
Henry, deceased in infancy; Henry, Hving 
at home; Mary, deceased in infancy; 
Gertrude, at home; Ellen, deceased in 
infancy, and Louis and Maggie, at home. 
Mr. McAbee has ninety-two acres of ex- 
cellent farm land, all of which he himself 
has taken from its primitive st:ite. He 
has been successful in his chosen voca- 
tion, and deserves great credit for what 
he has accomplished, especially as it is 
all the result of his own efTorts. By 
reading and observation he has accjuired 
a good practical education, in spite of his 
lack of early literary training. In poli- 
tics he is a stanch Republican, and has 
served his township as supervisor, at 
present holding the position of health 
officer, and for fourteen consecutive years 
he has been school director. He was se- 
lected to act as juryman three times, and 
served each time. In religious connec- 
tion he and his wife are members of St. 
Paul's Catholic Church at Wrightstown. 



M 



WEBER, a leading well-known 
citizen of New Denmark town- 
ship. Brown count}-, is a native 
of Germany, born September 
12, 1850, in Luxemburg, son of Hubbard 
and Mary (Dewald) Weber, the former of 
whom was a mason by trade. They had 
five children, namely: William (deceased), 
Anna (deceased), Nicholas, Paulina and 
our subject. 

In 1853 this family embarked at Ham- 
burg in a sailing vessel bound for America, 
landing in New York City after a long, 
weary voyage of 146 days. Coming 
directly to Milwaukee, Wis., they re- 
mained in that city two weeks, and then 
proceeded, via Green Bay, to New Den- 
mark township, Brown county, where Mr. 
Weber invested in eighty acres of wild 
land, which at that time was all in the 
woods and inhabited by wild beasts. 
They commenced life on this place with 
almost nothing, and soon commenced to 
clear the land, Mr. Weber also working 

27-B 



in mills, as the farm at first did not yield 
enough to support the family. By inces- 
sant toil the whole tract was finally cleared 
and cultivated, as well as an additional 
forty acres, and at the time of his death 
Mr. Weber was the owner of a highly im- 
proved farm of 1 20 acres all acquired by 
his own earnest labor. He was called 
from earth November 5, 1888, since 
which time his widow has made her home 
with her son, Mathie, who now owns and 
conducts the home farm. She has reached 
the advanced age of ninety-one years. 

Our subject was reared to manhood 
on the pioneer farm, where he was 
thoroughly trained by his father to agri- 
cultural pursuits. On May 22, 1877, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Catherine 
Bartelme, and to their union have been 
born eight children, viz. : Josephine, 
John, Minnie, Mary, Lizzie, TiUie, Henry, 
and one that died in infancy. On the 
death of his father, Mr. Weber bought 
the old homestead, where he carries on a 
profitable farming business, and since 
1890 he has also conducted a saloon. In 
politics he has been actively identified 
with the Democratic party, taking great 
interest in its success, and he has held 
various offices in his township, having 
served as supervisor (two years), con- 
stable (nine years), pathmaster and 
school director nine years, discharging all 
the duties connected with these offices in 
a creditable and highly satisfactory man- 
ner. Socially he is a member of the 
Catholic Knights, Branch No. 10 1, 
Cooperstown, and in religious connection 
he and his wife are members of the 
Catholic Church. 



WILLIAM CASHMAN (deceased), 
who in his lifetime was one of 
the leading farmers of Rockland 
township, Brown county, of 
which he was a resident some forty years, 
was a native of County Cork, Ireland, 
born in November, 1818. His parents, 
William and Mary (Leary) Cashman, who 



484 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



were farming people, had a family of ten 
children — six sons and four daughters. 

Our subject was reared to agricultural 
life, and during his youth received a 
somewhat limited education in the com- 
mon schools. In April, 1840, his father 
having provided him with means to emi- 
grate, he sailed from Cork on the brig 
" John Wesle}-," and after a passage of 
five weeks and three days landed in Bos- 
ton, where his brother John resided. 
Here he obtained employment, working 
as deck-hand on boats plying along the 
Atlantic coast between Boston and 
Charleston, continuing in this until his 
marriage, after which he worked in lum- 
ber yards. But as he never received 
more than si.xty cents a day, and had to 
board himself, he could save nothing, 
and finally concluded to come westward 
to Wisconsin, where cheap homes were 
then offered to settlers. In February, 
1843, he was married, in Boston, to Miss 
Hannah Corcoran, who was born in 
County Cork, Ireland, in 1823, daughter 
of William Corcoran, who brought his 
family to the United States in 1836. 
They sailed from Cork on the ship 
"Palace," and after a six-weeks' voyage 
landed at Bangor, Maine, thence in a 
short time coming to Boston, where Mr. 
Corcoran died the following year, when 
his daughter Hannah was but fourteen 
years old. Two children, Mary and 
Ellen, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cash- 
man in Boston, and in the fall of 1849 
this little family migrated westward, going 
by rail to Buffalo, thence by water to 
Sheboygan, and thence to Menomonce. 
At that time there was but one saw- 
mill in that region, and Mr. Cash- 
man, after remaining there a month in 
the employ of Dr. Hall, came to Green 
Bay, which city at that early day did not 
contain a single brick house. Later he 
removed to De Pere, and from there to 
Kaukauna, where he remained six j'ears, 
working on the canal then in course of 
construction, during which time he dug 
many of the lock-pits for the Fox River 



Improvement Co. In those days Mr. 
Cashman was capable of performing a 
great deal of hard labor, and never "took 
a back seat" for any of his fellow work- 
men. Few of them could lift greater 
weights than he could, for at one time he 
was able to lift 1,080 pounds! In the six 
years of hard work at Kaukauna he saved 
four hundred dollars, and about 1852 he 
invested in forty acres of totally unim- 
proved land in Section 16, Rockland 
township, shortly afterward removing 
thereon, and making their home in the 
frame shanty then standing. A few 
years later he commenced to devote his 
time exclusively to the cultivation and 
improvement of his land, on which a vast 
amount of clearing needed to be done, 
and he labored early and late to reduce 
it to a fertile condition, a task which he 
saw accomplished after years of perse- 
vering toil. In addition to clearing and 
improving the original purchase, he added 
to it from time to time, ultimately be- 
coming owner of 200 acres of prime land, 
all accumulated from the four hundred 
dollars he saved while working as a day 
laborer. Having risen by his own exer- 
tions to such enviable position among 
the leading farmers in Rockland town- 
ship, he was trul}' a self-made man, and 
one of the few remaining pioneers of this 
section, who did so much toward opening 
up and improving the country. During 
their half century or more of wedded life 
Mrs. Cashman had, by her thrifty man- 
agement of the household affairs, assisted 
her husband greatly in the gathering to- 
gether of his property. Mr. Cashman 
died October 12, 1894, aged seventy-six 
years. 

Politically William Cashman was for- 
merly a Democrat, but though never a 
strict partisan, he in the later years of 
his life was altogether independent, in- 
variably selecting the best man regard- 
less of part}'. Though not a politician, 
he was called upon to serve his township 
as chairman, an office in which he gave 
complete satisfaction. In religious connec- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



485 



tion he was a member of St. Francis Cath- 
olic Church, De Pere, as is his widow, and 
was highly respected wherever known. 
After their removal to Wisconsin their 
family was increased bj^ children as fol- 
lows: William, who is now a resident of 
Colorado; Thomas, deceased when six 
years of age; Julia, Mrs. Patrick Curley, 
of Stiles, Mich. ; Kate, Mrs. Martin Mc- 
Donough, of Wausaukee, Wis. ; Edward, 
a farmer of Rockland township; John, of 
Washington, and Celia, who died at the 
age of si.x years. Mary and Ellen, who 
were born in Boston, are now deceased. 



M 



GAGNON, Green I^ay, Wis- 
consin. This gentleman was 
born in Louisville, Canada, 
December 6, 1841, and leaving 
his home before he was ten years old 
went to Montreal with the intention of 
attending school, instead of which he was 
put to work. On discovering that he 
was placed on his own responsibility, he 
hired out to learn the trade of baker, at 
which he worked eleven months, at the 
end of which time he commenced to 
learn the art of wig-making, and for 
three months worked with a man who, 
unfortunately, then died. Mr. Gagnon 
then hired out as porter on the ' ' Riche- 
lieu," of the mail boat line, which boat 
ran between Montreal and Toronto. 
When he got to the latter city he found 
he liked the place so well that he hired 
out as a bell-boy in the "Rossin House," 
and after working there some time got 
acquainted with William Osborn, a wig- 
maker and barber, with whom he re- 
mained five years, part of the time 
finishing his trade and part of the time in 
partnership. From there he went to 
Buffalo, N. Y. , thence to New York 
City, where he worked in a wig establish- 
ment about six months, and then pro- 
ceeded to Boston, thence to Troy, from 
the latter place returning to New York, 
thence back to Toronto, Canada, where 
he sojourned a few months. From 



Toronto he went east as far as Quebec, 
from there returned west to Montreal, 
thence journeyed to Ottawa, and from 
there to Peterboro. From Peterboro he 
journeyed to Lindsay, thence to Port 
Hope, from there to Belleville, then 
northwest to Owen Sound, and from 
there to Penetanguishene, thence to 
Guelph, thence to London, and thence 
to Hamilton — all in Ontario. From 
Hamilton he once more went to Buffalo, 
N. Y. , from there to Toledo, thence to 
Detroit, thence to Muskegon, Mich., from 
there to White Lake, thence to Chicago, 
where he engaged in wig-making three 
months. From Chicago he once more 
went to Montreal, after which he viewed 
a little of the country, and then, con- 
cluding to embark in business for himself, 
he bought out a place in Montreal and 
remained there two months. Finding, 
however, that it was too much of a 
French city for him, he left there and 
came back to Oconto, Wis., with fifty 
cents in his pocket, which had to be 
divided between three brothers, the price 
of the cheapest meal that could be got 
being fifty cents ! And he says he never 
knew the value of a dollar until he struck 
Oconto. After spending a year in this 
town Mr. Gagnon moved to Muskegon, 
Mich., but did not remain there any 
length of time, as he came back to Wis- 
consin, and locating in Green Bay has 
lived here ever since. In the course of 
his travels he was twice shipwrecked: 
Once in 1863, on LakeErie, and again 
in 1864 on the Georgian Bay, on which 
latter occasion he was on the "Moun- 
taineer," a three-masted sailing vessel. 

In October, 1870, Mr. Gagnon was 
married to Miss Emily Porier, who died 
March 4, 1873, leaving two children: 
Archie, who died in 1880, and Emily, 
now Mrs. Harry Donville, of Green Bay. 
On June 2, 1875, our subject married 
Kate Malt, a native of County Kildare, 
Ireland, who died July 29, 1884, leaving 
no children; she had long been an invalid. 
Since her death Mr. Gagnon has lived 



486 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



alone. Politically he is a Democrat; in 
rclif^ious connection a member of the 
Catholic Church. 

Joseph Gagntjn, grandfather of our 
subject, was by occupation a farmer, and 
a man of remarkable physical strength, 
never knowing what sickness was until a 
few hours before his death, which oc- 
curred when he reached the great age of 
one hundred and one years. He was 
married when eighteen years of age, and 
his wife lived ncarl)' as long a life as he, 
lacking but two or three weeks of being 
one hundred 3'ears old when she died. 
They had a family of sixteen children. 

George Gagnon, their son, father of 
our subject, was born in France, and 
when but a boy came with his parents to 
America, the family residing at Wolf 
River, Canada. During his youth he 
learned the miller's trade, which he fol- 
lowed all his life. In 1839 he married 
Harriet Hibbard, who was a native of 
England and daughter of Enis and Elsie 
(Armstrong) Hibbard, at that time living 
in Louisville, Canada, where Mr. Hibbard 
was engagetl in the millwright business, 
in which he met with gratifj'ing success, 
continuing that line of work until his 
death. In i iS69 George Gagnon came 
with his family to Oconto, Wis., where 
he remained until 1877, thence removing 
to Marinette, where he yet resides, having 
retired from business. The children of 
this worthy couple were M. (our subject), 
George, Edward, Amelia, Enis (deceased 
at the age of twenty years), Elsie and 
Alfred. George now lives with his father 
in Marinette, the mother having died 
December 29, 1886, at that place, where 
her remains now rest. 



WILHELM PAMPERIN, resident 
of Howard township. Brown 
county, was born November 4, 
1835, in Mecklenburg, Germany, 
a son of Henry and Margaret (Hallis) 
Pamperin, who both died in Germany, the 
mother at the age of forty and the father 



at the age of sixty. They were the par- 
ents of four sons. 

Wilhelm Pamperin was taught the 
trades of tailor and shoemaker, and in 
1848 came to the United States in the 
sailing vessel '"Howard," landing in New 
York after a passage of forty days, a few 
days later starting lor the West, via Buf- 
falo and the lakes, and arriving at Mil- 
waukee. For five months he was em- 
ployed in clearing land in the vicinity, and 
then went to Calumet, where he worked 
as a shoemaker six months, and then, in 
August, 1849, located in Green Bay, 
where he worked at shoemaking until 
1851. He was married, June 6, 1850, to 
Miss Anna Klasson, who was born August 
24, 1828, in Holland, daughter of John 
and Christine Klasson, the former of 
whom came to the United States in 1848 
in the sailing vessel ' ' Liebenough," being 
seven weeks on the voyage. He died in 
Fort Howard, Wis., at the age of si.xt}- 
eight years; his wife had died in Holland 
at the age of fifty-two. He had been an 
officer in the great Napoleon's army, and 
the family was well connected. Anna 
was the only daughter in his fainil\- of 
three children. 

To the union of Wilhelm and Anna 
Pamperin have been born fourteen chil- 
dren, of whom nine are still living, as 
follows: Anna C. , who is married, and 
has three children; William C, a farmer 
of Howard township; Louisa, who is mar- 
ried, and has seven children; Josephine, 
who is married and has two children; 
Theodore A. , who is married and has two 
children; Fred, married; Rosa, a school 
teacher; Emily, also a school teacher, 
and Sophia, bookkeeper for her brother 
at Oconto; they have all been highly ed- 
ucated, either at Milwaukee or Green 
Bay, or in the best schools of Oshkosh; 
some of the sons are quite prominent as 
business men or farmers. 

In 1 85 1 Wilhelm Pamperin left Green 
Bay and opened the first shoe shop in 
Fort Howard, carrying it on with great 
success until 1857, when he bought his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL HE CORD. 



487 



present propert\-, li\ing for a number of 
years in an old frame house and later 
erecting his present handsome residence. 
During the inteivai, however, he bought 
several farms, which he disposed of at a 
profit, and has been quite prosperous in 
all his undertakings. He owes much of 
his prosperity to his amiable helpmeet, 
for together they have earned every cent 
of their present fortune, on which they 
are now living in peaceful retirement, in 
the full enjoyment of the esteem of their 
neighbors. In politics Mr. Pamperin has 
always been a Democrat, having cast his 
first Presidential vote for Franklin Pierce, 
and he has been faithful in his party afiil- 
iations ever since. The family ae up- 
right in all their transactions, and Mr. 
Pamperin is universally regarded as a use- 
ful and valuable citizen. 



M 



ATTHIAS THORNTON (de- 
ceased) was a son of Michael 
and Mary (Conway) Thornton, 
natives of Ireland, who came 
to America in 1848, and for seven years 
resided in Canada, thence coming to the 
United States and settling in Cato, Mani- 
towoc Co,, \\'is. Here they purchased 
a farm in the wilderness, which they 
cleared up, having gone through the 
same tedious process in Canada. There 
were five children in the family, viz.: 
Thomas, Matthias (deceased), Mary (de- 
ceased), Sarah (deceased) and John. The 
parents died in Cato, and Thomas now 
lives on part of the old homestead; 
John is practicing medicine in Lansing, 
Iowa. 

On the marriage of Matthias Thornton 
to Miss Catherine A. Peppard, May 9, 
1859, his father gave him 120 acres of 
good land, containing some improve- 
ments. Matthias lived here until 1882, 
when the entire estate was sold and di- 
vided among the heirs, 240 acres being 
bought in by Matthias, on which tract 
his widow now makes her home. Mr. 
Thornton passed through all the priva- 



tions, vicissitudes and hardships of pio- 
neer life, and had succeeded in bringing 
his farm to a high state of cultivation 
when he met his untimely death while 
going to Church, December 5, 1890, 
caused by a runaway horse. His remains 
were interred at Duck Creek, and were 
followed to their last resting-place by a 
large number of friends. He died m the 
Catholic faith, in which Church he had 
held lay offices of trust and honor. In 
politics he was a Democrat, and while 
a resident of Cato held several public 
offices, but declined public service after 
becoming a citizen of Brown county. 
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Mat- 
thias Thornton were thirteen in number, 
as follows: Mary Ann, born February 27, 
i860; Michael, born February 14, 1862; 
JohnH., born January i i, 1864; Thomas, 
born February 19, 1866; Catherine, born 
May 16, 1868; Walter, born June 5, 
1S70; Matthias, born January 18, 1872; 
Celia, born January 24, 1874; Alice, 
born October 19, 1876; Ellen, born Jan- 
uary 15, 1878; William, born November 
10, 1880; Francis, born July 21, 1882; 
and Edward, born February 22, 1884. 
Of the above Michael died November 12, 
1893, and left a widow with four children 
— Sophia, Frederick. Daniel and Mary. 

Catherine Anna Peppard, daughter of 
John and Mary (Madigan) Peppard, was 
born August 3, 1840, in County Clare, 
Ireland. There were eight children in 
this family, named as follows: Cath- 
erine A., Patrick H., Michael (deceased), 
Mary, John, Bridget (deceased), Thomas 
and Daniel (the last named also deceased). 
Of the survivors, Catherine A. will be 
mentioned farther on; Patrick H. is a car- 
penter in Chicago. 111., and has a family; 
John is a farmer of Cato, Manitowoc coun- 
ty. Wis. ; Thomas is a miner of Deadwood, 
Dak., and Mary is the wife of John O'Con- 
ner, a farmer. 

Miss Catherine A. Peppard was about 
nine years of age when she was brought 
to America by her parents, who landed 
in New Orleans; a few days later the fam- 



488 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ily went to Louisville, Ky., where the 
father was employed on a railwa\^ train 
for some time; they then went to Jeffer- 
sonville, Ind., and in 1854 came to Wis- 
consin, where the father bought eighty 
acres of land in a dense forest, inhabited 
only by Indians and wild beasts. A clear- 
ing was made, and a 14x16 cabin put 
up, in which the family lived until a fine 
farm was developed and better accommo- 
dations afforded. There the father died 
July I, T<S9i, and was buried; the mother 
passed from earth October 28, 1892, 
while on a visit to her daughter, Mrs. 
Thornton, in Pittsfield township, Hrown 
count)', being stricken with paralysis at 
the age of seventy-six. Since the death of 
her husband, Mrs. C. A.Thornton has most 
successfully conducted the farm, and few 
persons could have manifested a business 
talent superior to that exhibited by her 
since she has had the management of the 
place. 



HII^AM P. HAYDEN, one of the 
oldest settlers of Pittsfield town- 
ship, Brown county, was born in 
Fitzwilliam, N. H., August i, 
1 8 18, a son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Par- 
mity) Hayden, who were the parents of 
eight children, viz.: Sally, Caroline, 
Israel, Otis, Ruth, Hiram P., Eli/a and 
Harriet, of whom Hiram P. is the only 
survivor. 

At the age of seven years our subject 
was bound out to a man named James 
Blodget for eight years; but as he was 
given nothing to eat, save bread and milk, 
for five consecutive years, he ran away. 
From that time on he worked at various 
places and at different employments until 
nearly twenty-four years of age, when he 
returned to the home farm, and had con- 
ducted the place for his father a year and 
a half when the latter died. A short time 
after that sad event the farm was sold 
under foreclosure, and for two years more 
Hiram worked the place on shares, caring 
for his aged mother until 1852, when he 



came to Flintville, Brown Co., Wis., his 
mother remaining in the East with a 
daughter. Here he found a half acre 
cleared on the tract on which he settled, 
occupied by a mill, but there was not a 
dwelling for six miles back toward Green 
Bay. He worked through the winter in 
the mill, nntil January 4, and with others 
was sleeping in the structure when it was 
destroyed by fire, and all hands were 
thrown out into the cold, without cloth- 
ing, Mr. Hayden saving an overcoat only. 
He worked all through the remainder of 
the winter without even a pair of mittens. 
At last he obtained an order from \^'illiam 
Lamb on a man in Chicago for money 
enough to go East. He had been mar- 
ried there to Mary Prescott, daughter 
of Eli and Rhoda (Record) Prescott, 
and to this union had been born 
three children — Amelia, Myra and Caro- 
line. On his return West he brought 
this family with him, and also W. D. Rice, 
George Holden and his brother Silas. 
On his arrival at Green Bay he had twelve 
cents in his pocket and eight persons to 
care for. But he had a friend, John 
Tiernan, who settled the bill at the 
"United States Hotel," and with him 
they sta3'ed one day at his place across 
the river. Mr. Hayden walked to Pitts- 
field, secured an ox-team and returned 
for his family next day. He went to 
work at milling, and by the next winter 
owned a yoke of oxen; in 1855 he bought 
eighty acres of land, on which were a 
small clearing and a frame dwelling, and 
by hard and continuous work he suc- 
ceeded in making a fortune. 

David Page, Sr.. about the year 1855 
or 1856, came to Pittsfield, Wis., from 
Lower Canada. He was a widower, and 
the father of seven children, viz. : Sam- 
uel, George, Levi, Martha, Eliza, David 
and John. He brought with him his son, 
David, Jr., and for some time they lived 
with Mr. Hayden. David Page, Jr., 
married a daughter of Mr. Hayden, and 
there came to this unioii three children: 
Hiram David, born March 4, 1859; James, 



COMMEMORAtlVE BlOGMAPSlCAL UECORD. 



4S9 



who died in infancy, and Charles, who 
died at the age of three years. David 
Page, Jr., had purchased from Mr. Hay- 
den sixty acres of wild land, but in 1863 
he enlisted in the Thirty-second Wis. V. 
I., and started for the front, only reach- 
ing Oakland, however, when he was taken 
sick, and on his return homeward died at 
Green Bay. Mrs. Page and her son, 
Hiram D., made their home with Mr. 
Hayden about a year, when Mrs. Page 
married Solomon Dean, and a few 
months after this marriage She, too, was 
called from earth, thus leaving her son, 
Hiram D., an orphan. From that time 
forward he lived with his grandfather, 
Hiram P. Hayden, who was appointed 
his guardian, until he became of age. He 
then worked in the woods and on the 
river through twelve winters. On Sep- 
tember 6, 1887, he was united in mar- 
riage with Cora Handeyside, daughter of 
John and Amelia (Packard) Handeyside. 
He was then the owner of fifty acres left 
him by his father, and bought, besides, 
thirty-si.\ acres from his grandfather, and 
he is now the owner of i 39.^ acres. The 
four children born to Hiram D. Page and 
his wife are named Edith Blanche, Lola 
B., Cathline B., and one whose name is 
not given. In politics Mr. Page is a 
stanch Republican. 



WALTER E. GARDNER, editor 
and proprietor of the Daily, 
Sunday and Weekly Gazette, 
Green Bay, is a native of New 
York State, born August 7, 1 849, in 
Watertown. 

The first of the Gardner family, of 
which Walter E. Gardner is an honored 
member, came in 1680 from the shores 
of Old England to those of New England, 
settling in Rhode Island, where they re- 
mained for many years, multiph'ing and 
prospering. From there the immediate 
progenitors of the subject of these lines 
moved to New York State, where was 
born at Saratoga Springs, Henry S. 



Gardner, his father, and who was married 
to Martha McCully, whose father, Robert 
McCull}', was of New York nativity, and 
a son of a well-to-do Scotch farmer who 
emigrated from the land of shaggy heath 
and mountain flood to America, settling 
in New York State. When Walter E. 
Gardner was a two-year-old child his 
parents moved from Watertown, N. Y., 
to Oswego, in the same State, and he 
was there reared, receiving a liberal edu- 
cation at the public schools of that city, 
afterward attending Rochester (N. Y.) 
University, paying his way through that 
institution with his boyhood earnings, for 
at the early age of twelve years we 
find him self-supporting, commencing his 
future bright journalistic career in the 
office of the Oswego Palladiuiii. 

In 1876 Mr. Gardner, attracted by 
the glowing accounts of the marvelous 
growth and prosperity of Wisconsin, 
turned his steps hitherward, and in the 
city of Milwaukee accepted a position as 
reporter on the Evening Wisconsin, his 
salary at first being but eight dollars per 
week; and with the exception of the four 
years he was serving, under the adminis- 
tration of President Harrison, in the 
capacity of United States Consul for the 
Netherlands (his residence during that 
period being at Rotterdam), continued 
with that newspaper some eighteen years, 
serving at every desk on the editorial 
floor, including those of city editor, tele- 
graph editor, managing editor, associate 
editor, and editor-in-charge during the 
absence in Europe at various times of the 
senior proprietor of the paper. As above 
stated, Mr. Gardner himself was absent 
in Europe four years on official business, 
and on his return to Milwaukee in 
October, 1893, he resumed his old posi- 
tion on the E7<ening Wiseonsin, retaining 
his connection therewith until August i, 
1S94, when he bought the Green Bay 
Gazette * which has since become one of 
the newsiest and most readable of the 



* A brief account of the e.irly history of this journal will 
be found in the sketch o£ Mrs. Rosamond Follett, at Page 17. 



490 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



daily papers in tiie State. He has re- 
modeled the building, doubled the cajxic- 
ity of the plant, placed the paper on the 
list of members of the Associated Press, 
and now receives and publishes daily (in- 
cludin-^ Sunday, for a Sunday edition was 
commenced at Easter, 1895) the admira- 
ble reports of that organization — in fact 
he has established the paper on thorough- 
ly metropolitan lines, and not only the 
city of Green Bay, but the entire county 
and the State of Wisconsin at large, has 
reason for congratulation that the (Jti:;ith- 
is in such safe, sagacious and thoroughly 
clean hands. In each of twelve towns 
surrounding Green Bay Mr. Gardner has 
placed carrier boys, thereby securing for 
his patrons at these several points the 
same service as is enjojed in metropoli- 
tan cities, such as Chicago and New York. 
The proprietor in his prospectus sa3s: 
' ' The publisher of The Gazette is per- 
suaded that this great north country is 
entitled to have and will support a li\e, 
clean, nji-to-date metropolitan paper of 
its own. It is his purpose to furnish 
such a paper, which shall give all the 
news, all the time, and give it prompth' 
and reliably. " The Gazette is abl}- edited 
in every department; and is a credit alike 
to its enterprising editor and proprietor, 
and to the thriving prosperous city where 
it now "sings its daily song," and under 
Mr. Gardner's administration has easily 
taken front rank among the leading news- 
papers of the State of Wisconsin. Its 
editor dedicates the influence of his paper 
to the building up of the business inter- 
ests of the city of his adoption, by all 
proper methods, in which connection, at 
this period of the history of both Green 
Bay and Fort Howard, it is not inappro- 
priate to record that Mr. Gardner was 
prominently active in securing the recent 
amalgamation of those two cities. 

On January 20, 1874, Walter E. 
Gardner and Miss Mary Dunbar, of Syra- 
cuse, N. Y. , were imited in marriage, and 
they live in a pleasant home in Green 
Bay. In religious faith they are mem- 



bers of Plymouth Congregational Church, 
of Milwaukee; socially he is a member of 
the F. & A. M., an(l in politics he is a 
sterling Republican. .Mr. Gardner, in 
addition to his ability as an editor, pos- 
sesses the executive skill requisite to the 
safe conducting of a first-class daily paper, 
and with such men at the helm of the 
ship of journalism we can not fail to find 
that there is jet something in store for 
our country ami the world even better 
than aught they have seen, and that 
there is a bright future before us that 
will as far surpass the present as this 
present itself rises above the meanest and 
most distant past. 



DR. CHARLES WACHEN- 
REITER, of Pittsiield town- 
ship. Brown county, a most ex- 
perienced physician and surgeon, 
was born in Paris, France, August 25, 
1842. He is a son of Lawrence and 
Dorothea Wachenreiter. the former of 
whom was a ph\sician in the Bavarian 
army, as well as a prominent citizen in 
private life. 

Our subject began his studies at the 
age of nine, and followed them eight years 
before he entered a university, in which 
he remained six years; he then had two 
years of hospital practice, after which he 
practiced at home until 1872, when he 
came to America, landing at Baltimore, 
Md. Thence he went south as far as 
Georgia; then northward to New York, 
through Philadelphia and westward to St. 
Louis; then through nearly all the cities 
east of the Mississippi river to Chicago, 
and thence to Menominee, Mich., and 
throughout the Northwest, stopping for 
some time at Stephenson, Mich. He 
finally settled at Bagley, Mich., where he 
opened a drug store and also engaged in 
the practice of his profession. Three 
years later he was burned out. He then 
went to Daggett, Mich., and thence came 
to Pittsfield, Wisconsin. 

Dr. Wachenreiter was married Sep- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



491 



tember 2, 1886, to the widow of Charles 
White, who had died of consumption 
three years previously. Mr. and Mrs. 
White came to Pittsfield in 1874, where 
he bougflit forty acres of land, now the 
property of Mrs. Wachenreiter. He left 
one child, Amanda May, now at home 
and attending school. In 1889 the Doc- 
tor and his wife settled in Flintville, 
where he has ever since enjoyed a large 
and increasing practice. In his politics 
he is a Republican. 



c 



ONSTANT DAIX. Many of the 
thrifty well-to-do citizens of 
Brown county are natives of the 
Kingdom of Belgium, and among 
these we find the subject of this sketch, 
who was born in that country February 
19, 1838. His father, Anton Daix, who 
was a farmer, died in 1847, leaving a 
widow with nine children — six sons and 
three daughters — and as soon as they 
were old enough the children were obliged 
to assist their mother, finding employ- 
ment principally in the thread mill and 
coal mines in the vicinity of their home. 
In 1865 the entire family sailed from 
Antwerp, and after a voyage of thirteen 
days landed in New York, from where 
they immediately came to Wisconsin, ar- 
riving in Green Bay on the first of June. 
A few weeks later they purchased forty 
acres of wild land in Bellevue township, 
and here the mother passed the remainder 
of her life, dying in 1879. She was 
buried in Shantytown cemetery. In re- 
ligion she was a member of the Catholic 
Church. 

Constant Daix was but a small boy 
when his father died, and being put to 
work when very young, had but little op- 
portunity for an education. In 1865 he 
came with the rest of his family to Wis- 
consin, and here in 1868 he was united 
in marriage with Miss Desire Goffard, also 
a native of Belgium, who bore him five 
children, only one of whom is living, 

28 



namely: May, born January 21, 1869, 
now at home. The mother died Decem- 
ber 25, 1879, and was buried in Shanty- 
town cemetery. On May 18, 1880, Mr. 
Daix married, for his second wife. Miss 
Mary L. Friepond, who was born April 
17, 1848, in Belgium, daughter of Pros- 
per Friepond, a farmer of that country. 
They came to the United States in 1856, 
sailing from Antwerp, and after an ocean 
voyage of six weeks arrived in this coun- 
try. On landing they came at once to 
Green Bay, Wis., reaching here August 
3, ahd shortly afterward settled in Kewau- 
nee county. 

Mr. Daix has always followed farming, 
and has met with no small degree of suc- 
cess in his chosen pursuit; he owns 140 
acres of excellent land in Bellevue town- 
ship. He is also the owner of seven 
houses in Green Bay, which he rents, and 
in 1893 he built a brick block where he 
now makes his home. This property has 
all been acquired by industry and econ- 
omy, and Mr. Daix is respected through- 
out the township for his honest, upright 
methods. He and his wife are Spiritual- 
ists in religious belief. In politics he is 
independent, voting invariably for the 
best man, regardless of party connection. 



WING. The Wing family was 
founded in America by one John 
Wing, who came from England 
and settled at Sandwich, Mass., 
in the year 1632. The family is one of 
the oldest and largest which trace their 
lineage to early Colonial settlements, and 
have always preserved an elaborate gene- 
alogical record which from time to time 
has been rewritten and enlarged upon. 
The family took a conspicuous part in the 
war of the Revolution, no less than thir- 
ty-two of its members bearing the name 
of Wing serving actively in the field in 
Massachusetts regiments alone, while two 
members of the family served from Con- 
necticut, two from New York and others 



492 



COMMEMORATIVE niOGRAPIIICAL RECORD. 



from Rhode Island. The original farm, 
located at Sandwich by old John Wing 
two hundred and sixtj-throe years ago, 
is still in the possession of the family, and 
it is said that over five hundred <if his 
descendants are buried upon it. 

The Wing family has furnished sev- 
eral distinguished names to the history of 
the country, among whom may be men- 
tioned Asa S. Wing, the friend and co- 
laborer of Gerret Smith in the cause of 
freeing the slaves, and to whose memory 
the friends of Freedom erected a momi- 
ment at Mexico, N. Y., in 1854, the ded- 
ication address being delivered by Fred- 
erick Douglas. Asa S. Wing was the 
uncle of the late I^ufus I.. Wing, of Ke- 
waunee county. Wis. .\nother distin- 
guished member of the family was K. 
Rumsey Wing, who at the age of twenty- 
four years was made a foreign minister of 
the United States to Ecuador, where he 
died, and his remains were brought back 
to his native land by a government war 
vessel sent there for that purpose. 

The ^^'ings of Kewaunee county are 
descended directh' from one Josejih W ing, 
who settled in l3artmonth, Mass., about 
the year 1 720. Among his children was one 
son named Jabez, who also lived at Dart- 
mouth (now I'^air Haven), and reared a 
large family of children. He had one son 
named John, who married Margaret 
Buffam, and removed from Massachusetts 
to White Creek, Washington Co.. N. Y., 
about the the year 1770. jnlin \\'ing had 
a large family of children, among whom 
was William, who married Esther Follett, 
and also lived at White Creek. He had 
one son named James, who married Mary 
Sweet, and about 1825 removed to Mar- 
shall, Oneida Co., N. Y., later, in 1848, 
to Brcthertown, Calumet Co., Wis., thus 
founding the Wisconsin branch of the 
family. He was the father of the late 
Ixufus L. Wing, of Kewaunee, and the 
grandfather of Judge Geo. W. \\'ing, 
now residing at Kewaunee. 

Ri'Fis I^. Wing. Perhaps no man 
was more widely known throughout the 



peninsular counties from the year of i860 
up to the time of his death than the late 
Rufus L. Wing, of Kewaunee. Mr. Wing 
played a ver\' prominent part in every 
movement for the betterment of the sec- 
tion in which he lived, and his memory is 
still held in great esteem by the people of 
the two counties of Door and Kewaunee. 
He came of hardy, sterling Quaker an- 
cestry, not given much to show, liut im- 
bued with the hard connnon sense of New 
England logic 

I'iufus E. \\'ing was born at Marshall, 
Oneida Co., N. Y., August 20, 1832. 
His early life was spent upon a farm, and 
his education was such only as was pro- 
vided by the public schools of the day. 
Ill 1848 he came with his parents to W'is- 
consin and located at Chilton, Calumet 
county, where he learned the carpenter's 
trade, which he followed for a number of 
years. In September, 1855, he was mar- 
ried at Gravesville, Wis., to Miss Mary 
E., the eldest daughter of Hon. Geo. W. 
Elliott, one of the pioneer settlers of 
Fond du Lac county. 

About this time Mr. Wing began the 
study of law in the office of his cousin, 
the late Gen. H. J. Sweet, at Chilton, 
was admitted to the practice of law at 
Chilton, December 21, i860, and imme- 
diately thereafter took up his residence at 
Ahnapee, where he had been preceded by 
his father-in-law, Elliott, in 1857. Be- 
fore his removal to Kewaunee county he 
had served a term as ileputy county 
clerk of Calumet county. In the sum- 
mer of 1862 he first enlisted in the Twen- 
ty-first Wis. \'. I., and raised part of a 
company at Ahnapee for that regiment; 
but before the regiment went to the front 
he received a commission to raise a com- 
pany for a lake-shore regiment which was 
recruiting at Sheboygan under Judge 
David Taylor. He was very^ active in 
recruiting soldiers up to the sunnner of 
1 864, when he finall\- went to the front 
as first sergeant of Company I, Forty- 
third Wis. \ . I. He was honorably dis- 
charged with his regiment in July, 1865, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



493 



and returned to his home in Ahnapee, 
where he resumed the practice of his pro- 
fession. On January i, i S69, he was ap- 
pointed deputy county clerk of Kewaunee 
county, and in March following removed 
with his family to Kewaunee, where he 
continued to reside up to his death, which 
occurred March i, 1889. During the 
period of his life at Kewaunee he held 
many offices of public trust, having been 
county clerk, district attorney and the 
first president of the vilhige of Kewaunee, 
when it was organized. He was a prom- 
inent member of the F. & A. M., I. O. 
O. F. , G. A. I\. and Temple of Honor, 
and held the position of senior vice-com- 
mander of the department of \\'isconsin 
up to within five days of his decease. In 
politics, he was a Republican, a vigorous 
advocate of the cause of Temperance, and 
in the fall of 1883 was nominated for 
member of Congress by the Prohibition- 
ists of the District. He died at Kewau- 
nee, March i, 1889, after a brief illness 
of three days. The funeral services held 
over his remains brought together from 
all parts of the peninsula one of the 
largest assemblages of people ever con- 
vened in these parts. No more striking 
testimony to his zeal, honesty of purpose, 
and worth as a man could be offered 
than the fact that on the day of his 
funeral, although he was known far and 
wide as an advocate of the cause of Tem- 
perance, every saloon in the city of Ke- 
waunee was closed in honor of his mem- 
ory. A special memorial service was 
held by the bar of the county in open 
court. The camp of Sons of \'eterans 
at Kewaunee is named the I^. L. 
Wing Camp, a tribute to his record as a 
patriotic and worthy soldier of the Re- 
public. His widow and only son. Judge 
George W. Wing, are still living at Ke- 
waunee. 

Georgk W. Wing was born September 
I, 1856, in Chilton, Calumet Co., Wis., 
and was consequently about four years 
old when the family moved to Ahnapee, 
at the common schools of which place he 



received a liberal education, afterward, in 
1 87 1, commencing a full literary and 
classical course at Lawrence University, 
Appleton. In 1873 he returned to 
Ahnapee, and, although but a youth of 
sixteen summers, he, in partnership, with 
Charles W. Borgman, founded the A/ina- 
/<iY Riron/. the first paper published in 
that village, which they conducted about 
two years and then sold to W. H. Sey- 
mour. Mr. ^^'ing at this time entered his 
father's law office, where he diligently ap- 
plied all his energies to the study of 
" Blackstone," "Coke upon Lyttleton,"- 
and other eciually learned legal author- 
ities, and was duly admitted to the bar 
October 27, 1877, a few weeks after at- 
taining his majority. He at once com- 
menced the practice of his chosen pro- 
fession in partnershij) with his father at 
Kewaunee, and has pro\en himself in all 
things a worthy successor to a worthy 
father. His clientele is now one of the 
largest in Kewaunee county, and repre- 
sents the best class in the community. 
Fr)r three years, from July i, 1881, to 
July I, 1884, he was cashier of the Ke- 
waunee Exchange Bank, at the same time 
keeping up his law practice. 

On June 20, 1883, Mr. Wing was 
married at Kewaunee, to Miss Belle E. 
Dikeman, daughter of C. W. Dikeman, of 
West Kewaunee, now of Racine, Wis., 
and two children ha\e come to them: 
George D., born January 8, 1887, and 
GrSce W., born February 22. 1892. In 
his political associations Mr. Wing has 
always been a stanch Republican, and ii> 
1888 he served as a delegate to the 
National Republican Convention, held at 
Chicago. On December \.[, 1885. he 
was appointed county judge, an incumb- 
ency he filled with acknowledged ability 
till January i, 1890. From June. 1891, 
till |une, 1893. he served as colonel of 
the Division of ^^'isconsin Sons of Vet- 
erans, and in all public enterprises he has 
shown a spirit of progressiveness char- 
acteristic of himself and worthy of the 
honored name he bears. 



494 



COJ/MEMOBATirf; BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



THOMAS REYNOLDS. This gen- 
tleman is a well-known and promi- 
nent farmer citizen of Jacksonport 
township, Door county, and none 
enjo3s to a greater extent the confidence 
and esteem of the community at large 
than he, in whom is found one of the 
best examples of safe conservative enter- 
prise and indomitable perseverance. 

He is a native of County Longford, 
Ireland, born in 1841, a son of Michael 
and Mary Ann Reynolds, respectable 
farming people of that county, who were 
the parents of nine children — seven sons 
and two daughters. The mother died 
in Ireland in 1855, and in the fall of 
1865, six weeks after our subject's immi- 
gration, the father came to Wiscon- 
sin, settling on a farm in Dane county, 
where he died in 1880. After leaving 
school Thomas Reynolds worked on his 
father's farm till he was twenty-four 
years old, at which time (fall of 1865) he 
emigrated to the United States, sailing 
from Queenstown, Ireland, in company 
with his sister Catherine, on the steam- 
ship " Scotland " (which went to the bot- 
tom of the ocean two months later), and 
after a voyage of ten days and four hours 
they landed at New York. From there, 
after a six-weeks' visit among friends and 
relatives in that city and Brooklyn, they 
proceeded to their destination, Wisconsin, 
and, locating in Dane county, Thomas 
worked on a rented farm, whither his 
father came as already recorded. Af the 
end of a year, however, our subject 
moved to Jacksonport township, Door 
county, where his brother John was es- 
tablished in an extensive lumber and 
shipping business, in partnership with a 
Mr. Harris, the style of the firm being 
Reynolds & Harris Co. With them he 
worked about twelve months, after which, 
for four or five years, he was engaged in 
getting out cedar and other lumber, for 
railroad, telegraph and other purposes. 
In the meanwhile, about two years after 
commencing this industrj', he purchased 
the estate of Harris, Reynolds & Co., 



who had failed, and continued the busi- 
ness, which included mercantile, dock 
and lumber traffic, until 1873, when the 
financial panic of that year, and the ac- 
companying crash, overwhelmed him. At 
the time of his failure he was head of the 
firm of Reynolds Bros., composed of 
Thomas, Henry and Michael, and half 
owner of the business. The creditors he 
satisfied to the best of his ability, and in 
an honorable manner. Having now to 
commence business life again, Mr. Rey- 
nolds purchased eighty acres of land in 
Section 27, from which the timber had 
been cut, but no improvements made, and 
this he set to work to clear and cultivate, 
struggling along with his customary 
energy and perseverance until he once 
more "got on top." All the improve- 
ments (and it will be readily seen they 
were not a few) were made by him, and 
the transformation of a wild and to many 
people discouraging scene into a fertile 
farm equipped with all modern conven- 
iences, buildings, etc., is due to his indi- 
vidual care, industry and sound judg- 
ment. To the original eighty acres he 
has from time to time added until now he 
is the owner of 180 acres, half of which 
has been cleared and improved mainly 
under his personal supervision, and it will 
be seen that his natural ability and deter- 
mination have fully asserted themselves. 
In April, 1872, Mr. Reynolds was 
married in Milwaukee, Wis., to Miss Jen- 
nie Foley, daughter of John Foley, who 
came frorn Ireland to this country in an 
early day, and to this union have been 
born children as follows: Anna, Mabel, 
John and Thomas, all school teachers, 
Anna in Oshkosh schools, and Mabel in 
Sturgeon Bay high school; Paul, attend- 
ing school, and Edith, Sydney, Lucille, 
Jennie and Helen, all at home. The en- 
tire family are members of the Catholic 
Church; in politics Mr. Reynolds is a 
stanch Republican, and although a strictly 
anti-office-seeker was without his knowl- 
edge elected to the position of chairman 
of Jacksonport township, in which he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



495 



served two years with credit to himself 
and satisfaction of his constituents. His 
family are remarkable for their brightness 
and intelligence, and are all enjoying the 
benefits of a first-class education. 



THOMAS H. SMITH, who has been 
a resident of Wisconsin some 
thirty years, and whose career has 
been a most honorable one, well 
worthy of emulation, is a native of Con- 
necticut, born in the city of Norwich, June 
21, 1842. 

His grandfather, Thomas Smith, was 
a native of England, whence, when a 
young man, he came to this country, 
making a settlement in Massachusetts, 
where he followed his trade, that of dyer, 
for many years, finally coming to New 
York State, where he died. He was 
married in Massachusetts to Miss Mary 
Bidwell, a native of same, and by her had 
three sons — John, Samuel and Thomas — 
and one daughter — Marietta — the latter 
of whom died young. The sons all learned 
their father's trade, but during the gold 
fever of 1849 Samuel and Thomas set 
out for the new El Dorado, in search of 
fortunes. 

John Smith, father of our subject, 
was born in 181 7, at Utica, N. Y. , where 
he was reared and educated. Moving to 
Connecticut he continued at his trade 
there up to his death, which occurred in 
1852. His wife, Mary B. (Whitney), 
bore him three children, as follows: 
Thomas H., Caroline (deceased at the 
age of three years) and Marietta (wife of 
George B. Merrick, of Madison, Wis.). 
The mother of these died in 1856. She 

was a daughter of George and ■ ■ 

(Brooks) Whitney, well-to-do farming 
people, who had three children: Nathan, 
Henry and Mary B. John W. Brooks (son 
of Henr}'), who was a civil engineer, built 
the first State lock on the Sault Ste. 
Marie canal, and took a grant of land in 
payment therefor. Another son, John, 



was superintendent of the Chantucket 
Company, manufacturers of cloth, which 
is still in existence. 

Thomas H. Smith, whose name ap- 
pears at the opening of this sketch, was 
ten years old when his father died, and 
fourteen when his mother was called from 
earth, so that at the very threshold of life 
he was left an orphan. At Norwich, 
Conn., he received the advantages of a 
common-school education, no more, for 
the lad had now to face the world with 
no father's affection and no mother's love 
to cheer his heart. On reaching his 
seventeenth year he was bound out to the 
trade of machinist at Norwich, at which 
he continued until 1864, with the excep- 
tion of the time he served in the Federal 
army, which was in 1861, he having en- 
listed, in response to the first call for 
troops, in the Second Connecticut Vol- 
unteer Infantry, ninety-days' service; he 
participated in the first battle of Bull Run, 
which was fought July 21, 1861. At the 
expiration of his term of enlistment he 
was honorably discharged and returned 
home. In 1864 he turned his face toward 
the setting sun, and coming to Wisconsin 
made his first halt in Green Bay, where, 
in partnership with John Leathern, he 
embarked in the lumber business, in a 
limited way at the start, their first saw- 
mill, which was erected in Brown county, 
being but a comparatively small affair. 
But the days of small things are not to be 
despised, and from this modest beginning 
the members of the firm expanded their 
business till they owned and still own 
large mills in various places, besides vast 
pine lands in Wisconsin and Michigan, 
and a thirty-thousand-acre tract in Louis- 
iana. In 1873, to their already fast- 
growing interests, they added water- 
transportation, at first building a steam 
tug, and from time to time turning out 
new vessels and increasing their traffic 
until now they have a fleet of twelve 
boats, consisting of tugs and steam-barges, 
plying between Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay 
and Chicago, and one wrecking tug. In 



496 



COMMEMOUATIVE BIOORAPUICAL liECORD. 



1890 the firm organized a wrecking com- 
pany with acapitalof $100,000, the busi- 
ness being known as the Leathern & Smith 
Towing (S: Wrecking Co., and in thespring 
of 1894 was organized the Leathern & 
Smith Lumber Co., their interests in this 
connection being largely in pine and other 
lands, as already spoken of. In 1886 
they applied for and received a charter 
from the United States Government to 
construct a toll bridge across the bay at 
Sturgeon Bay. In 1877 they built a mill 
at Sturgeon Bay, to which city Mr. Smith 
at once removed, and has since been a 
prominent resident of the place. 

In December, 1875, Mr. Smith was 
married to Miss Anna Daley, who was 
born at Peterborough, Ontario, daughter 
of John and Anna Armstrong Daley, the 
former a native of Canada, where he died, 
the latter of the North of Ireland, coining 
to Canada when eight years old. They 
had a famil)' of five children, nainel}': 
Mary, Margaret, Ellen, Anna and Denis. 
The mother is now living with her daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Smith. To our subject and wife 
were born seven children, named, re- 
spectively: Sidney T. , Leathern D., 
Maud, Winnifred, Marietta, Theresa and 
Leoline, the last mentioned dying when 
eight years old. In his political jirefer- 
ences Mr. Smith is a Republican, and has 
served as a member of the city council of 
Sturgeon Bay. At his regular trade, that 
of machinist, he is an expert, and has 
found his e.xperience in this respect of 
great assistance to him in his regular bus- 
iness. He has also always been largely 
interested in mercantile pursuits, having 
a store at each of his mills, which are un- 
der his personal superintendence. Mr. 
Smith is known as one of the most suc- 
cessful men of the peninsula. His excel- 
lent and far-seeing judgment, added to 
many years of practical experience in con- 
nection with extensive financial enter- 
prises, has made him one of the most 
prominent citizens of the northern part 
of Wisconsin. Being the architect of his 
own success, having little or no assistance 



at the beginning, his career may well be 
emulated by the young men of the pres- 
ent generation. 



JUDGE FRANK KWAPIL, of the 
county court, Kewaunee, is a native 
of Bohemia, born August 15, 1839, 
in the village of Zales, son of Joseph 
Kwapil and Mary (Fikejs), his wife. Of 
the four children in this family the Judge 
is the only son and the youngest child; 
one died in infancy; Mrs. \'. Mashek, of 
Kewaunee, and Mrs. Mary Lenoch, of 
Marion, Iowa, are his sisters. 

Joseph Kwapil, who was a miller by 
trade, came to Ameiica with his family in 
1855, and landing at Quebec, Canada, 
from there traveled by water to Montreal, 
thence by rail to Windsor, Ontario, and 
from there b\- the steamer " Lady Elgin" 
to Milwaukee, Wis. From that point 
they drove to Racine, and after remain- 
ing there one year moved to Darien, 
Walworth Co., Wis., where the father 
died in 1856; the mother was called from 
earth in 1887, while on a visit to her 
daughter in Iowa. On the death of the 
father the responsibilities of the family 
fell upon F'rank, our subject, at that 
time only a seventeen-year-old lad, he 
being the only son, and the family re- 
turned to Racine. Frank here con- 
tracted to serve an apprenticeship of 
three years with Huggins & W'ashburn at 
the stone cutter's trade; but at the close 
of two 3'ears and four months was seized 
with a severe illness that compelled him 
to relinquish the business. He then 
learned the cigar maker's trade, and es- 
tablished a factor}- of his own in Racine, 
which he successfully managed until 1 862, 
in which year he sold out and enlisted in 
Company D, Twenty-sixth Wis. V. I., 
ser\ing as private until the close of the 
war. He was wounded at the battle of 
Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1863, was 
sent to the. hospital at Washington, I). C, 
and then, being unable to endure field 
service, was transferred to Company A, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



497 



Eighteenth Regiment \'eteran Reserve 
Corps, receiving his discharge in 1865. 
He then came to Kewaunee county, and 
engaged in business at Alaska under the 
firm name of Hitchcock, Mashek & Kwapil, 
dealers in general merchandise, wood, 
railroad ties, tan bark, etc., so continu- 
ing until 1876, when the firm dissolved 
and Mr. Kwapil moved to Ahnapee, and 
here established his present general store. 

In 1892, after the death of Judge P. 
J. Rooney, Mr. Kwapil was appointed by 
Gov. Peck to fill the unexpired term, and 
in the spring of 1893 was re-elected by 
the people to the same office for the full 
term of four years. He had always been 
active as a Republican until the nomina- 
tion of Greeley, when he became a Dem- 
ocrat, and while in Alaska continually 
held some office, such as postmaster, 
chairman of his town, and other minor 
offices; and at Ahnapee he was mayor and 
court commissioner, and still holds his 
appointment papers to the last office. On 
July 7, 1868, the Judge was united in 
marriage with Miss Fannie Jenista, daugh- 
ter of George Jenista, who was one of 
the early settlers of Racine county, hav- 
ing taken up his abode there when Mrs. 
Kwapil was an infant. To this congenial 
union have been born five children — four 
sons and one daughter — named respect- 
ively: Frank, Milek, Vojta, Joseph and 
Bozena. Of these, Frank and Milek 
have charge of the business at Ahnapee, 
Vojta is a druggist, while Joseph is still 
at school. In his fraternal affiliations 
the Judge is a Mason of high standing, 
being Master of Key Lodge No. 1 74, 
and a member of Warren Chapter No. 
8, Palestine Commandery No. 20, and 
Wisconsin Consistory, thirty-second de- 
gree. 

That Judge Kwapil is fully qualified 
for the exalted office which he holds may 
be deduced from the fact that when he 
graduated in his earl}' days from the Bo- 
hemian high school he stood second in a 
class that numbered over four hundred, 
and from the fact, also, that besides be- 



ing a classical scholar he speaks fluently 
three of the living languages — German, 
Bohemian and English. His official con- 
duct has never been impugned, and his 
mercantile career has never been tar- 
nished with even the breath of suspicion. 
His social life has always been chaste, 
and his standing before his fellow men is 
an evidence that he possesses all those 
sterling qualities that constitute the born 
leader. 



JUDGE FITZ JAMES HAMILTON. 
As an able jurist, clear-headed law- 
yer, one possessed of a cool, calm, 
judicial mind, to which is added 
sterling patriotism, the gentleman, whose 
name here appears, is entitled to more 
than a passing notice within the pages 
of this volume. 

He is a native of Genesee county, N. 
Y. , born March 1 1, 1842, in the town of 
Oakfield, at the common schools of which 
place, and at the Gary Collegiate Insti- 
tute, also in Oakfield, he was educated 
up to the time he was nineteen years old, 
when he commenced school teaching, a 
vocation he followed some sixteen years 
in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, finally in 
Wisconsin. From 1871 to 1878 he was 
principal of the schools at Sturgeon Bay, 
having come to the then village in May, 
1871. While teaching he formed the 
resolution of studying for the legal pro- 
fession, and during his spare time he ap- 
plied himself so sedulously that in Febru- 
ary, 1876, he was admitted to the bar. 
In 1879 he was appointed county judge of 
Door county by the governor of the State, 
William E. Smith, and served in that 
capacity seven years. In the spring of 
1 88 1 he was elected to this office, receiv- 
ing the largest majority of votes of any 
competitor. A Republican in politics, he 
has from time to time been elected to 
various civic offices of trust and honor, 
among which may be mentioned those of 
president of Sturgeon Bay while it was 
yet a village; city attorney and city clerk, 



498 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



several times, and is now serving in both 
offices; president of the school board, as 
well as clerk of the same. In Free- 
masonry he has taken a very active part, 
and it was he with others who organized 
Henry S. Baird Lodge No. 211, Sturgeon 
Ba}', becoming its first and present master; 
is a member of Warren Chapter and 
Palestine Commandery, at Green Bay. 
He is also affiliated with the I. O. O. F., 
Peninsula Lodge, Sturgeon Bay. In 1869 
Judge Hamilton was married at Sharon, 
Walworth Co., Wis., to Miss Ellen A. 
Raymond, a native of that county, born in 
Spring Prairie township in 1843, a daugh- 
ter of Isaac and Aurelia Raymond, Ohio- 
ans by birth, who came to Walworth 
county, Wis., in an early day. Five 
children were born to this union, to wit: 
One that died in infancy; Ami Leroy, de- 
ceased when si.\ months old; and Flor- 
ence, when four years old; and Carrie 
Belle and Eva Maud, living. 

Joseph Hamilton, father of our sub- 
ject, was born, in 1796, in Weathersfield, 
Vt., a son of Thomas Hamilton, who, 
in company with two brothers, came from 
their native country, the North of Ire- 
land, to America, where Thomas fought all 
through the Revolutionary war. Joseph, 
father of the Judge, was by trade a mill- 
wright, and during the war of 18 12 was a 
soldier from Vermont. In his native town 
he married Miss Miranda Grout, born in 
the same town in 1797, daughter of Eiihu 
and Judith (Spafford) Grout, the former 
of whom was one of the first three set- 
tlers of Vermont. Judith Spafford was a 
daughter of Joseph Spafford, Sr. , and 
they trace their ancestry back to one 
John Spafford, who came to America 
from England in 1638, and died in 1678. 
The Grouts and Spaffords were very 
prominent families in the settlement of 
Vermont, whence in later years they 
migrated to Massachusetts. To Joseph 
and Miranda (Grout) Hamilton were born 
twelve children, namely: Alonzo, Lorinda, 
Adelaide, Maria, Caroline. George, Joseph 
N., Cyren S., Fitz James, and three 



that died in infancy. Of these, George 
and Joseph N. served in the Union army 
during the Civil war. The father of this 
family moved from Vermont to New York 
State in 1836, thence, in 1848, to Wal- 
worth county, Wisconsin, but in 1851 re- 
turned to New York, from there moving 
to Ohio, and thence to Allegan county, 
Michigan, where he died in 1873, as also 
his wife, in 1874. 



SAMUEL PERRY, one of the most 
prosperous and influential citizens 
of Kewaunee county, and for the 
past forty years a resident of the 
thriving city of Ahnapee, is a native of 
Ireland, born April 12, 1835, at Rilbuy 
Abbey, County Tipperary, where for many 
generations, as far back as can be traced, 
the family have resided. 

The Perrys belonged to the better 
class of the Irish gentry, and the old 
Perry estate is yet in the possession of 
the family, two brothers and one sister 
of our subject yet residing on the prop- 
erty. For generations the family have 
borne a spotless reputation, and their 
honor has never been challenged, their 
good name being as sacred to them as 
their lives. They held many high posi- 
tions of honor and trust in County Tip- 
perary, which they invariably filled with 
credit and ability, and a granduncle of 
our subject, Samuel Perry of Woodruff, 
was high sheriff of the county, and al- 
though a strict man in his official duties 
was beloved by rich and poor alike — 
moreover as a public officer he gave the 
utmost satisfaction to both the local au- 
thorities and the government-in-chief. 
Grandfather Henr}^ Perry was an estated 
man, a true type of the fine old Irish 
gentleman, a man of commanding pres- 
ence, and a strict Churchman of the 
Episcopal denomination. He died at the 
age of eightj-five years, his wife when 
over seventy years of age. They had 
eight children, ail of whom reached ma- 





^-^^Z^.CX^'^ c/X 




y 



COMMEMOKATIVB BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



50 r 



turity, of whom, two sons — Richard and 
Thomas — and one daughter — Mrs. Mary 
Thompson — crossed the Atlantic to Can- 
ada. 

John Perry, father of our subject, was 
a cavalry officer in the British service, a 
splendid looking cavalryman, six feet 
in height, and broad in proportion, a 
scion of the house of Perry who knew 
how to uphold the dignity and honor 
of the family name. He passed his 
declining years at the old homestead in 
Ireland, dying there at the age of eighty- 
seven years. He managed the estate 
with ability, and had hosts of friends all 
over the country, where he and his wife 
were held in high esteem by even the 
Catholic portion of the community, who 
as a rule were not inclined to be friendly 
toward the Protestant Episcopal Church 
element. John Perry married Miss Susan 
Mintion, daughter of Col. Edward Min- 
tion, of the British army, whose estates, 
Foyle and Fanner, were only a short 
distance from the Perry homestead. 
Capt. William Mintion, son of Col. Min- 
tion, fought at the battle of Waterloo in 
the Thirteenth Light Dragoons. The 
Mintions, like the Perrys, were an old and 
honorable family, peers in all respects of 
the Perrys, and as high-minded and jeal- 
ous of their good name. Mrs. Susan 
(Mintion) Perry died at the age of seven- 
ty-five years, leaving behind the impress 
of a woman of strong convictions and 
beauty of mind and character. She was 
well-born, and a true mother — at once 
the foundation and keystone of all home 
joys. Small tribute, unfortunately, has 
been bestowed upon beautiful woman- 
hood and noble motherhood, in the an- 
nals of our histories; but the subject of 
this biography, who has made much of 
his opportunites, desires here to acknowl- 
edge to the world, and to posterity, his 
mother's good influence on his whole life. 
Mr. and J Irs. John Perry were the 
parents of eight sons and two daughters, 
namely: Edward, Henry, Thomas, Will- 
iam, John, Samuel, Mathew, Richard, 



Anna (wife of Henry Sutliff), and Eliza- 
beth; of these, John, Samuel, Mathew, 
and Richard came to the United States, 
settling, about the year 1856, inAhnapee, 
Wis., where they have since remained, 
Samuel traveling extensively in New 
York, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky prior 
to coming here. He joined his brothers 
in Kewaunee, and they at first worked to- 
gether in getting out all kinds of ties, 
posts, poles and logs, cutting them chief- 
ly on the banks of the Ahnapee river, 
and floating them down to its mouth 
formed them into rafts; later they were 
put on scows and sent to Milwaukee and 
Chicago markets. The brothers were 
prosperous, even in this business, which 
called for much exposure and hard work, 
and each of them deserves credit for his 
courage and will power in overcoming all 
obstacles. They possessed stout hearts 
as well as strong limbs, and no task ap- 
peared too difficult for them to overcome. 
Two of the brothers — Mathew and Rich- 
ard — are now living in Forestville, Door 
Co., Wisconsin. 

Samuel Perry, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, received a good public- 
school education in his native country, 
and at the age of seventeen came to 
America, settling in Ahnapee. Here, 
about the year 1861, he opened a small 
store wherein he soon built up a good 
trade, and by perseverance, energy, hon- 
esty and good business ability amassed an 
honorable fortune. Eventually he be- 
came the heaviest buyer, at that time, in 
the lumber trade, dressing the rough ma- 
terial and shipping it mostly to Chicago 
and Milwaukee. From time to time he 
expanded his business in Ahnapee until, 
to-day, he is proprietor of the largest store 
in the county. He is also heavily inter- 
ested in real-estate business in and around 
Ahnapee, where, like few other business 
men, he is acquainted with the value of 
every foot of ground; is also interested in 
both the factories located at Ahnapee — 
the Veneer & Seating Factory and the 
Furniture Factory — in each of which he 



502 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



is a stockholder, and president of the first 
named, his son Joiin heinj,' president of 
the other. He has erected many hand- 
some buildings in Ahnapee, and in every 
\va\- has given his influence for the good 
of the town and advancement of its in- 
terests. 

In January. 1 860, Samuel Perry was 
married in Forestville, Door Co., Wis., 
to Miss Elizabeth McCormick, a lady of 
Scotch descent, but whose immediate an- 
cestry moved to County Antrim, Ireland, 
and lived and died near the "Giants' 
Causeway " in that county. Joseph Mc- 
Cormick, her great-great-grandfather, died 
there, and about the year \jCiO his widow 
came to .America with her family of chil- 
dren, settling in Chester county, Penn. 
Their children were Henry, Alexander, 
David, Margaret, Hannah and John; 
of these, Henry died March 10, 181 2, at 
Painted Post, N. Y., the father of John, 
Abraham, David, Joseph, Euphias, Henry, 
Jacob M., and Hannah; of these, Joseph 
had five children, to-wit: Guy, John H., 
Marcus, Elizabeth M. and Hiram; of 
whom, Marcus had two children: Eliza- 
beth (Mrs. Samuel Perry) and Mary Vir- 
ginia, and the former of these two, by her 
marriage with Mr. Perry, became the 
mother of two chiUhen; John (who will 
be more fully spoken of presently) and 
Alice (Mrs. Birdsel), of Ahnapee. In 
1874 Mr. Perry, our subject, married, for 
his second wife. Miss Bertha Klatt, who 
has borne him six children, viz. : Lydia, 
Clara, Jennie, Minnie, William and Maude. 
Mr. Perry is a prominent member of the 
Episcopal Church at Ahnapee, and is a 
liberal contributor toward its support, 
while his wife is prominently identified 
with the Lutheran Church. In political 
preferences he has for the most part been 
a supporter of the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party, in both State and local 
issues, and he had the honor of being 
elected the first mayor of Ahnapee, a 
position he held for years, finally posi- 
tively declining to serve longer. A most 
successful man in every way, he to-day 



occupies a position of influence and 
honor in the community, which in 
itself stands as a monument to his 
character for all future generations. A 
" chip of the old block," he has borne out 
all the family tradition, and fulfilled all 
the requirements of a useful career. In- 
deed, the world is the better for such men 
as Samuel Perry having lived, whose blame- 
less life and business enterprise and activ- 
ity leave valuable lessons, not onlj' to their 
posterity, but to any and every youth of 
a new and progressive generation. In 
physical appearance Mr. Perry has in- 
herited his father's stature and manly 
bearing, which make him a conspicuous 
personage in an}' gathering. He is pos- 
sessed of a clear eye indicative of a keen 
intelligence, and a clean conscience. His 
kindness of heart is well known to every 
inhabitant of his town and count}-, and 
his entire life reflects credit on the hon- 
orable name of Perry. 

John Perry, eldest son of Samuel 
Perry by his first wife, Elizabeth (McCor- 
mick), was born April 12, 1863, at For- 
estville, Door Co. , Wis. , and received his 
education at the schools of Ahnapee. At 
the age of eighteen years he commenced 
a mercantile career in his father's store, 
of which he has become, practically, the 
general manager, as well as the book- 
keeper. He has also been identified with 
various business movements, and during 
one year was secretary for the Ahnapee 
Furniture Co., of which he is a stock- 
holder, and at the present time president, 
having been elected to that position in 
July. 1893. 

In April, 1884, he was married, in 
Ahnapee, to Miss Frances Estella Ross, 
a native of that town, daughter of Charles 
Ross, for many years a resident of Ahna- 
pee, where he held many offices of trust; 
he is now sheriff of Santa Barbara county, 
Cal., his present home; he is a veteran of 
the Civil war, losing an arm in the service 
of his country. Three children were born 
to Mr. and Mrs. John Perry, named re- 
spectively, Lottie E. , John and Howard. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



503 



r""^REDERICK POSER (deceased) 
1-^ was a native of Saxony, German}', 
I born April 2, 1824, and was the 

son of a blacksmith. His mother 
passed away when he was quite young, 
and he was but fourteen years old when 
his father died. He was the youngest in 
a family of five children — two sons and 
three daughters — and after his father's 
death learned the blacksmith trade, 
worked in different European cities, came 
to America in 1853, worked at his trade 
in Milwaukee until 1855, and in May ville, 
Dodge Co., Wis., until 1856, and then 
settled on a farm two miles west of Ke- 
waunee village. Here he left his family 
and worked for Dean, Taylor & Borlin, 
at Carlton, Kewaunee county, until 1865, 
in which year he sold his farm and moved 
to Kewaunee city, where he carried on 
business for himself until 1882, when his 
eldest son, John, joined him as partner 
and they carried on the business together 
until 1890. Then Charles, another son, 
bought out the father's interest, and the 
two brothers continued the trade under the 
firm name of Poser Bros., adding wagon- 
making to blacksmithing. In politics 
Frederick Poser was a Democrat, and has 
served as alderman and in a few minor 
offices. He died July 4, 1891, lamented 
by a large circle of friends, who recog- 
nized in him an upright man, a useful citi- 
zen, an affectionate husband and indul- 
gent parent, and a warm friend. 

The marriage of Frederick Poser took 
place in Milwaukee, April 24, 1854, to 
Miss Mary Anna Dishmaker, daughter of 
Anton Dishmaker, a native of Bavaria, 
where Mary Anna was born in 1835, the 
family coming to America in 1853. To 
this union were born eight children, of 
whom Maggie died at the age of nine 
years; John, Anna, Fred, Mary, Augusta, 
and Charles are married; Edward, who is 
still single, is a physician in Columbus, 
Wis., and has an extensive practice. Of 
the above, John and Charles have a large 
blacksmith and wagon-making shop in 
Kewaunee, and have been alluded to as 



partners of their late father; Fred is a 
member of the firmof Bach, Keiwig & Poser 
Co., general merchants and owners of one 
of the finest stores in Kewaunee; Anna is 
married to Mr. J. Scheuerell, of Milwau- 
kee; Mary is the wife of John M. Borg- 
man, one of the leading citizens of Ke- 
waunee, and Augusta is now the wife of 
Prof. R. J. O. Hanlan, principal of the 
Thirteenth Ward School in the city of 
Milwaukee. 



VOYTA MASHEK, who for many 
years has been a leader among 
and thinker for his countrymen, 
is a native (?f Bohemia, born April 
18. 1839, in Pohorovic, where for a period 
of over two centuries the family have re- 
sided, and in the same homestead have 
religiously kept up their old-time tradi- 
tions and customs. This estate, at first 
known as the " Safranek " estate, came 
into the possession of the Mashek family 
either before or during the Thirty Years 
War, conditional that they should keep it 
in good repair, pay the taxes, etc., and 
after a time, by the edict of the Emperor, 
the entire estate reverted to the Masheks 
as absolute owners thereof. 

Martin Mashek, father of the subject 
of this sketch, was also born in the old 
homestead just referred to, and became a 
man of considerable ability and literary 
inclinations, well-read, especially in his- 
tory. During his lifetime he composed 
many songs commemorative of past and 
passing events, chiefly of a religious and 
patriotic character — songs that to this day 
are sung in the sunny land of the Czechs. 
He was twice married: first time to Miss 
Mary Shema, who died leaving one child, 
Mary, now living in Bohemia. Martin 
Mashek subsequently married Miss Anna 
Bisek, daughter of a well-to-do farmer in 
Bohemia, and she became the mother of 
children as follows: Mathias (now owner 
of the old homestead at Pohorovic), John, 
Joseph, Wentzel, Voyta, Anna and Katha- 
rine, all of whom subsequently came to 



504 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



America except Mathias, Anna and John. 
The last named was head teacher and 
director of the high school for girls in 
Smichow, a suburb of the city of Prague; 
was also editor of educational papers and 
periodicals, wrote articles on Slavic litera- 
ture, and edited a monthly containing ex- 
tracts in both the Slavic and Bohemian 
dialects. In addition to all this he edited 
a weekly paper for children, and pub- 
lished books for schools in both the Ger- 
man and Bohemian languages, as well as 
drawing books. He died in 1886, highly 
esteemed and honored by the people, who 
erected to his memory, as a champion of 
education and enlightenment, a handsome 
monument. His son Charles and Jarosh 
were brought to America, and are now 
living in Kewaunee, Wis., the former 
being a business partner with our subject, 
the latter a machinist. The father of this 
family died in 1847, aged sixty years. 
Two of his brothers, Albert and Joseph, 
participated in the Napoleonic wars, serv- 
ing as officers in one of the allied armies 
that fought against the " Corsican ogre," 
and marched into Paris with the victorious 
troops after the battle of Waterloo in 
1815. 

Voyta Mashek, the subject proper of 
this sketch, secured a thorough education 
in the city of Prague, Bohemia, in high 
school (Realshnle), and at the Polytechnic 
School. When attending school he was 
employed on two local papers of that city 
as writer and instructor. At the age of 
twenty-one he secured an engagement as 
private secretary to Prince Malinowsky, a 
Russian nobleman, accompanying him on 
his travels throughout Europe and else- 
where. In August, 1 86 1, they visited the 
United States, landing in Boston, whence 
they proceeded to New York, the object 
of the Prince being to view the first im- 
migrant settlements, and by personal ob- 
servation ascertain for himself what the 
United States Government did for the im- 
migrant, how colonies were organized, 
etc., in order to report to the Russian 
government, who were desirous of estab- 



lishing similar colonies on the Amoor and 
Ousuri rivers in Northeastern Asia. An- 
other object of the Prince's mission was 
also to inquire into the practicability or 
advisability of getting a couple of hundred 
Bohemian settlers in this country — who 
had already some experience in coloniza- 
tion — to move to the Russian territory in 
Asia and form a colony there. Accord- 
ingly meetings were organized among the 
Bohemians in Wisconsin (Racine), Mis- 
souri and Iowa, the result being that two 
delegates were appointed to proceed to 
Russian Asia, make enquiries, take ob- 
servations, and report their experiences. 
These delegates traveled to St. Peters- 
burg, thence to and through Siberia and 
eastern China, returning to the United 
States by the way they had gone. In the 
meantime the officers of the central Rus- 
sian government had changed, the main 
supporter (Prof. Hilferding) of the scheme 
died, and the ^\■hole project collapsed, 
Prince Malinowsky returning to his own 
country, while Mr. Mashek remained in 
Wisconsin, making his home for a time in 
Racine. Here he established a Bohemian 
newspaper called the " Slavic," which is 
still in existence, for the past two \ears 
edited and published by Lieut. -Gov. 
Charles Jonas, an old schoolmate of Mr. 
Mashek, who for a time was a resident of 
London, England, where he was a corre- 
spondent for Bohemian newspapers, and 
Mr. Mashek brought him from there to 
Racine to take charge of the "Slavic." 
Our subject then came, in 1863, to Ke- 
waunee, where for one year he kept 
hotel, after which he purchased his pres- 
ent general store, which includes dry 
goods, groceries, drugs, etc., and in 
course of time bought and rebuilt vessels 
for lake navigation and trade, also pur- 
chased timber lands and built sawmills in 
Door count}', going extensively into the 
lumber business in Mackinac (Mich.) 
county, in all his undertakings prospering 
and progressing. In 1886 he established 
the Bank of Kewaunee, of which he was 
president till January 4, 1894, when he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 



505 



resigned preparatory to taking a six- 
months' trip to California. In the sum- 
mer of 1892, accompanied by his son, 
George M., he traveled considerably in 
Europe and northern Africa, visiting the 
Desert of Sahara, Sicily, southern and 
northern Italy, etc., an account of his 
travels being given by him to Bohemian 
papers in both Europe and America. 

On October 13, 1863, Voyta Mashek 
and Miss Anna Kwapil, sister of Frank 
Kvvapil, county judge of Kewaunee county, 
were united in marriage, and to them 
were born two sons and one daughter: 
Voyta F. and George M., both graduates 
of Cornell University, and Anna, attend- 
ing a select school in Detroit, Mich., pre- 
paring herself to enter the Madison State 
University. Politically our subject has 
been a promment Democrat for many 
years, wielding a wide-felt influence, and 
was a delegate to the Democratic Con- 
vention that nominated General Hancock 
for President. He was the first mayor of 
Kewaunee, to which office he was elected 
without opposition, and has been a busy, 
useful and exemplary citizen, one who, 
while engaged in the never-ceasing round 
of cares that are incident to the carrying 
on of immense extensive businesses, has 
always found time in which to serve his 
fellow citizens in public matters. 



GEORGE PINNEY (deceased), who 
was owner of one of the most ex- 
tensive nursuries in this part of 
Wisconsin, and who had been a 
resident for some thirt}' years or more of 
Sturgeon Bay township. Door county, 
was in his lifetime a potent example of 
what patient purpose, resolute working, 
earnest endeavor and, withal, natural 
ability of a high order can accomplish. 

He was a native of Ohio, born August 
23, 1834, in Mantua, Portage county, a 
son of Silas and Olive (Jewett) Pinney, of 
the same nativity, who were the parents 
of nine children — five sons and four daugh- 
ters — all of whom grew to maturity, our 



subject being the eldest. When he was 
three years old the family moved to 
Geauga county, same State, where his 
father and uncles built what was known 
as "Pinney's Mills." Here in early boy- 
hood he entered the common schools, 
where he evinced wonderful precocious- 
ness, particularly in mathematics, in 
which science he manifested a mental 
capability far in advance of his years, and 
which remained to him all his life, for 
there never was any straight mathemati- 
cal problem he could not solve. He 
finished his education at Hiram College, 
Portage county, Ohio, and was a class- 
mate of James A. Garfield, and also of 
Miss Lucretia Randolph, afterward the 
wife of Mr. Garfield. His parents being 
poor, Mr. Pinney had to push his educa- 
tion alone, and pay his own board, his 
college expenses being defrayed chiefly 
out of what money he received for work 
done about the institution and elsewhere. 
At the same time his bright intellectuality 
and pronounced ability found him many 
friends who willingly assisted him in his 
efforts to secure a good education. At the 
age of seventeen he compiled a calendar 
which attracted much attention at the 
time, and which was published by a 
firm in Hudson, Ohio, who gave him 
the sum of forty dollars by way of com- 
pensation. At that same age he com- 
menced teaching school, a profession he 
followed in the winter months with ad- 
mirable success for twenty-two terms in 
Indiana, Lorain, Medina and Portage 
counties, Ohio. After his marriage in 
1857 he resided in Spencer, Medina Co., 
Ohio, till i860, and being a good stump 
speaker took an active part in Lincoln's 
campaign in that county, later removing 
to Mantua, Portage county. Prior to 
this Mr. Pinney, when a boy, having de- 
veloped considerable mechanical ability, 
and having a taste for mechanics, was put 
to work in a rake factory, though he did 
not continue there long; but years after- 
ward, while living in Mantua, he, in 
company with a brother (after trying 



5o6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fanning operations which proved unsuc- 
cessful), opened out a machine shop 
there, which in 18G3 they closed up, and 
our subject came in that year to Wiscon- 
sin, where, in \\'rif^htstown. Brown coimty, 
his father was located, and in Cireen Bay 
lived an uncle fhalf-brother of his mother 1. 
The first work he was engaged in was to 
act as foreman in a shinj^de mill in Hum- 
boldt township, l^rown count}', for Whit- 
ney Bros., which required some skill, and 
although it was the first thing of the kind 
he had put his hand to, he proved thor- 
oughly equal to the task. An accident, 
however, which happened to him nearly 
proving fatal, he returned to Green Bay, 
where on recovery he applied himself to 
some work of a light nature, and after 
about one year he came to Door county, 
the circumstances that brought him here 
being as follows: While a resident of 
Ohio his natural ability and elocutionary 
powers attracted no little attention, es- 
pecially in Methodist circles, in which 
Church he was all but licensed to preach, 
and his fame in this respect was soon 
conveyed to Wisconsin, by means of a let- 
ter from the minister in Ohio to the one 
in Green Bay, which authorized or en- 
titled the family to membership of the 
Church there. Accordingly Mr. Pinney 
was prevailed upon to come to Door 
county, which he accordingly did, jour- 
neying overland from I)e Pere, where at 
the time he was engaged in the construc- 
tion of a flax factory. This was in the 
fall of 1864, and after looking about him 
for a suitable spot whereon to settle, he 
selected Sturgeon Bay, then returned to 
Green Bay for his family, consisting of 
his wife and three children, whom he 
brought to their new home by sailing ves- 
sel, the trip being made by way of the 
Fox river and Green Ba\'. The first time 
the vessel, which was a small one, started 
with them, a violent gale drove her back 
to Green Bay, but the second effort was 
more successful. In Portage county. 
Wis., with some little means he had 
saved prior to closing up his machine 



shop in Mantua, Ohio, he bought a |)iece 
of land he never as nmch as cast his eyes 
on, and after coming to Door county he 
traded it to Dr. Taylor, of Cleveland, 
Ohio, for a quantity of fruit trees which 
were shipped to him. These he sold to 
different parties in Door county, Joseph 
Zettel, the extensive fruit-grower of Se- 
vastopol township, purchasing his first 
trees from this lot sent to Mr. Pinney. 
They were the first trees sold in the 
county, and the greater part of them 
died, certain varieties thriving. I'rom 
that day forth he bought consign- 
ments of trees into the county, and as 
he was from early youth a cripple 
from rheumatism, and not able to per- 
form arduous labor, that line of busi- 
ness well suited him. For three years 
after coming to Door county he followed 
the life of a pioneer preacher, enduring 
all the hardships and sufferings incident 
to pioneer life, for which he received but 
small compensation, and having a family 
to support he was reluctantly compelled 
to resign and confine himself exclusively 
to horticulture. In 1875 he purchased in 
Section 11, Sturgeon Bay township. 160 
acres of wild land, which he intended to 
clear and convert into a nursery, known 
far and wide as the " Evergreen Nursery," 
and of this there were at the time of his 
death one hundred acres under cultiva- 
tion, half being devoted to his nursery, 
where he chiefly reared evergreens. Prior 
to this he had purchased land at various 
times on speculation, but found none 
suited to the purpose. He did a large 
business, some seasons having sold as 
high as six million trees, employed many 
hands, himself superintending the entire 
industry, and the magnitude of the con- 
cern can be more full}' appreciated when 
it is considered that he found a market 
for his seeds, plants, etc., in everj- part 
of the civilized globe. His beautiful dis- 
play at the World's Fair held in Chicago, 
1893, attracted great attention from not 
only horticulturists, botanists and nur- 
serymen, but also from the public at large. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



507 



On June 16, 1857, at Wellington, 
Lorain Co., Ohio, Mr. Finney was mar- 
ried to Charity C. Steadnian, who was 
born August 26, 1834, in Charleston, 
Portage Co. , Ohio, daughter of Rev. E. 
P. Steadnian. To this union have been 
born children as follows: Olive, who was 
twice married, first time to Henry Young, 
of Sturgeon Bay township, after whose 
death she wedded Walter Scott ("they are 
now living on the old homestead); Flora, 
at home; John J., proprietor of the Door 
County Dcjiiocrat, published at Sturgeon 
Bay; Bessie, now Mrs. George Green- 
wood, at home; and Silas E, on the home- 
stead. Of these, Olive, Flora and John 
J., were born in Ohio, Bessie and Silas 
E. in Sturgeon Ba}'. Since 1875 the 
famii}' have lived on the farm bought in 
Sturgeon Bay township. In his political 
predilections Mr. Pinney was a I^epubli- 
can till 1872, then taking part in the Hor- 
ace Greeley campaign, from which time he 
was an equally zealous Democrat. For 
many years he was school clerk of Stur- 
geon Bay, giving unqualified satisfaction. 
In 1887 he was appointed, by President 
Cleveland, postmaster at E\'ergreen, Door 
county, which office was opened on account 
of the mass of correspondence his own 
business produced — nineteen-twentieths 
of the gross amount. In 1873 he founded 
the Expositor at Sturgeon Bay, the first 
Democratic newspaper issued in the 
county, and he conducted same three and 
one-half years, during which time he fear- 
lessl}- upheld the principles of the party, 
at the same time jealously guarding the 
interests of the public at large, independ- 
ent of party. He was the prime mover 
of the investigation into the alleged cor- 
ruption in county offices, whereby a deficit 
was said to have been unearthed — six 
thousand dollars in one office, and three 
thousand dollars in another — for the ex- 
posure of which he was assaulted and 
even fired upon. He was a pioneer 
preacher, and brought about the erection 
of the first Methodist church building at 
Sturgeon Bay. 



Mr. Pinney was remarkably success- 
ful in his business, which year by year in- 
creased, and no one in the county was 
more deserving of tlie prosperity he en- 
joyed. He died at the homestead No- 
vember 2, 1894, of cancer in the stomach, 
only a few weeks prior to vvtiich sad event 
his business was organized into a joint- 
stock compan\', which was incorporated, 
and went into effect December 11, 1894. 
It was capitalized at one hundred thous- 
and dollars, and its present officers are as 
follows: John |. Pinne}', Pres. ; Silas E. 
Pinney, Supt. ; Flora C. Pinney, Sec. and 
Treas. The stock is nearly all held by 
the family. 



DE WAYNE STEBBINS, cashier 
of the Bank of Ahnapee, Kewau- 
nee county, is a native of New 
"York State, born .\pril 5, 1835, 
in the city of Clinton, of Enghsh and 
Scotch ancestry. 

Great-grandfather Stebbins, who was 
a resident of Massachusetts, was a soldier 
in the Revolutionary war, and his son, 
William Stebbins, grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was a native of the same State, 
but from the time he was a young man, 
resided in Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y., 
near Utica. He there became a man of 
consequence, and being industrious and 
frugal soon amassed a comfortable com- 
petence, dying at the advanced age of 
eighty years, honored and beloved by his 
neighbors for his many good qualities of 
head and heart, anti for his temperate 
life. In politics he was a life-long Demo- 
crat. He married in Massachusetts, and 
had a large family of children, the mother 
of whom also reached a good old age. 

Amaziah Stebbins, son of William 
Stebbins, and father of our subject, was 
born in Pompey Hill, near Clinton, N. Y. 
There he received his education, and 
in early life learned the trade of tanner 
and currier, an occupation he followed 
some years, but later in life became a 
contractor. He was an active, energetic 



5oS 



COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPRICAL RECORD. 



man, and did a great deal of heavy work 
on the Chenango canal, which runs from 
Utica to Clinton. Being less fortunate in 
his last occupation, he came west in June, 
1S34, settling in Racine, Wis., Novem- 
ber 21, 1835, where he followed various 
occupations, kept the first hotel in the 
place, and later was appointed the first 
lighthouse keeper by the United States 
Government. In his old age he was in- 
duced to come to Ahnapee, where he pass- 
ed the rest of his days at the home of 
his son, De Wayne, dying at the age 
of seventy-nine years, September 5, 1874, 
the daj' after the decease of his wife, 
Amanda (Anderson). She was a native 
of Westfield, Mass. , daughter of a promi- 
nent and prosperous New England farmer; 
a woman of strong traits of character, 
a great reader and very intelligent, one of 
the most patient of sufferers during the 
twelve years she was an invalid; and 
many of her best traits of character, de- 
cision and will-power were inherited dy 
her son De Wayne. She and her hus- 
band were a verj' devoted, loving couple, 
each respecting the qualitiesof the other, 
and they lived a blameless life, leaving a 
spotless name and record to posterity. 
They died within twenty-two hours of 
each other, and were buried together at 
Racine, Wis., where they had lived hap- 
pily for thirty years surrounded by hosts 
of friends. Their family numbered nine 
children, named as follows: Wealthy A., 
Jane M., John A., Alexander H., Emery 
E., Albert C, Elizabeth E., William and 
De Wayne. 

The subject proper of these lines re- 
ceived his elementary education at Racine, 
Wis., after which he took rather more 
than a three-years' course at the Naval 
Academy, Annapolis, Md., which institu- 
tion he entered at the age of sixteen 
years, through the influence of Senator 
Charles Durkee, of Wisconsin. On his 
return to Wisconsin in 1856, he settled 
in Ahnapee, where at first he found em- 
ployment in the pier, mercantile and for- 
warding business, chiefly for the firm 



of D. Young. Soon, however, he became 
a member of the firm of Boalt & Steb- 
bins, in the conducting of a forwarding 
business, in which they continued some 
fifteen years, meeting with encouraging 
success. 

During this time Mr. Stebbins enlist- 
ed, August 13, 1862, at Ahnapee, Wis. , in 
Company A, Twenty-first Wis. V. I.,Capt. 
C. H. Walker, which regiment was sent to 
Louisville, Ky., and then, on account 
of his having been educated at the 
Naval Academy, Annapolis, Mr. Steb- 
bins was given a commission in the United 
States navy as master's mate. He was 
first attached to the United States steam- 
ship " Corondolet," of the Mississippi 
squadron, and participated in all the fight- 
ing on the river around Island No. 10, 
besides in many other engagements. 
Some time afterward he was transferred 
to the United States steamer " Mound 
City," and with her proceeded to Vicks- 
burg where she joined the fleet in the 
siege of that city, having previously cap- 
tured Arkansas Post, after which latter 
engagement he was promoted to ensign. 
On the night of April 17, 1863, the 
" Mound City " ran the gauntlet past the 
batteries at Vicksburg, and proceeding 
down the river engaged the Grand Gulf, 
and participated in several attacks on that 
post. After running the batteries, Mr. 
Stebbins helped to transfer Gen. Grant's 
army across the river. Returning once 
more to Vicksburg, he assisted in the 
siege of that Confederate stronghold until 
it surrendered, and then participated in 
the Red River expedition (1864) under 
Gen. Banks, ascending the river a dis- 
tance of 450 miles, a trip that occupied 
four months, during which they expe- 
rienced continual fighting. After this 
expedition Mr. Stebbins was promoted to 
master and transferred to the United 
States steamer " Kickapoo," a double- 
turreted monitor, which was ordered to 
Mound City and New Orleans, after 
which she was sent to join Farragut's 
fleet stationed at Mobile. After some 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



509 



service there Mr. Stebbins was retrans- 
ferred, this time to the "Portsmouth," 
stationed at New Orleans. On July 4, 
1865, he was transferred to the United 
States steamer "Michigan," stationed at 
Buffalo, N. Y. , where he remained till 
January 6, 1866, when he received an 
honorable discharge from the United 
States service. Returning to Ahnapee, 
he again entered upon the duties of his 
old calling — forwarding and shipping — 
and so remained until 1881, when he re- 
ceived the appointment as cashier of the 
Bank of Ahnapee, which he has since 
filled with great ability. In this capacity he 
soon became well known for his careful, 
conscientious and safe business methods, 
qualities that have brought him to the 
notice of the able financiers all over the 
State. He has been closely identified 
with all enterprises tending to promote 
the prosperity of his adopted city, where 
he is held in such high esteem as seldom 
falls to the lot of man. He is one of the 
promoters of and a stockholder in the 
Ahnapee Veneer & Seating Co., and has 
been its treasurer from its inception. 

On September 5, 1862, Mr. Stebbins 
was married in Oshkosh, Wis., to a 
daughter of Hon. G. W. Elliott, of Ahna- 
pee, a brief sketch of whom follows. 
Politically our subject is a pronounced 
Republican, and in 1873 was nominated 
by that party and elected by the people 
to the office of assemblj'man; was ap- 
pointed postmaster, at Ahnapee, and 
served twelve years in succession, or until 
a change of administration caused a change 
of postmastership. He made an envia- 
ble record as a public officer, discharging 
his duties with great fidelity to the public. 
Socially he is a F. & A. M., and has been 
master of the Lodge at Ahnapee twelve 
years; also a member of the Loyal Legion 
and the G. A. R., and has been com- 
mander of the Post at Ahnapee. He has 
an honorable war record, and served his 
country to the best of his ability. In 
physical appearance Mr. Stebbins retains 
the fine soldierly bearing so seldom seen 

29 



by men of his age in the United States, 
and which attracts attention in any gath- 
ering. Though naturall}- one of the most 
peaceful of men, he yet impresses all by a 
decided presence of nerve force that com- 
mands respect everywhere. Such men 
are rare in any community, and their 
lives are lessons of usefulness to a new 
and thinking generation. In November, 
1894, he was elected State senator as a 
Republican in a Democratic District by a 
majority of 1800. 



HON. GEORGE W. ELLIOTT, 
one of the prominent and hon- 
ored pioneers of Ahnapee and the 
State of Wisconsin, is a native of 
New York State, born February 13, 1804, 
in Martinsburg, Lewis county. 

His grandfather, Joseph Elliott, who 
was a native of Massachusetts, born of 
English parentage, became a Baptist 
preacher of no little renown. He died 
near Utica, N. Y. , when over eighty years 
of age, the father of a large family by his 
wife whom he married in Massachusetts. 
Of his sons, Chester, the eldest, was born 
in that State, whence he came to Lewis 
county, N. Y. , where he followed farm- 
ing, and was highly honored and esteem- 
ed; he died of cholera, in 1832, at the 
home of his son Joseph in Canada. His 
wife, Betsy, who was a daughter of Jesse 
Benjamin, died at the residence of her 
son George W. , in Fond du Lac, Wis., 
aged sixty-five years, the mother of nine 
children — four sons and five daughters — 
eight of whom reached maturity, and of 
the four sons three came to Fond du Lac, 
Wis., George W. being one of them. 

The subject of these lines in early life 
was a surveyor, his first work being on a 
public road running from Martinsburg, his 
native town, in a direct line to Albany, 
receiving his appointment from Anson 
Beach; his next surveying work was on 
the old "John Brown tract," in New 
York State. In 1836 he came to Wis- 
consin, and engaged in the dairy business 



5>o 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



for a sh(jrt time in Foiul dii Lac (being 
induced to go there by (iov. Dot\'), but 
he soon returned to his old business, sur- 
veying. Even in 1 836 he surveyed the 
ground wheie now the State capitol 
stands, which he did at the solicitation of 
Judge Doty, and the governor of Michi- 
gan, \vh(j at the time was interested in 
real estate at Madison, Wis. Mr. lilliott 
also surveyed much timber hind for vari- 
ous lumbermen, including Philetus Saw- 
yer. In ii^^SS he moved to .\hnapee, 
where he surveyed some lands for Judge 
Doty, and being pleased with the appear- 
ance of the surroimdings decided to re- 
main, and make the place his future 
home. 

On October 11, iS,:;j. Mr. Mlliottwas 
married in New York State to Miss Juli- 
ana Crofoot. who died in I'onti du Lac, 
Wisconsin, the mother (jf se\en children, 
as follows: Mrs. Mary E. Wing, Mrs. 
De Wavne Stebbins, David, Charles, 
Park, Irvin and Mrs. Ella McDonald. On 
June 22, 1862, our subject was married 
at Madison, Wis., while sor\ing as a 
member of the State Legislature, to Miss 
Charlotte, daughter of John and Char- 
lotte (Rowley) Torrey, and born in Mar- 
cellus, N. Y., by which union there is one 
child: Carrie Eva. A Democrat in poli- 
tics, Mr. Elliott has tilled many positions 
of honor and trust, including all the town 
offices; for fifty-seven years he served as 
justice of the peace, but on the occasion 
of the last election he positively declined 
to qualify. He is one of the most hon- 
ored and respected men in the county, 
and all public offices with which he has 
been entrusted he has filled with tact and 
ability. 

CHARLES BRANDES. bank presi- 
dent and financier, of Kewaunee, 
was born in Kewaunee village 
May 10, 1864, and is the eldest 
son of Charles Brandes, Sr. , a sketch of 
whom will be found in another part of 
this work. 



Mr. Brandes has passed his entire life 
within the limits of Kewaunee, with the ex- 
ception, only, of two years spent at school 
in Milwaukee — one year in the high school 
and one year at a business college. Here 
his scholastic course terminated, and here 
he had his first business experience, 
which consisted of six months' service in 
a wholesale drug house in the same city. 
On his return to Kewaunee he engaged as 
clerk to Mr. Mashck, in the Bank of Ke- 
waunee, and since then he has filled all 
the official positions, seeming to possess 
a natural aptitude for finance. At the 
age of twenty he had become assistant 
cashier, then filled all the duties of cash- 
ier, and now, before reaching his thirtieth 
\ear, stands at the head of the institution 
as its president. But the interests of Mr. 
Brandes are not altogether confined to 
banking: He is the secretary and man- 
ager of the Ivcwaunee Milling Co., which 
was organized some four years ago, and 
in which he holds considerable stock. He 
has always taken an active part in aiding 
the various industrial enterprises of Ke- 
waunee, whether or no he had any pe- 
cuniary interest in them, and has shown 
his public spirit and liberal it}' on all 
proper occasions whenever questions 
touching the building up and the improve- 
ment of the rit\' lia\c been brought to 
the front. 

Mr. Brantles was most propitiously 
united in marriage, Octol)er 21, 1890, 
with Miss Kate Hoadley, of Niles, Mich., 
the accomplished daughter of Jerad Hoad- 
ley, who was one of the early and most 
prominent business men of Niles, al- 
though for the past twenty years he has 
devoted himself to farming. In politics 
Mr. Brandes has always voted with the 
Demcjcratic party, but has never taken 
any great interest in office-holding or 
office-seekers. He has held one or two 
minor offices, perhaps, but with the con- 
viction that he was of more use to the 
office than the office was to him. So- 
cially, he is a member of the Royal Ar- 
canum; in religious faith, he was reared 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



5" 



under the influences of the Lutheran 
Church, but is Hberal in his views in that 
respect. 



GEORGE SENFT, Sr., who has 
been a resident of Nasewaupee 
township, Door county, for near- 
ly forty years, was born in Hesse, 
Germany, February 22, 1823, a son of 
Caspar and Margaret (Gottleman) Senft, 
natives of the same place. The father 
was a farmer in Germany, and died there 
in 1874 at the age of seventy-six years; 
the mother died at the same age in 1 876. 
They had a famih' of thirteen children, 
of whom four are now living: George, 
subject of this sketch; Caspar, who re- 
sides in Germany; I\atie, wife of George 
Barwind, of Washington Co., Wis., and 
Elizabeth, wife of Henrj- Heinbel, also of 
Washington Co., Wisconsin. 

Our subject recived a common-school 
education in the public schools of Ger- 
many, and remained with his father on 
the farm until he was twenty-four years 
old. He then worked for others as a 
common laborer for si.x years, hence he 
was thirt)- \-ears old when, in 1853, he 
set sail for the United States, reaching 
New York after a voyage of forty-si.x 
days, and coming west at once to Wash- 
ington Co. . Wis. , he here hired out for 
seven dollars per month. During the 
year he was married to Miss Philomena 
Heilmann, who was born in Germany, 
daughter of Michael and Wilhelmina 
(Goettleman) Heilmann, who came to 
Washington county from Germany at an 
early daj', both dying there, the mother 
at the age of eighty-six years, in Septem- 
ber, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Senft have 
three cliildren: Ivatie, wife of Jacob 
Senft, a farmer in Xasewaupee township; 
George, who is married anci lives in the 
same township; and John, who also re- 
sides in Nasewaupee township. Mrs. 
Senft died in 1865, and the following 
year Mr. Senft was married to Miss Mary 
Knuth, daughter of John and Anna 



Knuth, who were early pioneers in New 
Denmark township. Brown county; both 
parents are dead. Nine children came to 
Mr. Senft from this union, only two of 
whom survive: Charley, and Willie, the 
latter married and making his home in 
Iowa; during the diphtheria epidemic in 
1878, the other seven children by this 
marriage were taken away, their names 
being as follows: .\ugust (at thirteen 
years of age), Mary (at twelve years of 
age), Amelia, Freddie, Lizzie, Minnie, 
and Henry. 

In T855 Mr. Senft moved from Wash- 
ington county to Door county, making 
the trip with an ox team, and located on 
160 acres which he bought in Nasewaupee 
township. Later he sold this property 
and purchased 120 acres of forest, which 
he now has all cleared and under cultiva- 
tion. When it came into his possession 
not a tree had been cut, and he was 
obliged to make a road through to where 
he subsequently built a log house. He 
has witnessed the rapid growth of this 
portion of the countr_\', and has experi- 
enced all the hardships and privations 
which the new comers in those early days 
were obliged to bear. Thrift and industry 
combined with careful management pro- 
duce success in the end, although few 
men %\ould be willing to work so hard in 
order to secure the same results. In ad- 
dition to the arduous labor, Mr. Senft 
has had many other burdens to bear, 
some of which are already related in this 
sketch: His first wife died in 1865; he 
was burned out in 1871, losing nearly all 
of his household furniture and clothing, 
and the following year seven children 
died of diphtheria within a few weeks of 
each other. He is now (1895) seventy- 
two years old, and despite his bitter ex- 
periences, is a well-preserved man. He 
and his wife are honored members of the 
M. E. Church, of which he has served as 
trustee, and he has done much to build 
up the society, and keep up the interest 
of the Sunday-school, of which he is 
superintendent. In politics he is a stanch 



512 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Republican, taking much interest in the 
elections. For many years he held the 
office of supervisor, performing the duties 
of the office in an impartial and satisfac- 
tory manner. 



HENRY CHEEVER SIBREE, M. 
D., is a medical practitioner of 
considerable prominence in Stur- 
geon Bay, Door county, one who, 
outside of the esteem in which he is held 
for his scientific attainments, enjoys the 
admiration and respect of all for his'kind- 
liness of disposition and amiability of 
heart. 

The Sibree family, of which the sub- 
ject of these lines is a descendant, sprang 
from the Danes who in early dajs in- 
vaded both England and Scotland, and in 
the latter country originated the Sibree 
family under consideration, the first of 
whom to come to America being Charles 
Sibree, grandfather of Dr. H. C. Sibree. 
This Charles was born on the Clyde, 
about three miles from Dumbarton Cas- 
tle, Scotland, where he married. Leav- 
ing his family behind, to follow him when 
he was settled, he emigrated to America, 
a brother at the same time locating in 
England, where he died leaving a large 
estate. Charles was by vocation a block 
printer, a trade he followed many years, 
and, when far advanced in life, died in 
Kossuth township, Manitowoc Co. , Wis. , 
where at the time he was staying with 
his daughter, Mrs. Gilbert W. Burnett. 
His wife and children in course of time 
had rejoined him, and the mother pre- 
ceded him to the grave. Of their family 
of three sons and three daughters, Henry, 
who was born on the old homestead near 
Dumbarton, in Scotland, was a block 
printer and dyer, trades he followed after 
coming to this country, first in Paterson, 
N. J., later in New York, where after- 
ward he was engaged in the City Express 
business. From there he came to Wis- 
consin, and in Kossuth township, Mani- 
towoc county, was engaged in farming 



four years, after which he commenced 
the study of law in Manitowoc under the 
preceptorship of J. D. Markham, an 
able law\er of that place. Being ad- 
mitted to the bar, Mr. Sibree commenced 
the practice of his profession in Mani- 
towoc, which he continued until his death 
m 1881. In addition to his law practice, 
which was an excellent one, he unfor- 
tunately embarked in wheat speculations 
that proved disastrous, he losing every- 
thmg. In political associations he was 
first a Whig, afterward a Republican, and 
at one time was elected district attorney. 
He was a lawyer of considerable ability, 
and was highly respected both as an at- 
torney and as a private citizen; a man of 
deep humanity and generous impulses — 
generous even to a fault— he surrounded 
himself with hosts of warm and sincere 
friends. He was married in Paterson, 
N. J., to Miss Maria Vreeland, who was 
of Holland descent, a woman of strong 
character and loving disposition, whose 
home was her kingdom. The children 
born to this union were Henry Cheever, 
Gertrude (who died aged twenty-five)i 
Sarah, Lottie C, Anna (wife of Henry 
Bush, of Fond du Lac), and three daugh- 
ters that died in infancy. The parents 
attended the services of the Congrega- 
tional Church. 

Henry C. Sibree, the subject proper 
of this sketch, received his literary edu- 
cation at the schools of Manitowoc, and, 
having decided on the medical profession 
for his life work, commenced the study of 
medicine in the office of Dr. Oakley, at 
Manitowoc; then proceeded to Chicago, 
and, taking a course at the Chicago Med- 
ical College, graduated from there March 
5, 1878. The Doctor first commenced 
the practice of his profession in Peshtigo, 
Wis. , whence at the end of five years he 
came to Sturgeon Bay, and has since re- 
mained in the enjoyment of a first-class 
practice. So wide spread has his reputa- 
tion as a skillful and successful physician 
and surgeon become that he has been 
offered many inducements to change his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



513 



location, one of which came in 1883 
(while he was residing in Peshtigo) from 
Tacoma, Wash., an offer being made to 
him to take charge of a railroad corpora- 
tion hospital there, his salary to be $3000 
per annum; but sickness in the family 
prevented him from accepting, and it was 
then that he came to Sturgeon Bay. The 
Doctor's professional career, especially in 
surgery, has been signalized by almost 
phenomenal success, due in a great meas- 
ure to his unceasing study of the science 
and prompt adaptation of modern im- 
provements in both branches, his pro- 
gressiveness ever keeping up with the en- 
lightenment of the age. 

On November 27, 1878, at Dover, 
Ohio, Dr. Sibree was married to Miss 
Cora A. French, daughter of A. L. and 
Anna French, and three children were 
born to them: two daughters, Gertrude 
and Lucy, and one son, Harry, the latter 
of whom died at the age of seventeen 
months. Socially the Doctor is a mem- 
ber of the F. & A. M., and is a charter 
member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge organ- 
ized at Peshtigo. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, and while a resident of Marin- 
ette county was appointed superintendent 
of the county schools; on the organization 
of the county he was nominated and 
elected to the same position, without any 
effort on his part, but at the end of one 
year resigned. 



PHILIP JACOB DEHOS, city treas- 
urer of the city of Sturgeon Bay, 
and notary public at Sturgeon 
Bay, Door county, first saw the 
light August 1, 1 848, in Flonheim, Province 
of Rhein-Hessen, Grand Duchy of Hessen- 
Darmstadt, where, as far back as can be 
traced, were born his ancestors before 
him. 

Philip Jacob Dehos, his father, was a 
stone cutter by trade, which he followed 
all his life in the Fatherland. In 1845 he 
married Miss Philopena Schaefer, who 
bore him seven children, named respect- 



ively: Elizabeth, Philip Jacob, Mary, 
Philip, Andrew Martin, Adam and John. 
The father died in Germany January 28, 
1 86 1, and in 1864 the widowed mother 
came to the United States with her chil- 
dren, landing in New York August 13, 
same year. From that point they pro- 
ceeded by rail westward, their destination 
being Wisconsin, but at Salamanca, N. 
Y. , an accident happened to their train 
which delayed them four days; ultimately, 
however, they arrived in safety in Door 
county, where an uncle of our subject was 
living. On their settling in Nasewaupee 
township they bought forty acres of wild 
land, which they succeeded in clearing 
and converting into a fertile farm. In 
1868 the mother married Christopher 
Stephan, by whom she had one child, 
named John, and she is again a widow. 

Philip Jacob Dehos, of whom this 
sketch more particularly relates, was six- 
teen years old when he accompanied his 
mother to this country, and consequently 
received all his education in Germany. 
He learned the trade of shoemaker, and 
at the time of his mother's second mar- 
riage commenced business for his own ac- 
count in Sturgeon Bay, continuing in 
same until 1871, when he went to Kan- 
sas City with his family (he having mar- 
ried in 1869), and there worked at his 
trade as a journeyman till 1873, when he 
opened a shop of his own; but in July of 
the same year he returned to Sturgeon 
Bay, in the ensuing fall opening out a 
well-equipped boot and shoe shop, which 
he conducted some twelve years, or until 
1886. 

In November, 1869, Mr. Dehos was 
united in marriage with Miss Anna C. M. 
Bottelson, who was born in the city of 
Bergen, Norway, daughter of Arne and 
Elizabeth Bottelson, the latter of whom 
died in Norway in 1861. In 1864 the 
bereaved father came to the United States 
and to Wisconsin, making his New-World 
home in Sturgeon Bay; he is a shoemaker 
by trade, and is now residing with Mr. 
and Mrs. Philip Jacob Dehos. He had 



514 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



three children: Anna C. M. (Mrs. Dehos), 
Oliif and Bernhard. To our subject and 
wife were born ten children, as follows: 
Eva E., Agatha, John, Celia, Mary and 
Edith, living, and Augusta, Louisa, Philip 
and Celia, who died in childhood. In 
his political predilections Mr. Dehos is an 
ardent Republican, and has been honored 
by election to various offices of responsi- 
bility and trust: In 1S75 he was elected 
supervisor of the town, ser\ing one jear, 
and when Sturgeon Bay was incorporated 
as a village served one year as a member 
of the village board: in 1 880 he was elected 
a justice of the peace, which office he 
held eight years, when he resigned; was 
again elected justice in 1893, re-elected, 
and is still serving in that office; in 1886 
he was elected city clerk (Sturgeon Bay 
having become acit\'), serving three years; 
in the fall of 1888 he was elected register 
of deeds, which incunibencj- he held for 
six years, having been re-elected in 1890, 
and again in 1893. Socially he is affili- 
ated with the Royal Arcanum, was first 
regent of that society in Sturgeon Bay, 
and its secretary three years; has been a 
member of the Sons of Hermann since 
1877, and was the first secretary of Stur- 
geon Bay Lodge, No. 3, which office he 
held for nine years in succession. Mr. 
Dehos is now doing a general real-estate 
business, the handling of city lots and 
county real estate being a specialty. 



FRANK J. STANGEL, sheriff of 
Kewaunee county, was born in 
Manitowoc county. Wis., Janu- 
ary 8, 1866. His father, John 
Stangel, a native of Bohemia, a merchant 
by occupation, was born in 1831, and in 
1853 married Dorothea Pelnar, who bore 
him eight children, the eldest of whom 
was born in Bohemia. The father of 
John Stangel, who was of Bavarian de- 
scent, and also a merchant, came to 
America in 1852, settling in Manitowoc 
county, Wis. , where his days were ended 



in 1869, the mother dying in 1872. John 
Stangel, on coming to America, re- 
linquished mercantile pursuits, and in 1854 
settled on his present farm in Manitowoc 
county, becoming one of the most suc- 
cessful farmers of the count}'. 

The early life of Frank J. Stangel was 
passed on the farm where he was born, 
and where he was inured to the toil that 
fills up the farm-boy's earlier years, work- 
ing industriously in the summer seasons. 
He had the advantage of good schooling, 
however, during the winters, attending 
the district educational institution until 
prepared for the high school at Mani- 
towoc, which he entered in 1880. At 
the age of si.xteen he began teaching, in 
which he continued until 1888, but in 
this interval he further improved himself 
by attending, in 1886 and 1887, the Nor- 
mal Universit}' at \'alparaiso, Ind. The 
marriage of Mr. Stangel took place in 
September, 1889, to Miss Josephine Fichta, 
daughter of Matthias Fichta. and the re- 
sult of this happy union has been the 
birth of three children, of whom two are 
living — Caroline and \'ictor — the eldest, 
Benjamin, having died in October, 1891. 
Mr. Stangel is a thorough Democrat, and 
has always been active in his services 
toward advancing the interests of his 
part}-. In 18SS Stangelvillc postoffice 
was established, he being appointed post- 
master, and the same year, in company 
with his brother, John J., he opened a 
general store at Stangelvillc, but, on be- 
coming sheriff, sold his interest to his 
brother. In 1890 he was elected chair- 
man of the Democratic Senatorial Com- 
mittee of the Fifteenth Senatorial District 
of Wisconsin, and in 1891 and 1892 was 
chairman of the town board of the town 
of Franklin. 

In August, 1893, Mr. Stangel united 
with J. Bitzen in the wholesale liquor 
business in Kewaunee, but, owing to his 
duties as sheriff, he can devote but little 
attention to it. He is a faithful officer, 
well deserving the approbation of his 
constituents, which is freel}' accorded him, 



aOMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



515 



and his scholarly accomplishments fully 
qualify him for any office within the gift 
of his fellow citizens. 



JOHN FRANK MULLEN, M. D., 
although one among the compara- 
tively young men in professional life, 
has reached an eminence for scien- 
tific attainments as well as thorough 
scholarship that is attained by few even 
of those who have devoted a long life of 
patient toil in the work of their profes- 
sion. 

The Doctor is a nati\e of New York 
State, born July 2, 1848, in Lansingburg, 
Rensselaer county, of good old Irish stock, 
his grandfather, Brian Mullen, a drover 
and cattle dealer by occupation, having 
been born in the city of Sligo, Province 
of Connaught, Ireland, where he was 
also engaged in farming, and where he 
died. His wife, whose maiden name was 
Hannah Mullaney, after her husband's 
death came to America with her family 
of six children, and settled in Lansing- 
burg, N. Y. , where she died at the age of 
one hundred and four years. Thomas 
Mullen, father of our subject, on account 
of his prominent connection with the 
"Ribbonmen," a revolutionary element 
in Ireland, had to flee to America along 
with other refugees. Settling in Troy, 
N. Y. , he there embarked in the grain 
business, chiefly as buyer, and having re- 
ceived a good education in his native land 
soon made a success of life in the New 
World, becoming a useful and progressive 
citizen. He had married Miss Hannah 
Burke (a niece of Father Tom Burke, the 
celebrated temperance orator, for whom 
she at one time kept house in Ireland), 
and to this marriage were born children 
as follows: Anna, James, William, Mich- 
ael, Thomas, John Frank, Mary and 
Minnie. The parents both died in Lan- 
singburg, the father when ninety-four and 
the mother when fifty-two years old. Of 
the children, Anna went to California in 
1S49 with a family of friends, and there 



married William McNeil, a wealthy 
Scotchman, whose home in this country 
was St. Louis, Mo., but who was 
drowned on the Pacific coast, while at 
route from San Francisco to New York 
on the steamer " Centra) America," many 
others also being lost, the vessel having 
been wrecked (his widow then returned to 
her old home, and being well off was en- 
abled to give her brothers and sisters good 
educational advantages); James and Will- 
iam were both educated for the bar, grad- 
uating at Williams College, and the latter 
is now an attorney in New York City; 
Michael graduated from the Christian 
Brothers University, of Troy, N. Y., and 
is also practicing in New York; Thomas 
is a lawyer in California. The three eld- 
est sons served to the close of the Civil 
war in the United States navy, on board 
the frigate " Powhattan. " 

John F. Mullen, whose name mtro- 
duces this sketch, was born July 2, 1848, 
in Lansingburg, N. Y. , received his ele- 
mentar\' education at the public schools 
of his native place, and commenced a 
course at the Christian Brothers Univer- 
sity', Troy. At the age of si.xteen, how- 
ever, in 1864, being fired with the spirit 
of patriotism, he left his studies to take 
up the rifle in defense of the Union, en- 
listing in Company K, Third Battalion, 
Thirteenth United States Infantry (Sher- 
man's old regiment), which was attached 
to the Army of the West, Department of 
the Missouri, under Gen. Hancock; dur- 
ing the last two years of his service he 
was acting hospital steward. From the 
fall of 1865 to summer of 1867 he served 
at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., and Fort 
Totten, Dak., and on the expiration of 
his term of service, July 18, 1867, was 
honorably discharged at Fort Stephenson, 
on the Upper Missouri river. Mr. Mul- 
len for the next two years carried the 
mail between Devil's Lake and the Mis- 
souri river, in Dakota; afterward from 
Fort Stephenson to Fort Rice, and from 
Fort Stephenson to Fort Beauford, dur- 
ing which time he learned to speak five 



5i6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGIiAPUICAL liECOIiD. 



different Indian dialects. On one of his 
trips he met with Carleton, the poet, and 
presented him with many Indian reHcs, 
which are now on exhibition in some 
museum in Boston. As his services as 
U. S. mail carrier were required only 
about twice a month, he employed the in- 
tervals with others in escorting trains, 
and in other frontier work. In 1869 he 
served all through the Red River Rebel- 
lion in British America as a patriot, as- 
sisting in the capture of Fort Garry, and 
after the suppression of this rising in the 
spring of 1870, he, in partnership with 
George Folsom, went into the hardware 
and fur business with headquarters at 
Redwood Falls, Minn., which was con- 
tinued one and one half years, and then 
abandoned, owing to hailstorms and grass- 
hoppers, which had destroyed the crops 
and nearly ruined the farmers of that sec- 
tion. Mr. Mullen then, in 1872, returned 
to Wisconsin, locating at Appleton (where 
his relatives now reside), and took up an 
altogether new line — canvassing for books, 
chiefly Mark Twain's works and the 
"American Encyclopedia," in which it is 
safe to say he met with eminent success. 
In the meantime, commencing with the 
year 1868, he had been studying medicine 
as opportunity offered, intending to make 
it his life profession. 

On February 14, 1873, the Doctor 
married Miss Mary E. Parker, of Steph- 
ensville, Outagamie Co., Wis., and the 
young couple at once made their home in 
Amherst, Portage county, same State, 
where the Doctor practiced medicine till 
1876, in which year he came to Sturgeon 
Bay, where he continued the practice till 
entering, in 1877, Keokuk (Iowa) College, 
where he graduated in 1878. He then 
resumed his profession in Sturgeon Bay, 
successfully practicing till 1883, at which 
time he was appointed assistant-surgeon 
in the Chamber Street Hospital, New 
York, it being the accident department of 
the New York Hospital. The summer of 
1883 he spent there, and he also attended 
the Polyclinic, deriving incalculable ad- 



vantages from his experiences and studies 
in both these institutions. Returning to 
Sturgeon Bay, he resumed his practice, 
which has grown to be one of the most 
extensive and lucrative in the peninsula. 
To Dr. and Mrs. Mullen were born eight 
children, four of whom are yet living, 
named respectively: Alice E., May F., 
Patricia A. and Bernard; Willie died at 
the age of seven, and Blanche, John and 
Thomas when infants. The entire family 
are active members of St. Joseph's Roman 
Catholic Church, Sturgeon Bay. In 
politics the Doctor is a leading and in- 
fluential Democrat; has served as chair- 
man of the county committee five terms; 
as member of the Democratic State Cen- 
tral Committee two years, including the 
last Cleveland campaign, and as an altern- 
ate to the National Convention held at Chi- 
cago when Grover Cleveland was second 
time nominated. He has twice served as 
mayor of the city of Sturgeon Bay. 
Socially he is chief ranger of Columbus 
Court, No. 341, Catholic Order of For- 
esters; is president of the Door County 
Medical Society, and for four years United 
States pension examiner. 



JOHN ELLIS was born in the County 
of Kent, England, February 19, iSig, 
and is a son of John Ellis, a farmer 
by occupation, who married Sarah 
Adams, by whom he had children, as fol- 
lows: William, Jane, Robert, John, Amy, 
Elizabeth, Jabez, Sarah and Thomas. 

The subject of this sketch was a lad 
of only seven summers, when with the 
family he came to the United States. 
They sailed from London, and after a 
voyage of seven weeks and three days 
they landed on American soil. Thence 
they proceeded to Schenectady, N. Y., 
where the father worked as a day laborer 
for $1. 50 per day until a year had passed, 
when he rented a farm, continuing its cul- 
tivation four years. He then removed to 
Saratoga, N. Y., where he again oper- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



517 



ated a rented farm, and at the end of five 
years sought a home in Chautauqua coun- 
ty, N. Y. There he purchased land, 
making it his place of residence some six 
years, when he cast his lot with the early 
settlers of Grant county. Wis. , and en- 
gaged in mining four years, when death 
ended his labors in 1834. 

John Ellis accompanied his parents on 
their various removals, and when quite 
young began work, for the limited cir- 
cumstances of the family forced him to 
provide for his own support. On May 
23, 1S42, he married Miss Louise Rachel, 
daughter of William and Sophia (Boor- 
man) Carpenter, people of English de- 
scent. The young couple remained in 
Chautauqua county, N. Y. , for about two 
years, and then removed with his father 
to Grant county. Wis., where our subject 
also embarked in mining; but that enter- 
prise proving unsuccessful, he after seven 
years returned to the Empire State. Not 
having money enough wherewith to pur- 
chase a farm, he rented land and there 
carried on agricultural pursuits until t 866, 
which year witnessed his arrival in Clay 
Banks township, Door county. Here he 
became owner of a wild and uncultivated 
tract of 160 acres, and in a log cabin, 14 
X 20 feet, they began life in true pioneer 
style, which home about three years later 
was replaced with a more commodious 
frame residence, and the other accessories 
and conveniences of a model farm were 
added. After twenty years, Mr. Ellis 
sold his first purchase to his sons, and 
became the owner of his present farm, a 
tract of eighty acres, on which stands a 
comfortable brick residence. His land is 
operated by his sons. In the family were 
ten children: Elizabeth, Amy, Norman, 
Adelaide, Frank, Fred, Helen, Mary, 
Ellsworth G. and George. The parents 
are members of the Baptist Church, and 
have lived consistent lives, which have 
won them the confidence and high regard 
of all with whom they have been brought 
in contact. Mr. Ellis votes with the Re- 
publican party, and has ever been a pro- 



gressive and public-spirited citizen, a val- 
ued addition to any community. 

On September 22, 1861, he man- 
ifested his loyalty by offering his services 
to the government in defense of the 
Union, and was assigned to Company E, 
Ninth N. Y. V. C. The regiment was 
sent to Washington, and for one month 
participated in the siege of Yorktown, 
after which Mr. Ellis spent two weeks on 
an ammunition vessel, returning then to 
his company. He later received an hon- 
orable discharge on account of sickness, 
and his case was pronounced incurable; 
but in a great measure he regained his 
health, although he is still a sufferer, and 
in consequence receives a pension. One 
of the faithful "boys in blue," the coun- 
try owes to him a debt of gratitude for 
valiant service. 



RICHARD ASH (deceased) was 
born in Devonshire, England, July 
22, 1 82 1, and was a son of Will- 
iam Ash, a gardener, whose em- 
ployer was a member of Parliament. 

In his native land our subject was 
reared and educated, though his school 
privileges were somewhat limited. After 
he had reached mature years he was mar- 
ried, February 7, 1848, in Devonshire, 
the lady of his choice being Miss Mary 
Veal, who was born in that county Janu- 
ary 23, 1828. They began their domes- 
tic life in England, where Mr. Ash fol- 
lowed farming and teaming for about five 
years, and then, in 1853, emigrated alone 
to the New World. Landing in Canada in 
the month of August, he located about a 
mile and three quarters from St. Thomas, 
Ontario, where he operated a farm on 
shares, and in the following spring was 
joined by his wife and their daughter, 
Mary J., who died August 2, 1854. Five 
children had been born to them in Eng- 
land, but three died ere the emigration of 
the father, and one after he had left the 
old home. Mrs. Ash had joined her hus- 
band at St. Thomas, Canada, and they 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



remained in tliat ]ilace until tiie autumn 
of 1859, when they came to ^^'isconsin. 
The severe winter weather caused them to 
pause temporarily near Fond du Lac, al- 
though their destination was Door county, 
they being in search of some of the land 
of this locality of which they had heard 
from fishermen who lived near them in 
Canada, and who spent the summer sea- 
sons fishing in White Fish Bay, Door 
county. During the winter of 1859-60, 
Mr. Ash chopped wood at twenty-five 
•cents per cord, and in the spring of the 
latter year came to Door county, where 
he purchased from the government eighty 
acres of land in Section 7, Sevastopol 
township. It was all new land, entirely 
unimpro\ed, and he erected thereon the 
first house and turned the first furrow, he 
and his family living with a neighbor until 
a cabin was built. (lamc of all kinds was 
plenty, including deer, while wolves were 
often heard howling at night, and only a 
trail led from Sturgeon Bay to this part 
of the county, no public roads having 
been made. Mr. Ash at once begaii to 
clear his land, and also had to work else- 
where in order to get money to support 
his family, being employed by Mr. Clark 
of Detroit, Mich., who conducted fishing 
along the lake. 

On August 16, 1862, Mr. Ash en- 
listed in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in defense 
of the Union, was assigned to Compan}' 
F, Thirty-secontl Wis. \'. I., and served 
until the close of the war. He was never 
wounded, but was sick for some time in 
hospital and during his absence the wife 
and children passed through untold hard- 
ships, Mrs. Ash supporting her family by 
her own labor for one year and two 
months. In the fall of 1865, in order to 
give their children better school privi- 
leges, Mr. and Mrs. Ash removed to a 
farm on Section 4, Sevastopol township, 
he securing eighty acres of land under the 
Homestead Act. This was also an un- 
developed tract; but under his able man- 
agement it did not continue in that 
condition long, being transformed into 



rich and fertile fields. Mr. Ash's health 
was never the same after he left the army, 
and on April 16, 1891, he departed this 
life, and he was laid to rest in Bay Side 
Cemetery. He attended the Methodist 
Church, in politics was a stalwart Repub- 
lican, and served both as justice of the 
peace and supervisor, in which positions 
he proved a capable official, although he 
accepted them against his will. 

After coming to the New World, the 
following children came to Mr. and Mrs. 
Ash, all born in the United States, save 
Charlotte E. , whose birth occurred in 
Canada: Charlotte E., now the wife of 
William Bassford, of Rapid River, Mich. ; 
Eliza Ann, who died at the age of nine 
years and eleven months; Richard, a 
farmer, living near White Fish bay; 
Mary J., wife of Martin Simons, a resi- 
dent of Sevastopol township; Hannah, 
wife of John Walker, who operates the 
Ash homestead; and William, who carried 
on agricultural pursuits in Sevastopol 
township. After her husband's death, 
Mrs. Ash conducted the farm of eighty 
acres and successfully managed her busi- 
ness interests until 1893, when she leased 
her land. She is a member of the Wo- 
man's Relief Corps; an earnest worker in 
its ranks, and is a most estimable lady, 
one who has won many warm friends in 
the community. 



HON. JOHN FETZER. of Forest- 
ville. Door county, is not only a 
leading and influential citizen of 
the county, but is widely and 
favorably known throughout the entire 
Slate as one of her most distinguished 
men, and is now serving in the General 
Assembly as State Senator from the 
First District of Wisconsin. The com- 
mercial interests of the community in 
which he lives find in him a worthy rep- 
resentative, and the history of his adopted 
county would be incomplete without the 
record of his life. 

Mr. Fetzer was born in Hesse-Darm- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



519 



stadt, Germany, July 8, 1840, and is a 
son of Peter and Margaret fPitz) Fetzer, 
natives of the same country, who in 1850 
took passage on a sailing vessel at Ant- 
werp — the " Edwina " — which after a 
voyage of twenty-one days dropped an- 
chor in the harbor of New York. Our 
travelers thence proceeded to Albany, N. 
Y. , from there by rail to Buffalo, and by 
boat from that lake port to Manitowoc, 
Wis., where they arrived in June, 1850, 
just one month after landing on the 
shores of the New World. They located 
upon a farm, and the father, who was in 
well-to-do circumstances, brought from 
Germany four men and one woman. He 
built the first frame residence and barn 
in Manitowoc county, and si.K weeks after 
reaching his destination he had forty 
acres of his land cleared. He brought 
from Milwaukee on two different occasions 
seventy-five cows, which he sold to the 
settlers, who paid him in farm labor, and 
in this way he improved his land, making 
of it a valuable farm. On the ist of April, 
I 85 I, he had an opportunity of becoming 
an American citizen; but as this was not 
in accordance with the laws of the land 
he declined to accept the ofTer, and on 
the 22d of September, 1856, he legally 
obtained the right of franchise, and from 
that time on was a true and loyal citizen 
of the United States. His death oc- 
curred in Forestville, Wis., in 1878, while 
visiting his son John, and his wife died 
on the old homested farm in 1882. Our 
subject is the eldest of their living chil- 
dren; Frank, the second, was reared in 
Manitowoc county, and in 1863, removed 
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he now re- 
sides; Jacob remained in Manitowoc 
county until sixteen years of age, when 
he enlisted in Company B, First Heavy 
Artillery, for three years, and did service 
in Tennessee and Kentucky, after which 
he acted as a scout for four years in the 
M'est, and then went to Louisiana, where 
his death occurred; Anna is the wife of 
Conrad Jackel, proprietor of the "Co- 
lumbian House," one of the leading hotels 



I 



of Manitowoc, Wis. ; Emma became the 
wife of John Stundt, proprietor of the 
"Stundt House," also of Manitowoc, and 
died in 1890 at the age of thirty years. 

John Fetzer was a lad of nine sum- 
mers when he came with his parents to 
America. He was educated in the com- 
mon schools of Manitowoc county, and 
for one year attended the high school 
in Manitowoc, after which he worked 
upon a farm until the breaking out of the 
Civil war. In June, 1861, he responded 
to the country's call for 300,000 volun- 
teers by enlisting in the Ninth Wis. V. I., 
three-years' service, was mustered in at 
Milwaukee, Wis., October 9, and with 
his regiment, which was assigned to the 
Western army, under command of Gen. 
Sigel, went to Missouri, where they re- 
ceived their arms in January, 1S62. 
They then proceeded to Leavenworth, 
I-vansas City and Fort Scott, Kans; thence 
on the Indian e.xpedition, returning to 
Fort Scott, in July, 1862. They met 
the enemy in battle at Newtonia, Sep- 
tember 29, 1862, subsequently took part 
in the Price campaign; then went to Ten- 
nessee and Mississippi, and, later, to 
Arkansas, participating in the battle of 
Camden. At the battle of Saline Bot- 
tom, Mr. Fetzer was wounded by a gun 
shot in the right breast and arm, and 
when he had sufficiently recovered re- 
turned to his home in Manitowoc county, 
being honorably discharged in Milwaukee 
in December, 1864. He had been pro- 
moted on the battle field at Sabine Cross 
Roads to captain, and in April, 1866, re- 
ceived his commission, signed by Gov. 
Lucius Fairchild, and given for meritori- 
ous conduct on the field of battle. 

In Manitowoc county, in 1866, Mr. 
Fetzer married Miss Anna Fetzer, who 
was born in Hesse-Darmstadt as were 
also her parents, Frank and Eliza (Fifer) 
Fetzer, who in March, 1866, became res- 
idents of Manitowoc county. Wis. , where 
they spent their remaining days, the father 
dying in 1888, the mother in 1893. They 
reared a family of three children, namely: 



520 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Henry, who is married and resides in 
Sturfjeon Bay, where he is serving as 
cashier in a bank; Laura, and Anna. In 
April, 1867, Mr. Fetzer removed with his 
wife to Ahnapee, Wis., where he estab- 
lished a foundry and machine shop, but in 
August of the same year he sold out and 
came to Forestville, locating on the farm 
which has since been his home. Here he 
embarked in general merchandising and 
soon built up a ^ood business. He also 
engaged in buying posts and ties, and in 
1872 established a sawmill which proved 
a very profitable investment. The busi- 
ness steadily increased, employment was 
furnished to some fifty men, and the daily 
output rose to 25,000 feet of lumber and 
150,000 shingles. He carried on that 
business until 1878, and is now interested 
in the lumber business, as a member of 
the firm of Young & Fetzer, engaged in 
the manufacture of lumber at Jackson- 
port, Egg Harbor and Horse Shoe Bay, 
Wis. In T877 he built a flouring-mill on 
Wolf river, which he enlarged in 1887, 
supplying it with all modern machinery. 
The main building is 28 .\ 64, 35 feet high; 
the anne.x is 26 x 26 feet, 16 feet in 
height, and the mill has a capacity of 
about 75 barrels per day. The flour is 
made bj' the roller process, and being of 
a most excellent quality finds a ready sale 
on the market. 

In his political views, Mr. Fetzer is 
a prominent member of the Democratic 
party. With exception of one year he 
served as chairman of the town board of 
Forestville township twenty-seven years; 
was chairman of the county board three 
years, and has been school clerk for a 
quarter of a century. He is also justice 
of the peace, an incumbency he has filled 
twenty-seven years, and in 1 880 he was 
appointed postmaster of Forestville, which 
office he held continuously until July, 
1889, when he resigned; in July, 1894, 
however, he was re-established in the 
office, and is now filling the position. In 
1884 he was elected to the Legislature by 
a vote of fifty-two when the Republican 



majority was Soo, and in 1 890 he was 
elected to the State Senate by a vote of 
120, a fact which indicates his personal 
popularity, and the confidence which was 
reposed in him by his fellow townsmen 
and all who know him. 

Socially Mr. Fetzer is a member, and 
for ten years served as commander, of 
William A. Nelson Post, No. 97, G. .\. 
R., Forestville, and was a member of the 
staff of National Commander Warner, of 
Missouri. He belongs to Key Lodge, 
No. 272, A. F. & A. M., of Ahnapee. 
Wis. ; is a member of the Sons of Her- 
mann, and served as grand president of 
that order for two years. He is a director 
of the Ahnapee & W'estern railroad; sec- 
retary and director of the Frankfort Land 
Company of Frankfort, Tcnn., of which 
G. W. Young, of Ahnapee, is president, 
Victor Schlitz, of Milwaukee, Wis., vice- 
president, and F. S. Anderson, of Chi- 
cago, treasurer. Mr. Fetzer is one of the 
representative men of Door county, promi- 
nent in all public affairs, and his political 
career and private life are alike above re- 
proach. He has been an important fac- 
tor in the upbuilding of his locality, and 
the life and success of Forestville is due 
in no small degree to his efforts. 



CHARLES H. BRANDES (de- 
ceased). Among the best known 
citizens of Kewaunee county none, 
perhaps, enjoyed more populari- 
ty, or was more highly esteemed for his 
kindness of heart and genuine unselfish 
benevolence, than the subject of this 
sketch. 

Mr. Brandes was born December 19, 
1830, in Kleinhofen, Hanover, Prussia, 
near the Braunschweig line, a son of 
Herman Brandes, a gardener of Klein- 
hofen. Our subject being left an orphan 
at the early age of ten years, he was 
reared at the home of an uncle, after- 
ward proceeding to Berlin, Germany, 
whence, in 1847, at the age of sixteen 
years, he came to the United States along 



COJdMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



521 



with Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lorenz, with 
whom he was intimately acquainted. 
Landing in New York, the little party 
journeyed to Albany, where Mr. Brandes 
learned the trade of engineer, which he 
subsequently followed for some years on 
the Hudson river and, later, on the great 
lakes, passing his unemployed time, es- 
pecially winters, at the home of the Lor- 
enzes, in Albany, In 1856 he came to 
Kewaunee, Wis., and built the "Steam- 
boat Hotel," now known as the "Erich- 
sen Hotel," conducting same about ten 
years, at the end of which time he sold 
out, and, engaging in the brewing busi- 
ness, carried on a brewery in Kewaunee 
until 1880, when, on account of impaired 
health, he sold out and retired to his farm 
of forty acres, within the city limits. 
Having always led an active life, how- 
ever, he was not long content to remain 
passive; so purchasing the " Read Hotel " 
property in Kewaunee, he improved it at 
a considerable outlay, making it a first- 
class hostelry, and conducted same up to 
his death, which occurred May 16, 1893. 
He was an honest, upright citizen, ever a 
friend to the poor and needy, and those 
who were in his employ always felt that 
he had their interest at heart as well as 
his own, and he was recognized by all as 
in every sense a man whose thoughts and 
actions were for others, not for himself 
alone. 

In October, 1858, at Kewaunee, Mr. 
Brandes was married to Miss Augusta 
Lorenz, the younger of the two daugh- 
ters born to his old friends Mr. and Mrs. 
Lorenz, whose elder daughter, Bertha, 
was married in i860 to George Grimmer, 
the capitalist, of Kewaunee. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Brandes were born five chil- 
dren, as follows: Bertha, now Mrs. Mc- 
Mahon; Augusta, now Mrs. Cowell ; 
Charles; Edward; and Martha, who was 
summoned from earth in the heydey of 
her girlhood, but nineteen summers hav- 
ing passed lightly over her head. Mr. 
Brandes was an active member of the 
I. O. O. P., and assisted in the organiza- 



tion of the lodge at Kewaunee. Politically 
he was a Democrat, but never a partisan, 
and for many years was a member of 
the city council, which position he was 
holding at the time of his death. His 
widow is still a resident of Kewaunee, en- 
joying in an eminent degree the highest 
esteem and respect of the entire com- 
munity, among whom she has lived so 
many years, well-known for her many 
virtues and acts of charity. 



EDWARD BRANDES (deceased), 
late proprietor of the "Read 
House," Kewaunee, was born in 
that city Pebruary 12, 1866, son 
of Charles Brandes, Senior. 

In 1883, in the month of June, he 
graduated from the city high school, and 
the excellent education there acquired 
was supplemented by a course in the 
Spencerian College at Milwaukee. On 
his return to Kewaunee he went into the 
drug business, in which he prospered for 
about five years, taking, during this per- 
iod, a course in pharmacy at the State 
University at Madison. When he re- 
linquished the drug trade it was for the 
purpose of assisting his father in his hotel, 
a very popular hostelry of Kewaunee, in 
which he became as popular as the house 
itself was. In this capacity he remained 
until the death of his father, in May, 
1893, when the entire management of the 
house fell to his hands, and he remained 
the congenial, affable and accommodating 
proprietor up to the time of his decease, 
March 3, 1895. Pleasant and obliging 
as he was as a druggist, he excelled as a 
host. No comfort for his guests was 
overlooked, and, once lodged in his house, 
the visitor felt himself at home, and his 
appetite provoked by the excellence of 
the viands. In fact. Nature made him a 
host. Mr. Brandes found time, however, 
to aid in the industrial progress of his 
native city, and became vice-president of 
and a director in the Kewaunee Purni- 
ture Co. In politics he was a Democrat, 



522 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



though not at all a bitter partisan, and 
fraternally he was a member of the Royal 
Arcanum. 

On November i8, 1890, Mr. Brandes 
was married to Miss Frances Flentje, a 
natixe of Manitowoc count}-. Wis., and 
a daughter of one of its earliest settlers, 
and she still resides at Kewaunee, though 
she does not conduct the hotel. 



M 



A Y N AND T I L L O T S O N 

P A R K E R, senior member of 
the distinguished law firm of 
Parker & Decker, Ahnapee, and 
the genial mayor of that wide-awake city, 
is a native of New Hampshire, born in the 
village of Roxbury, Cheshire county, 
October 30, 1850. 

James M. L. Parker, father of our 
subject, was of Massachusetts birth, in 
that State being educated and taught the 
trade of carpenter and joiner, which he 
followed there successfully, later in New 
Hampshire. He was married in the 
East to Miss Polly H. Kidder, by whom 
he had five children, namely: James A. ; 
Amine C, living, wife of George Fowler, 
of Forestville fshe taught the first school 
in Ahnapee, and her marriage was the 
first one celebrated in that then village); 
Nancy; Roselle, and Maynard T.. our 
subject being the only member of the 
family now living, except his sister 
Amine C. James A., the eldest, was lost 
in a whaling expedition to the Arctic seas, 
the vessel on which he set out never hav- 
ing been heard of since. About the year 
1854, James M. L. Parker, accompanied 
by his wife and children, came to Wiscon- 
sin, and locating in Racine, during the 
following winter worked as machinist. In 
the spring of 1855 he moved to Wolf River 
(now in the city of Ahnapeej, Kewau- 
nee county, and here for some years fol- 
lowed his regular trade, that of carpenter 
and builder, among other works of im- 
jirovement constructing the bridge pier. 
Jn 1 86 1 he removed to Forestville, Door 
county, where he became interested in a 



sawmill, forming a partnership with David 
Youngs, an old settler, in this industrw 
and conducting same successfully until 
1873, in which year Mr. Parker sold 
his interest in the mill, and retired 
into private life in Ahnapee. He died in 
Forestville, Wis., at the home of his 
daughter Amine C, in the fall of 1879 at 
the age of sixty-seven years, esteemed 
and respected by all who knew him, as 
an honorable and trustworthy man, quiet 
and unassuming, yet one who made him- 
self felt in the community, and did much 
toward the upbuilding of the city of his 
adoption. He was one of the first harbor 
commissioners of Ahnapee, to which body 
the city is indebted for its fine harbor, 
the si in- qtia iioii of any lake port; while 
a resident of Forestville, Door count}-, 
he served as town clerk. In religious 
faith he and his wife were members of 
the Baptish Church. She was a true 
type oi a noble New England woman, 
with an influence for good over all she 
came in contact with. She was called to 
her long home in 1867 at the age of fift\- 
seven years, leaving the impress of her 
beautiful character on her sur\-iving chil- 
dren, her youngest son, Maynard, espec- 
ially, having in a marked degree inher- 
ited many of her amiable traits. 

The subject proper of 'these lines was 
about four years old when the family 
came from New Hamjishire to Wisconsin, 
and his boyhood years were necessarily 
passed at Ahnapee and Forestville, at the 
public schools of which then villages he 
received a fairh- liberal literary education, 
enjoying also the advantage of being 
strongly encouraged in his efforts at school 
by a well-read, thinking father, in addition 
to which he was abl\- assisted in his stud- 
ies by his highlj'-educated sister Amine. 
To her he was indebted in a great meas- 
ure for his ability to enter the arena of 
school teaching, which he did at an early 
age, teaching some thirteen terms in all 
in various districts in Kewaunee and Door 
counties, at the same time finding an op- 
portunity of attending Ripon College a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



523- 



couple of terms. While engaged at his 
scholastic duties he commenced the study 
of law, borrowing some books on the sub- 
ject, and from time to time receiving wise 
counsel from his friend Judge Rufus L. 
Wing, of Kewaunee. In October, 1879, 
he was admitted to the bar, his examina- 
tion being held by Judge McLean, at Ke- 
waunee, and he has since practiced his 
chosen profession. 

In I 88 1 Mr. Parker, being induced to 
take an interest in the Ahnapee Record, a 
Republican weekly newspaper published 
in that city, he became its editor and 
proprietor, and as such conducted same 
until 1884, when he sold out to D. W. 
Stebbins, and has since then exclusively 
devoted himself to his law practice, in 
which he enjoys a lucrative clientage. In 
1890 the present firm of Parker & Decker 
was established, and in addition to their 
regular law business they are solicitors 
for the Ahnapee & Western Railway 
Compan}'. Mr. Parker is also identified 
with several business enterprises, among 
which may be mentioned the Ahnapee 
Veneer & Seating Co. , of which he is a 
stockholder and present secretary; is also 
engaged in insurance and real-estate busi- 
ness, his many and diverse interests all 
reflecting the highest credit on his ad- 
ministrative ability, acumen and sound 
judgment. He has been a \ery impor- 
tant factor in the building up of the 
thriving and bustling little city where he 
has established his home, and has held 
several offices of trust and honor; for 
many years he was clerk of Ahnapee 
while it was a village and city, I'espec- 
tively; was also a justice of the peace, 
and has been chief of the Ahnapee Fire 
Department ever since the present organ- 
ization was effected, in which he materi- 
ally assisted, and was a member of the 
first fire company of the place. For two 
terms he served as city attorney; also 
held the office of district attorney by ap- 
pointment from Gov. Rusk, and he is 
now serving his seventh term as mayor of 
the city of Ahnapee. In his political pref- 



erences he is a stanch Republican, socially 
a member of the F. & A. M., and K. of P. 

On July I, 1880, Maynard T. Parker 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
A. Overbeck, daughter of Rev. H. Over- 
beck, Sr. , of Ahnapee, an honored pio- 
neer minister of the Gospel. To this 
union have been born three children, to 
wit; Mabel C. , Edgar J. and lone L. 

The branch of the Parker family to 
which the subject of this sketch belongs 
is lineally descended from Capt. John 
Parker, who was a Minute man in com- 
mand of a company of militia at the bat- 
tle of Lexington, the first battle of the 
Revolutionary war. It is recorded in his- 
torv that in his company a cousin, also 
named Parker, was killed in this battle, 
and that his was the first life lost and first 
blood shed in that struggle. 



HENRY B. STEPHENSON, one 
of the enterprising and progressive 
citizens of Door county, and who 
is also numbered among her hon- 
ored pioneer settlers, was born September 
28, 1830, in Hull, England, a son of 
Henry and Mary Ann (Sanderson) Steph- 
enson. When onl\' four years of age he 
was brought to America by his parents, 
who first located in Canada, subsequently 
removing to Ontario county, N. Y. , 
where our subject made his home until 
1856. In the meantime, in September, 
1852. in Canandaigua, N. Y. , he married 
Jane Orr, who was born in Londonderry, 
Ireland, a daughter of Andrew and Jane 
(Mason) Orr. When a bright maiden 
of fifteen she crossed the Atlantic alone, 
and went to make her home with relatives 
in Canandaigua, N. Y., where she met 
and married Mr. Stephenson. 

At the time our subject owned a small 
tract of land in the Empire State, but 
worked most of the time for others. In 
the fall of 1856, with his family, consist- 
ing of his wife and their two daughters, 
Mary and Ellen, he came to the West, lo- 
cating in Wisconsin, then a new State 



524 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



offering many opportunities to a man of 
limited means. Histiiree brothers, John, 
Robert and Septimus, were located in 
Sturgeon Bay, Door county. He came 
by steamer from Collingwood to Sheboy- 
gan, Wis., thence by stage to Fond du 
Lac, then by steamer to Menasha, where 
he hired a team and drove to Green Bay, 
and then took a sailing vessel for Sturgeon 
Bay, this circuitous route consuming 
nearly two weeks. Mr. Stephenson ar- 
rived in Sturgeon Bay with no capital 
save a strong determination to succeed, 
and he at once secured work with Robert 
Graham in getting out pine lumber 
through the winter, and in the following 
spring found employment in a sawmill. 
His wife during that winter kept a board- 
ing house for the lumbermen, and thus 
aided in the support of the family. In the 
fall of 1857 Mr. Stephenson purchased 
eighty acres of land in Section 26, Sevas- 
topol township — a wild tract, upon which 
not a furrow had been turned or an im- 
provement made, but with characteristic 
energy he began its development, and 
soon transformed it into rich and fertile 
fields. He erected the first abode on the 
farm occupied by a white man, the struc- 
ture, however, being little more than a 
shanty. He worked his farm as he could, 
but during much of the time in tho.se 
early da3s he was abliged to be away 
from home to earn money to provide for 
the maintenance of his family. In 1865 
the first house was replaced by a more 
substantial one and the work of improve- 
ment and development was carried on, so 
that in course of time the richly cul- 
tivated farm bore little resemblance to 
the timbered tract he had pre-empted. 
One-half of it is under cultivation, and 
the buildings upon the place are monu- 
ments to his own thrift and enterprise. 
In 1 892 he erected a new residence, doing 
most all of the work himself, and the 
other buildings are in keeping with the 
pleasant home. To Mr. and Mrs. Steph- 
enson have been born children as follows, 
Ellen, who became the wife of Frank 



Kimber, and died in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; 
Mary, wife of Ole Faulk, who died in 
Sturgeon Bay; Lewis, a farmer of Sevas- 
topol township; May, wife or John Daly, 
of Menominee, Mich. ; Effie, who became 
the wife of Herman Landon, and died at 
Thompson, Mich. ; and Herbert and Dora, 
both at home. 

Mr. Stephenson supported the Re- 
publican party until 1876, since which 
time he has been bound b}' no party ties, 
although he is now in hearty sympathy 
with the Populist movement. He has 
served as chairman of the town board of 
supervisors, was town treasurer, served 
for twelve years as town clerk, and is 
now school clerk, a position he filled 
for some time, and then resigned; but the 
people again called him to that office. 
He is now serving his second year as 
treasurer of the Mutual Insurance Com- 
pan}' of Sevastopol, and for several years 
has acted as agent for that company. 
He has a wide acquaintance throughout 
the town and county, for he has not only 
held the offices above mentioned, but for 
twenty years was justice of the peace, 
and for ten years was postmaster in 
charge of Malakoff postoffice, which was 
in his own home. He and his wife are 
highly respected people, holding an envi- 
able position in social circles, and in the 
historj' of their adopted county they well 
deserve mention. 



ON. JOHN WATTAWA. In look- 



ing around for men of vigorous 



u 

I I and forcible caliber who have taken 
important and prominent part in 
the affairs of men. the biographer is not 
expected to deal only with valiant and 
martial heroes, for in the world of science 
and arts, the professions and politics of 
the present day, are found men of action, 
capable and earnest, whose talents, enter- 
prise and energy command the respect of 
their fellow men, and whose lives are 
worthy examples and objects^ of emula- 
tion. That the life of such a person 





ui/^2l-c/dZ.4^^^n^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



527 



should have its pubhc record is pecuHarly 
proper, because a knowledge of men 
whose substantial fame rests upon their 
attainments, character and success, must 
necessarily exert a wholesome influence 
on the rising generation of the American 
people. In this connection it is appro- 
priate to review in this volume the cir- 
cumstances of the life of John Wattawa, 
of Kewaunee. 

A native of Wisconsin, he was born 
April 3, i860, in the city of Milwaukee, 
a son of Matthias and Josephine (Havra- 
nek) Wattawa, natives of Bohemia, the 
father born in Milin, in 1818, the mother 
in the village of Postezof, in 1820. They 
were married in Bohemia in 1837, and 
came to the United States about the year 
1855, making their first New-World home 
in Milwaukee. In i860, just after the 
birth of their son John, they moved to 
Kewaunee, where the family have since 
made their home, the only death being 
that of the much-beloved wife and mother, 
who passed from earth in 1892, leaving 
eight children: two sons — John, our sub- 
ject, and Charles Wattawa, an attorney 
at Kewaunee — and six daughters. 

John Wattawa is pre-eminently a self- 
made man, one who in early boyhood 
commenced life at the bottom round of 
the ladder, and, unaided, worked his way 
step by step to his present enviable posi- 
tion. At the age of ten j^ears we find 
him working in saw and shingle mills in 
the summer seasons, and investing his 
earnings and savings in an education at 
the common schools of the locality. His 
taste for reading in spare hours also 
proved a strong motor in his after ac- 
quirements, and at this day he stands 
securely in the ranks of men whose hearts 
are their books, events their tutors, and 
great actions their eloquence. At the 
age of sixteen years he succeeded in ac- 
quiring an academic education, at which 
time he commenced teaching, and for 
several years thereafter he was principal 
of the Ahnapee High School. When 
twenty-one vears old he was elected 

30 



county superintendent of the schools of 
Kewaunee county, a position he filled 
with eminent ability five years, during 
which time he studied law, and in 1887 
he was admitted to the bar, at once com- 
mencing the practice of his profession 
in Kewaunee, where he soon became 
prominent in the annals of the legal pro- 
fession of the county. His legal business 
has grown steadily, and he now enjoys the 
most lucrative practice of any in the 
county. Having come to Kewaunee in his 
very infancy, Mr. Wattaw-a has grown up 
with the city, and delights and prides him- 
self in her growth and prosperit}'. As a 
Democrat he has also always taken a deep 
interest in the politics of both city and 
county, each of which he has served in 
various capacities, such as mayor of Ke- 
waunee (1893-94), city attorney, member 
of the council, county board (of which he 
was chairman), etc. In the last Presi- 
dential election he was a Presidential 
elector, and, same election, was most 
favorably considered before the conven- 
tion, nominating the candidate for sena- 
tor from his District, only lacking one 
vote of securing the nomination. He 
was president of the Young Mens' Dem- 
ocratic Club of Kewaunee during the 
campaign of 1888; was chairman of 
the Democratic County Committee in 
1886; a delegate to the State Con- 
vention in 1888, and member of the 
Democratic State Central Committee in 
1 894. He is recognized as an astute and 
able leader of his party in Kewaunee 
county, working faithfully for its success, 
and, gifted as he is with a more than or- 
dinary degree of energy and vigor, both 
of mind and body, instinctive sagacity, 
indomitable perseverance, great mental 
resources and entire self command, he is 
admirably constituted by nature to be a 
leader of men, as is well exemplified by 
his eminent success as a lawyer, public 
speaker, legislator, and public official. 
Of a generous, social and affable dispo- 
sition, possessed of marked ability, and 
physically of goodly proportions and com- 



528 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



nmnding presence, he is one of the most 
popular men in his part of tlie State, one 
for whom, being yet a comparatively 
young man, the future holds high honors 
in store. His career in Kewaunee has 
brought him in close contact and intimate 
relations with the leading men of this 
State, and it is safe to say that but few 
men in I-Cewaunee retain the respect and 
confidence of his fellow citizens in an 
equal degree. 

In the advancement of the commercial 
and industrial interests of Kewaunee our 
svibject has been an earnest worker, and 
was one of the organizers and the first 
president of the Advancement Association, 
the Kewaunee I""urniture Company, and 
Bohemian Printing Company. In Sep- 
teml)er, 1893, l^^' ^\'<i^ appointed deputy 
collector of United States Customs, and 
is still serving in that office. Socially he 
is a member of the I. O. O. F.. Covenant 
Lodge, No. 26^, Kewaunee, and of the 
C. S. P. s. 

On January S, 1887, at Manitowoc, 
Wis., Hon. John Wattawa and Miss 
Catherine Walsh, an amiable, talented 
and highly educated lady, were united in 
marriage. She was lH)rn April 24. 1861, 
at Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Co., Wis., 
daughter of Feli.v and IJridget (Comer) 
\\'alsh, nati\es of Ireland, the father 
born in County .\rmagh, the mother at 
Castlebar, Count}- Mayo; they were mar- 
ried, in 1853, at Manitowoc Kapids.Wis. , 
and had a family of nine children, eight 
of whom were educated to become teach- 
ers — in which jirofession Mrs. Wattawa, 
as an educator of great superiorit\', held 
prominent place some five years — three of 
the sons subse(iuentl\' taking uj) law: 
Henry C, now practicing in Kedfield, S. 
Dak.; Thomas J. in Helena, Mont., and 
John in Kewaunee. I'-eli.x Walsh was one 
of the earliest settlers of Two Rivers, hav- 
ing removed thither about the \ear 1845, 
then but a bo)-, becoming a prominent 
business man and one of the most influ- 
ential and highlv honored citizens of the 
place, and dying there in 1891. He was 



a strong advocate of the public-school 
system, and did nnich toward the building 
up of Two Rivers, and the furthering of 
all enterprises tending to the advance- 
ment and prosperity of the community at 
large. His widow is still residing at Two 
Rivers. To Mr. and Mrs. Wattawa have 
come four children, to wit: Virginia, born 
August 12, 1888; John H.,born May 31, 
1 891; Katherine 1*2., born December 21, 
1892, and Esther, born December 29, 
I 894. 

In 1894 Mr. Wattawa built his ele- 
gant and commodious modern residence 
in Kewaunee, which in its entirety, to- 
gether with the surroundings, presents a 
most pleasing and fascinating scene to the 
eye. It is a model of good taste, both 
within and without, and is situated on one 
of the most picturesque locations in the 
city, connnanding as it does an enchant- 
ing view of the harbor and Lake Michi- 
gan — without doubt one of the grandest 
sites on the lake shore for a home. The 
grounds, which extend to the very edge 
of the lake, are tastefully kept and orna- 
mented with lawns, pathways and shrub- 
ber)', in every respect presenting the re- 
flex of the cultivated minds of the owners. 
Here, released from the cares of business, 
Mr. Wattawa retires to find a solace in 
the companionship of his amiable and ac- 
complished wife and four interesting little 
oli\e branches. True to his family, faith- 
ful to his friends, generous to his oppo- 
nents, Hon. John Wattawa justly enjo\s 
the distinction of being esteemed by all 
alike as an honorable, upright citizen. 



CHARLES GRISWOLD BOALT. 
Among the prominent representa- 
tive citiziMis of Kewaunee c(Hnity, 
who by their activity and influence 
have done so much to aiivance the inter- 
ests of the city of Ahnapee, is the gentle- 
man whose name we here record. He 
was born .\pril 19. 1835, in Korwalk, 
Ohio. The flrst ancestors of the family 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



529 



in America came from England and set- 
tled in Norwalk, Conn. , before the Revo- 
lutionary war. 

Grandfather John Boalt was born in 
Norwalk, Conn., where he was a farmer 
by occupation. In 1817 he moved to 
Huron county, Ohio, where with other 
families from Norwalk, Conn. , he made a 
settlement, they naming the town Nor- 
walk in honor of their native town in 
Connecticut. A few years later he re- 
moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where he 
opened a hotel and made a permanent 
home, dying there. His wife passed away 
a few years before him. They had twelve 
children, most of whom reached maturity. 
Of these, Charles I^eicester Boalt was born 
in 1803 in Norwalk, Conn., and removed 
with his parents to Norwalk, Ohio, where 
he experienced the numerous hardships 
and inconveniences of pioneer life, among 
other things being obliged to go for the 
family's milling to Cleveland, a distance 
of sixty miles. He was a man of great 
perseverance, and of studious habits, fol- 
lowed the profession of a teacher for a 
time, and eventually studied law with 
Ebene^er (later Chief Justice) Lane, of 
Ohio. He was admitted to the bar in 
Ohio, and practiced law a number of 
)'ears, his circuit comprising the northern 
part of the State, and he was connected 
with man\- cases of importance. From 
1830 till 1845 he was actively en- 
gaged in the duties of his profession, and 
then busied himself in settling up his own 
real-estate business and that of his clients. 
In 1850 he became one of the promoters 
of the Cleveland, Toledo & Norwalk rail- 
way, was made president, and was the 
leading spirit in the l)uilding of the road, 
negotiating its bonds in England and buy- 
ing the iron in Wales. An opposition 
road was built by the Sandusky City con- 
tingent, headed by Judge Lane; but the 
two roads were after\\ard consolidated. 
When the road passed into the hands of 
Wall street he resigned. Later on he 
was president of the Sandusky, Mansfield 
& Newark railroad, which he also man- 



aged several years. This was one of the 
first railroads in the United States, and 
the first section was built about 1832. At 
first the cars were hauled by horses, but 
later on the company procured engines, 
one of which, called the "Sandusky," 
was among the Baltimore & Ohio railroad 
exhibits at the World's Columbian Ex- 
position, Chicago, 1893; the first car on 
the road was fashioned after the Concord 
stages, hung on thorough-braces. The 
road was eventually leased to the Balti- 
more & Ohio railroad. 

Mr. Boalt died August 10, 1870, in 
Sandusky, Ohio, aged sixty-eight years, 
leaving an unsullied reputation, and a 
record in the ainials of railroad historj' 
which is a credit to his name and an 
honor to his posteritj-. He was a practi- 
cal business man, thoroughly competent 
to manipulate large business concerns, 
and was very successful in every vvay. 
In politics he was originally a Whig, later 
a Republican; he was very active during 
the Civil war in raising troops, and had 
two sons in the army. His wife, Eliza- 
beth Woodbridge Griswold, was a daugh- 
ter of Roger Griswold, governor of Con- 
necticut, whose father, Mathew Griswold, 
was governor of Connecticut in Colonial 
times. Esquire CTris\\'old was the first 
of the Griswold family to come over and 
settle in Connecticut, and he was the 
progenitor of the family in America. His 
ancestral home was near Oxford, En- 
gland. Coming to America about the 
year 1630, he settled at Black Hall, 
opposite Saybrook, at the mouth of the 
Connecticut river; Black Hall was so 
named because of being in charge of 
a black man; it is still in the possession of 
the Griswold family. Mrs. Elizabeth Boalt 
was educated in Hartford, Conn., and 
in New York City, and was a woman 
of great ability and high literary at- 
tainment. She was the mother of 
seven children: Cornelia E. , Charles G., 
John Henry (a prominent attorney in San 
Francisco), Mrs. Frances Lane, Moss, 
Frederick Harper (deceased), and Dr. 



530 



COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPEWAL RECORD. 



William Leicester (now of Gratz, Austria, 
a student of medicine). 

Charles Griswold Boalt received his 
early education in Farmington, Conn., 
and later attended Kenyon College. In 
1850, at the age of fifteen years, he en- 
tered the employ of the Illinois Central 
railroad, as civil engineer, on preliminary 
survey through the State, being stationed 
at Champaign City, and surveying north 
and south. He was with the survey for 
two and a half years, and drove the stakes 
that started the first grading. For about 
eighteen months he was engaged as civil 
engineer on the Fremont & Indiana rail- 
road, in Ohio, now a part of the Lake 
Erie & Western railroad, and was also an 
engineer for a new road which was never 
built. In 1854 he came to Mayville, 
Dodge Co. , Wis. , where he and his father 
bought an interest in an iron company, of 
which the father was made president, and 
the son afterward became secretary, fill- 
ing that position until 1859, when he 
came to Ahnapee, Wis. Having a large 
business experience, he was a welcome 
addition to the young city, of which he 
soon became one of the leading and pros- 
perous business men. He was one of the 
first general merchants in the town, meet- 
ing with success from the beginning, and 
he continued in this business up to 1868. 
In 1864 he bought one-half of the town 
plat and other real-estate property ad- 
jacent, and also an undivided half of the 
pier extending into the lake, purchasing 
this from George Steele & Co., of Chi- 
cago, who with David Young had built 
the pier and laid out the town. Mr. Boalt 
was associated with Mr. Young in the for- 
warding business until 1872, in which 
year he bought his partner's interest, and 
then conducted the business alone until 
January i, 1892, when he sold out to 
Edward Decker. Mr. Boalt has been 
identified with nearly every interest for 
the advancement and prosperity of Ahna- 
pee: He was instrumental in organiz- 
ing the Veneer & Seating Co., and the 
Ahnapee Furniture Co., of which he is 



now secretary and financial manager, and 
under his able management it has become 
a prosperous institution, which, by giving 
employment to many hands, brings cheer 
and comfort to many homes. 

On August 10, 1857, at Painesville, 
Ohio, Mr. Boalt was married to Miss 
Agnes Gillet, daughter of Isaac Gillet, 
for many years a pioneer and prosperous 
merchant of Painesville. The union was 
blessed with three children, two of whom 
are now living: Elizabeth G., and 
Charles G., now connected with the Cal- 
umet Iron & Steel Co., at Irondale, near 
Chicago. Mrs. Boalt was educated in. 
the young ladies' seminaries at Willough- 
by, Ohio, and Pittsfield, Mass. Mr. 
Boalt is a Republican in politics, and dur- 
ing the war of the Rebellion performed 
much valuable work for the North by en- 
couraging the cause of the Union at 
home. 



GEORGE BEYER. That a review 
of the life of such an energetic 
and enterprising individual, as the 
subject of this sketch undoubtedly 
is, should have prominent place in the 
pages of a work of this kind is peculiarly 
proper; because a knowledge of men, 
whose substantial record rests upon their 
attainments, character and success, must 
at all times exert a wholesome influence 
on the rising generation of the American 
people, and can not fail to be more or 
less interesting to those of maturer years. 
Mr. Beyer is a native of Bavaria, 
Germany, born December 19, 1830, a 
son of John and Margaret Beyer, who 
in 1846 came to this country with their 
family (consisting of one son, George, and 
two daughters) settling in Washington 
county. Wis., on a piece of nearly all 
wild land, which they cleared and culti- 
vated. The parents, who had brought 
some money from Europe with them, 
were honest and industrious, and when 
they were called from earth in the midst 
of their labors on this farm they left a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



531 



goodly name as an heritage to their chil- 
dren. The mother died in 1863, the 
father in 1864. As will be seen, our sub- 
ject was a lad of sixteen summers when 
the family crossed the ocean to the New 
World, and he consequently well remem- 
bers the voyage, which occupied fifty- 
three days, and the subsequent overland 
journey to Buffalo, thence by boat to 
Milwaukee, and from there by wagon to 
Washington county. All his education had 
been received in Germany, so the first 
thing he applied himself to in this coun- 
try was the felling of trees on his father's 
farm, and otherwise assisting in the con- 
verting of a wilderness into fields of wav- 
ing grain. In 1854 he married Miss Mar- 
garet Flasch, also a native of Germany, 
who immigrated to the United States in 
the spring of 1847, making her first New- 
World home in Fond du Lac county. Wis. 
After marriage Mr. Beyer conducted a 
farm in Germantown township, Washing- 
ton county, nineteen years, at the same 
time for fourteen years operated a thresh- 
ing machine, dealing also in agricultural 
implements, such as reapers and mowers, 
and for si.x years he kept a store in the 
village of Richfield, same county. 

In 1879, his family having considera- 
bly increased, and being desirous of mak- 
ing a settlement in an even newer coun- 
tr\^ than what he found in Washington 
county, he came to Door county, arriving 
August 31, that year, and in Section 34, 
Sevastopol township, took up a tract of 
nearly all wild land, whereon there was 
no building whatever save a small shanty 
so leaky that the first night the family 
slept in it, the wind came through the 
cracks in the walls strong enough to blow 
out the light. But that was a small affair 
to fearless pioneers, and it was not loijg 
before all such inconveniences were reme- 
died, and all obstacles toward having a 
comfortable home removed, vast im- 
provements of all kinds being made on the 
homestead. In 1880 Mr. Beyer erected 
his present comfortable and substantial 
residence, also commodious outhouses, 



and he has still 400 acres of land left after 
disposing of 120 acres. 

A brief record of the children born to 
our subject and wife is as follows: Mar- 
garet is a school teacher in A'linncsota; 
George K. is a Roman Catholic priest at 
La Crosse, Wis. ; John is a carpenter, 
and lives in Sturgeon Bay; Lconhardt has 
his home in Fond du Lac county; Theo- 
dore and Alois are at home; Otilia P. is a 
school teacher in Chicago; George is at 
home; Anton J. is a carpenter, and now 
works in a machine shop in Menominee, 
Mich. ; Josephine P. is a school teacher in 
W^aterloo county, Ontario (Canada) ; 
Frank G. is in Menominee, Mich. ; Mar}' 
died at the age of eight years; Kunigunda 
Mary lives at home; Adam E. is a student 
at St. Francis Seminar)', near Milwaukee. 
Mr. and Mrs. Beyer and all the fainilj' are 
members of the Roman Catholic Church, 
and for eight years he was secretary of 
St. Joseph's congregation at Sturgeon 
Bay. Politically he is a sound Demo- 
crat, and while a resident of Germantown 
township, Washington county, he served 
as chairman of the township eight con- 
secutive years, and as justice of the peace 
and notary public, ten years each; was 
postmaster of Richfield postoffice five 
years, or until the time of his leaving for 
Sevastopol township, when he resigned; 
of the latter township he was chairman 
eight consecutive years. Although when 
starting in life for himself he received 
some assistance from his father, Mr. 
Beyer is deservedly classified among the 
self-made pioneer citizens of our country, 
who by virtue of their occupations are 
ever in the van of civilization, just as in a 
regiment of foot the pioneer company 
maches in advance of the main body. As 
success never fails to attend industry, per- 
severance and judicious thrift, so success 
has been his cheery and cheerful com- 
panion through the many years of ard- 
uous toil which ha\-e brought him a well- 
earned, comfortable competence. In point 
of intelligence and keeping abreast of the 
times, he is above the average farmer. 



532 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and the superior class of buildings he has 
placed on his pnjperty are in themselves 
witnesses to the progressiveness, industry 
and skill of the owner. By nature he is 
quiet and unobtrusive, honorable almost 
to a fault, and is able to say triumphantly 
that in all his forty-years' experience in 
various lines of business he has never had 
a lawsuit, and never sought one. 



WfLLI.\M HELMHOLZ, a pros- 
perous farmer and well-known 
citizen of Claybanks township. 
Door county, has been a resi- 
dent of this section of Wisconsin since 
1.S55, having come hither from his native 
land, Germany, where he was born Au- 
gust 26, 1827, in the Duchy of Braun- 
schweig. 

Fred W. Helmholz, father of the gen- 
tleman whose name opens this sketch, 
was also born in Germany, receiving his 
education in the common schools, and 
when a boy served an apprenticeship at 
the tailor's trade, which he followed a 
short time. Afterward engaging in agri- 
cultural pursuits, he continued to farm 
until about se\en years previous to his 
death, when he retired. He married 
Hannah Gerlock, who bore him five chil- 
dren, as follows; Henry, the eldest, be- 
came quite a prominent man, serving the 
German Government as a soldier, and 
later as secretary of a railroad until sev- 
enty years of age; he died December 7, 
1 893, at the advanced age of seventy-five. 
Fred is engaged in mercantile business in 
Hanover, Germany. William is the sub- 
ject of this sketch. The two daughters 
died in infancy. The entire family were 
Lutherans in religious sentiment. Mr. 
Helmhol.^ died in 1 870 at the age of seven- 
ty-five j-ears, preceded to the grave by his 
wife, who passed away at the age of fifty- 
two. In early manhood he was a soldier 
in the German army, and during his serv- 
ice participated in the famous battle of 
Waterloo. 

William Helmholz obtained a good 



education in the schools of his native 
land, attending up to his seventeenth 
year, when he entered the army, serving 
ten years and six months, during which 
time he was promoted from the ranks to 
corporal (1848J, and in 1832 to orderlj- 
sergeant. On August 24, 1854, at his 
own request, he was honorably discharged 
from the service, and on September 4, fol- 
lowing, he embarked on a \essel bound 
from Hamburg to New York, arriving at 
that city after a voyage of thirty-three 
days. Coming to Two Rivers, Manito- 
woc Co., Wis., he remained here one 
year, working in a mill, receiving nothing 
but his board for his services, and in 
1855 removed to Ahnapee, where he 
worked in the woods a short time. The 
following spring, in partnership with Ru- 
dolph Klcinsmith, he purchased 120 
acres of land, on which he built a log 
cabin, and then commenced to fell the 
timber and clear the place for cultivation, 
engaging in farming as soon as the land 
was ready. He also took up 1 20 acres 
just south of this, but lost it as it had 
been previously homesteaded. After re- 
maining on his first purchase for about 
two years, he sold his interest to his part- 
ner and removed to the town of Clay- 
banks, where he worked for about one 
year in the mill, later making posts and 
working in the woods until i860, when 
he purchased and settled upon an eighty- 
acre tract of land in Claybanks township, 
which forms part of his present farm. 
Cioing to work with his usual industry, he 
soon saw the forest give way to well-cul- 
tivated fields, and also bought more land, 
now owning 170 acres, the greater part 
of which is cleared and well-improved. 
Mr. Helmholz is one of the pioneers of 
this section, and as such has taken an ac- 
tive part in the opening up and develop- 
ment of the country, especially its agri- 
cultural resources. A stanch member of 
the Republican party, he has taken a 
prominent part in local politics, and 
has been honored with election to 
several positions of trust, holding the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



533 



treasurership for some seven years, and 
serving a number of years as member of 
the school board. 

Before leaving Germany Mr. Helm- 
ho!^ married Matilda Lohmann, a native 
of that country, and their union was 
blessed wfth eight children, as follows: 
Otto, of Sturgeon Bay; Annie, who mar- 
ried Albert Trust, and lives in the town 
of Pierce, Kewaunee county; Matilda, 
living in Chicago; Helen, married, resid- 
ing in the State of Washington; William, 
Frank and Henry, of Chicago; and Gus- 
tav, at home. The mother of these died 
in Claybanks February i8, 1872, at the 
age of forty-five. In November, 1872, 
Mr. Helmholz married, for his second 
wife, Mrs. Louisa (Breitgam) Guht, a 
widow, who was born in 1840 in East 
Prussia, and to this marriage have been 
born five children, namely: Louisa (who 
is married to Harry Bradford, and lives in 
Chicago), Ida, Emit, Charles and John. 

On August 26, 1 864, Mr. Helmholz 
enlisted, for one year, in the Union 
army, and served eleven months in Com- 
pany I, Forty-third Wis. V. I., under 
Capt. Jackson, receiving an honorable 
discharge at Nashville June 27, 1865. 
He now receives a pension for his serv- 
ices. He is a member of Henry Schuy- 
ler Post No. 126, G. A. R. , of Sturgeon 
Bay, and in religious connection is a 
member of the M. E. Church. 



GEORGE BASSFORD. This gen- 
tleman, by efficient labor, dili- 
gence and ability, coupled with 
tireless energy and assiduous toil, 
has well earned the enviable distinction 
of being regarded as one of the leading 
agriculturists, ablest financiers and most 
thorough business men uf Sevastopol 
township, Door county. 

He is a native of England, born Feb- 
ruary 8, 1828, in Nottinghamshire, j-oung- 
est in the family of six children — two 
sons and four daughters — born to Will- 
iam Bassford, who was by trade a stock- 



ing manufacturer. Our subject received 
but a very meager education at the 
schools of his native place, which 
he was enabled to attend but six 
months in all, the sum total of his boy- 
hood training in that line, unless, per- 
haps, we except such instruction as he 
received at the parish church Sunday- 
school — good and sound and of lasting 
influence; but the lad possessed great 
energy, vitality and resolution, and was 
beyond his years in intelligence. At the 
age of fourteen he began life in earnest, 
his first work being on railroad construc- 
tion, in which line he rapidly obtained a 
thorough knowledge and insight, so much 
so that at the age of seventeen years he 
became foreman of a working gang. In 
this line he continued in his native coun- 
try until 1852, in which year, accompan- 
ied by his wife and child, he emigrated to 
the United States, they coming as second- 
class passengers on a sailing vessel bound 
from Liverpool to New York, the sum 
paid for their passage being ^"3. 10 (about 
$17.00), they furnishing their own pro- 
visions. After a voyage of six weeks 
they landed at New York, where, or, 
rather, in Brooklyn, resided Thomas Cox, 
a friend of Mr. Bassford. After a sojourn 
of six weeks here, occupied in looking 
about him, our subject took a run up to 
Albany, N. Y. , where he found temporary 
employment in superintending the build- 
ing of a railway turntable, something he 
already had some experience in. From 
there he proceeded to Hamilton, Canada, 
at which time the construction of the 
Great Western railway was in progress, 
and here Mr. Bassford secured employ- 
ment with Case & Fairwell, contractors, 
his duties being to lay track between 
Dundas and Copetown. In the mean- 
time he was joined by his wife and child, 
whom he had left behind in Brooklyn at 
the time of his going to Albany. From 
Case & Fairwell's employ he entered that 
of Flowers & Jackson, contractors on the 
Grand Trunk railway, in Canada, also in 
course of construction, being hired by a 



534 



COMMEMORA TI VE BIOGRA PHICA L RECORD. 



construction superintendent, who was 
afterward removed, our subject taking his 
place. For this firm he worked three 
j'ears and three months, meetinj; with 
considerable success. His work on the 
Grand Trunk, under Flowers & Jackson, 
lay between Berlin and Stratford, on the 
main line, and, near New Hamburj^, his 
predecessor and others had a good deal 
of trouble with the 1 500 laborers em- 
ployed, who for some cause or another 
became dissatisfied and threatening in 
their attitude. Mr. Bassford, however, 
took charge of the section, carrj'ing the 
work through to completion without any 
trouble, and this closed his railroad build- 
ing experiences. 

Coming to Wisconsin, making a tem- 
porary home in the then village of Fond 
du Lac, and leaving his wife and child 
there, he in company with others set out 
on a prospecting tour through the west- 
ern part of the State. They went on foot 
from Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay, the 
journey through the woods occupying 
three days and three nights, and in Sevas- 
topol township Mr. Bassford was so well 
pleased with the appearance of the coun- 
try that he bought a tract of 240 acres of 
wild woodland, paying cash for same. 
About this time he passed the nights in 
the woods, sleeping near where now stands 
his fine residence. Bringing his family on 
from Fond du Lac, they made their tem- 
porary home near the shore on Sturgeon 
Bay inlet, and bravely he set to work to 
clear a spot somewhere in his new pur- 
chase whereon to make his future perma- 
nent home. He had not only to do this, 
but had to hew out a road to the nearest 
county highway, and it was not long be- 
fore he had a substantial log shanty erect- 
ed, and a clearing commenced. Now he 
has one of the finest farms in Sevastopol 
township, if not the finest, well-equipped 
with all modern impro\ements, the old 
log shanty supplanted by a palatial resi- 
dence furnished with every requisite for 
comfort and contentment. For over 
thirtj' years he was extensively engaged 



in the lumber business, at one time own- 
ing thousands of acres of land, now re- 
duced by sales to some 500 acres; at one 
time he was two-thirds owner of a steam- 
boat ferry at Sturgeon Bay; and at pres- 
ent he is operating a cheese factor}'. 

Mr. Bassford has been twice married: 
first time, in England, in September, 1849, 
to Miss Sarah Seton, a native of Hunt- 
ingdonshire, and to this union were born 
in the Mother country, one child, named 
William (now a lumber contractor of 
Rapid River, Mich.), and in this country 
two children: John, a merchant of Stur- 
geon Bay; and Eliza, wife of Charles 
Mann, of Baileys Harbor, Door county. 
The mother of these died December 8, 
1857, and in 1858 Mr. Bassford wedded, 
in Door county. Miss Elida Joanna Res- 
sing, a native of Prussia, whence after 
her mother's death she came to the United 
States with her father when she was thir- 
teen j'ears old. The children of this mar- 
riage were as follows: George, deceased 
at the age of twenty-nine years; Henry, a 
merchant in Greeley, Neb. ; Charles, at 
home; Emma, deceased wife of John Mc- 
Donald; Amelia, who died at the age of 
sixteen years; and Augusta, wife of By- 
ron Baker, of Rapid River, Mich. In 
religious faith our subject and wife are 
Episcopalians, and he was foremost in 
the building of the church of that denom- 
ination in Sturgeon Bay that was burned. 
Politically he is a leading Republican in 
the county and township, and he has 
served in numerous offices of honor and 
trust. At present he is chairman of Se- 
vastopol township, and, in fact, has filled 
every public position excepting that of 
justice of the peace; for six years he was 
county commissioner, and all the incum- 
bencies held by him he has proven him- 
self pre-eminently well qualified to fill. 
He has all the attributes of a good Eng- 
lishman and a good American. His man- 
ner inspires full confidence in the integri- 
ty of his heart; and an acquaintance at 
once desires to become a friend. When 
that relation is e^ablished, he compre- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



535 



hends its duties in the largest extent, and 
satisfies its demands with a ready, per- 
haps unnecessary, generosity. 



SIMON THIBAUDEAU. The 
sturdy French-Canadian element 
which has peopled numerous lo- 
calities in the United States, either 
as farmers, merchants or mechanics, has 
proved the loyalty of its blood through 
many a conflict where the right was 
assailed, and almost without exception 
has arrayed itself on the side which readers 
of its history might be led to expect. Of 
such class the subject of this sketch is an 
honored and respected representative. 

Mr. Thibaudeau was born January 6, 
1830, in the Three Rivers District, Prov- 
ince of Quebec, Canada, and is a son of 
Alexander H. and Margaret (Dupuri) Thi- 
baudeau, and grandson of Frank Thibau- 
deau, all French-Canadians by birth. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander H. Thilbaudeau 
were born nine children, viz.: Margaret, 
Mack, Torsul, Matilda, Simon, Louise, 
John B., Adelle, and one that died in in- 
fancy. Of these, our subject received but a 
very limited education, as in his part of the 
country where his boyhood was passed 
there were no regular schools; the farmers, 
or "habitans," would club together, rent 
a room in some commodious house, hire 
a teacher, and in such a way joung 
Simon received about eight months' tui- 
tion. The family being numerous, and 
the homestead farm a large one of 200 
acres, he was, at the early age of eleven 
years, put to work to assist in its cultiva- 
tion. His father dying of dropsy in 1 85 i , 
our subject conducted the farm for about 
a year afterward, and then commenced 
learning the trade of shoemaker, serving 
a regular apprenticeship. This com- 
pleted, he followed the trade in Canada, 
eleven years, or until 1851, when he emi- 
grated to the United States, sojourning 
for a time in Chicago. 111., whence he 
came to Wisconsin, and, at the town of 
Two Rivers, Manitowoc county, found a 



livelihood at fishing; but at the end of a 
3'ear moved to Kewaunee. Here for a 
couple of years he continued the vocation 
of St. Peter, and then for the next two 
3'ears worked in the lumber woods. In 
1856 he came to Kewaunee county, 
where, in Luxemburg township, he bought 
160 acres of land covered with primeval 
forest in which roamed bears, panthers 
and wolves, seeking after their prey, 
while game of all kinds, including deer, 
turkeys, partridge, etc., was numerous. 
Our subject had many an encounter with 
fierce and hungry animals, at one time 
being chased three miles by five ravenous 
wolves, who would have made short work 
of him had they succeeded in running 
him down. In course of time he estab- 
lished a lumber camp on his place, erected 
a log building, employment being given 
to as many as thirty hands, and as soon 
as a clearing was effected he set to work 
to cultivate the soil, planting oats, pota- 
toes and corn, all the tools or implements 
he had being an axe, a grub hoe and an 
old drag. The yield, nevertheless, from 
his crops was good, the first bushel of 
wheat he sowed producing thirty-two 
bushels; it was cut with a cradle, then 
threshed with a flail and the grain carried 
to the nearest mill, which was at De 
Pere, the journey, which was made with 
an ox-team, occupying two days, the road 
through the bush to the township line be- 
ing made by himself and assistants. 
Everything prospered and flourished, and 
to such an extent had his farm grown 
that he had to keep a force of help both 
summer and winter. Of course, everj'- 
thing was high, feed for stock in itself 
costing no little by the end of a year; hay, 
alone, being as high as forty dollars per 
ton. From time to time he added to 
his original purchase of 160 acres till he 
owned 320 acres, 200 of which are cleared 
and for the most part under cultivation. 
On September 13, 1857, Mr. Thi- 
baudeau was married to Miss Adella 
Fontaine, daughter of Raymond and 
Elizabeth (Van Des Ras) Fontaine, of 



536 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL liECORD. 



Robinson, Brown Co., Wis., who had 
thirteen children born to them, named 
respectively, Aiif^ust, Alphonse, \'irginia, 
Hubert, Victoire, Cordelia, Apauline, 
Leopold, Theresa, Benjamin, Anthony, 
Adella and Delia. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Thibaudeau have been born fifteen chil- 
dren, their names and dates of birth be- 
ing as follows: Raphael, October 28, 
1858; Simon, December 31, 1859; Alex- 
ander, November 6, 1861; Mary, October 
2, 1863; Oswald, August 9, 1865; Joseph, 
March 21, 1867; Cordelia, October 30, 
1868; Emil, October 11, 
phile, December 10, 1872 
tember 7, 1874; Joseph, 
1876; Ella, December 24, 
and Angeline (twins). May 5 
May 
ried. 



1S70; Theo- 
Albina, Sep- 
October 14, 
1878; Albert 
1881 ; Leo, 
I, 1884. (^f these, three are mar- 
viz. : Raphael to Miss Addie Tru- 



dell on November 24, 1886; Mary to 
Richard Schinnick on November 27, 1889; 
and Oswald, to Miss Anna Pokorny on 
June 25, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Thibaudeau 
and all the family are members of the 
Roman Catholic Church. Politically he 
is a stanch Democrat, and has served his 
township as chairman, two years; assessor, 
one year; and as treasurer of the school 
board, giving eminent satisfaction to all 
concerned. 



HENRY MARTIN. To the North 
of Ireland this country is in- 
debted for a great number of her 
most solid, stalwart, industrious 
and loyal citi.zens, many of them being 
represented in the agricultural class, of 
which our subject is a worthy and promi- 
nent member. 

He was born August 18, 1830, in 
County Down, Ireland, the seventh child 
and fourth son in the family of eight chil- 
dren of Henry and Nancy Martin, the 
former of whom was a laborer by voca- 
tion. He was reared a farmer boy, re- 
ceiving but a meager education, and re- 
mained about his boyhood home until 
1851, being then twenty-one years old. 



when he decided to come to the United 
States, here to try his fortune. Having 
succeeded in saving sufficient money out 
of his meager wages, some thirty dollars 
per annum, he bade farewell to his rela- 
tives, friends and native country, crossed 
from Belfast, in Ireland, to Troon, a sea- 
port town in Ayrshire, Scotland, and 
there took passage on the sailing vessel 
' ' Tay, " of Glasgow, bound for New York. 
This was in May, 185 1, and after a voy- 
age of nine weeks the good ship arrived 
at her destination. Philadelphia being 
his objective point, Mr. Martin, suppos- 
ing he had a sister living there, imme- 
diately proceeded thither to be doomed, 
however, to disappointment, as he found 
on arrival that she had removed to New 
York. Retracing his steps, he again 
found himself in New York, his return 
journey being varied with some work he 
secured cii route at unloading limestone. 
In Long Island he secured employment 
with a Scotchman named David McCrea, 
a farmer, and from there after a time he 
moved to Williamsburg, same State, but 
finding nothing to do in that city he 
migrated to northern Michigan, having 
an acquaintance living in the town of 
Cedar River, Menominee comity. Here he 
at once found work in sawmills, in which 
line of business he continued from March, 
1855, till July 5, 1857, when he came to 
Sturgeon Bay, and in Bradley's " Island 
Mills" immediately went to work. Here 
for two years he remained, industriously 
toiling and saving money, which he in- 
vested in eighty acres of totally unim- 
proved land in Town 28, Section 21, 
Range 26 (Sevastopol township), where 
he at once commenced to effect a clear- 
ing and build a log cabin which in after 
years gave place to his present commo- 
dious and comfortable brick residence, of 
which kind of dwelling there are only two 
in the township. He has now one of the 
finest and best cultivated farms in this 
part of Door county, brought to its pres- 
ent state of perfection by his indomitable 
perseverance, untiring industr\' and sound 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



537 



judgment. In addition to his farming 
operations he was considerably interested, 
up to 1862, in hnnbering, getting out logs 
at various times. 

On November 12, 1.S62, Mr. Martin 
was united in marriage, at Sturgeon Bay, 
with Mrs. Eliza (Hutchinson) Peters, 
widow of Martin Peters, and a native of 
Niagara county, Ontario, Canada, and 
children as follows were born to them; 
Henry L., at home; David W., now in 
Marinette, Wis.; Eliphalet, at home; and 
Mary A. , James W. and Ann J. , deceased, 
the first named at the age of three 
months, the other two when twenty years 
old. The mother of these died iu Sep- 
tember, 1884, and was buried in the Bay- 
side Cemetery. In his political sympa- 
thies our subject is a Republican, his first 
Presidential vote being cast for Lincoln 
in 1S60, and has served his township in 
various offices of trust and honor: Was 
the first treasurer, and is filling that in- 
cumbency at the present time; is also a 
justice of the peace, and in 1890 he was 
census taker. In Church affiliations he 
was reared in the Presbyterian faith, but 
attends different churches. 



HERMANN SCHMAH, principal of 
the German Lutheran schools at 
Stanton, Neb., and late principal 
of the German Lutheran schools 
of Kewaunee, Wis. , was born in Ger- 
many September 16, 1864. The father 
of our subject, William Schrnah, died in 
April, 1883. The mother, whose maiden 
name was Henrietta Lerfelt, died in 
October, 1881. They had a family of 
ten children, of whom Hermann is the 
youngest, and of whom seven are still 
living — three dying when quite young. 
One son has for twenty years been a 
merchant in South Africa. 

(3ur subject attended school under his 
father until nine years of age, and then 
for three years the high school at Berlin, 
which was followed by an attendance at 



the Berlin Gymnasium until he reached 
his seventeenth year. After leaving 
school Mr. Schmah worked in a seed 
store three years, when he joined the army 
in which he served one year; then worked 
another year in the seed store, till he 
came to America, landing in New York 
City. Thence he proceeded directly to 
Pueblo, Colo. , where he passed a year 
and a half. In January, 1892, he en- 
tered the Northwestern University at 
Watertown, Wis. , and a year and a half 
were devoted to study; three months 
were then spent in a visit to his brothers 
and sisters in Germany, at the end of 
which time he returned to America and 
assumed charge of the German Lutheran 
schools of Kewaunee. The professor is 
a faithful member of the German Luth- 
eran Church, and in politics is a Demo- 
crat. Since the first preparing of this 
sketch he has received a call to Stanton, 
Neb., by the German Lutheran congre- 
gation of that place, and he is now prin- 
cipal of the schools of that denomination 
in Stanton. 



CHARLES REYNOLDS. In 
transmitting to posterity the 
memory of such men as is the 
subject of this sketch, it will in- 
still into the minds of the youth of our 
land the important lessons that success is 
the sure reward of tireless energy and 
honorable dealing; and that, compared to 
a good education, abundant experience, 
coupled with habits of honest industry 
and judicious thrift, the greatest fortune 
would be but a poor inheritance. 

Mr. Reynolds is a native of Ireland, 
born November 15, 1839, in County 
Longford, a son of Michael and Mary 
Ann Reynolds, respectable farming peo- 
ple of that county, who were the parents 
of nine children — seven sons and two 
daughters. The mother died in Ireland 
in 1858, and in the fall of 1865 the 
father came to Wisconsin, settling on a 
farm in Dane countv where he died in 



538 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



1878. After leaving school, and while 
yet in early youth, our subject com- 
menced gaining an insight into mercan- 
tile business as clerk in a store where he 
remained until he was twenty- one years 
of age, at which time he concluded to 
emigrate to the United States. Accord- 
ingly, in the spring of i860, he set sail 
from the port of Galway, Ireland, on the 
steamship "Circassian " bound for New 
York, which city was reached after a voy- 
age of fourteen days, and from there he 
journeyed to Wisconsin, where, in the 
city of Madison, his brother John was en- 
gaged in commercial pursuits, and with 
him he clerked one year. In Septem- 
ber, 1 86 1, our subject enlisted in the 
Twelfth Regiment Wis. V. I., of which 
he was elected sergeant-major, and which 
was sent to Milwaukee, thence to the 
front in Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee, 
successively, afterward accompanying 
Sherman in his march to the sea. At the 
close of the war Mr. Reynolds was pres- 
ent at the Grand Review held at Wash- 
ington, was mustered out at Louisville, 
and received an honorable discharge as 
captain of Company A, same regiment, 
proud in the consciousness of having 
served through the entire war with brav- 
ery and loyalty second to no other soldier 
in the army. Returning to Madison, 
Wis., he served a short time in the 
School Land office, and then moved to 
Green Bay, where he conducted a mer- 
cantile business. He then came to Door 
county, and in Jacksonport township, at 
the harbor of that name, commenced a 
similar business at the stand which had 
formerly been occupied by the Harris & 
Reynolds Co. (this Reynolds being our 
subject's brother John), and here has 
since been successfully engaged in that 
line, to-day rating high in commercial cir- 
cles. At Jacksonport he is proprietor of 
a dock, where he receives and ships rail- 
road ties and telegraph poles, paying out 
for these alone as high as $25,000 an- 
nually, for material, and he is also largely 
interested in timber lands, owning at the 



present time from two thousand to three 
thousand acres. 

On April 9, 1870, Mr. Reynolds was 
united in marriage, at Madison, Wis., 
with Miss Mary Mahan, a native of Ober- 
lin, Ohio, and daughter of Pres. .\sa 
Mahan, an eminent divine and the first 
president of Oberlin College. Of the 
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds 
four died in infancy — Mary, Charles, 
Dwight, and Ruth — and the eldest, 
Michael, at the age of twenty-one years. 
Politically our subject is a Republican, 
and under Grant's administration he was 
appointed postmaster at Jacksonport, 
serving twenty years. He and his wife 
are prominent and influential members of 
the Catholic Church. He is a thorough 
business man "from the crown of his 
head to the sole of his foot," enjoying a 
large and lucrative trade which is much 
enhanced by his wide acquaintance in 
marine circles, from his ownership of the 
pier at Jacksonport, and by his well- 
known honorable dealings. 



OLIVER HARRISON MARTIN, 
M. D., one of the most successful 
physicians in this portion of the 
State, than whom no one is more 
popular or more widely known and high- 
ly esteemed, is a native of New Hamp- 
shire, born at Sandwich, December 22, 

1834. 

Grandfather Martin, who was a life- 
long agriculturist of the same locality in 
New Hampshire, reared a family of five 
sons and one daughter, of whom, William, 
father of our subject, was also a farmer 
in that State, thence, in 1836, moving to 
Lee county. 111., where he died in 1844. 
He was married in New Hampshire to 
Miss Elizabeth H. Hill, who after his 
death married again, in Illinois, and 
moved to Pennsylvania, where she passed 
away at an advanced age. Oliver Harri- 
son Martin, the son. secured his primary 
education at the common .schools of Lee 
county. 111., afterward attending Erie, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



539 



(Penn.) Academy, where he graduated, 
and subsequently studying one year at 
Randolph (N. Y.) Academy, in which he 
also taught the higher English branches 
and mathematics, at the same time pre- 
paring himself for college. In 1854 he 
entered Dartmouth College, where as fel- 
low students he had young men who in 
after years attained high repute in the 
various professions. After two years at- 
tendance there he again came West, and 
in Lee county. 111. , taught public school, 
a portion of the time at Prairieville, until 
January i, 1866, the date of his coming 
to Wisconsin, his first home in the Badger 
State being in Manitowoc. Here he 
taught the city schools some few years, 
two and a half as principal, and then en- 
gaged in the drug business in the same 
place two and one. half years, at the end 
of which time he commenced the study of 
medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. 
J. F. Pritchard, a well-known physician 
and surgeon at Manitowoc. In 1871-72 
he entered Rush Medical College, Chi- 
cago, where he graduated in the class of 
1S74, immediately after which, March 2, 
same 3'ear, he came to Kewaunee and 
commenced the practice of his profession, 
in which he has met with well-merited 
success, having built up a large and lucra- 
tive clientele. His sympathetic kindness 
in the sick-room has endeared him to 
hundreds who revere him for his human- 
ity as highly as they honor him for his 
ability. 

Dr. Martin has been twice married: 
first time, in Ohio, February 3, 1858, to 
Miss Kate T. Whipple, daughter of Rev. 
Roswell P. and Elizabeth T. (Thorn) 
Whipple, of Hinsdale, Mass., the result 
of their union being six children, their 
names and dates of birth being as follows: 
Jessie Grace, December 27, 1858; Ros- 
well Whipple, June 23, i860; Gertrude 
Elizabeth, April 12, 1862; Harry Alexan- 
der, September 19, 1864, died October 
24, 1865; Oliver Herbert, February 23, 
1866, and Frank Fellows, December 4, 
1875. The mother of these died in Wis- 



consin, December 4, 1885, and on June 
I, 1887, the Doctor married Miss Caro- 
line C. Hubbell, of New York. Politic- 
ally he has been identified with the Re- 
publican party since casting his first vote; 
socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F., 
Knights of Pythias, and Royal Arcanum. 
In his profession he is not only progress- 
ive but aggressive, keeping well abreast 
of the times and thoroughly posted in all 
the modern advancements in both medi- 
cine and surgery. 



REV. ANDREW A. ANDRIDGE, 
pastor of the Congregational 
Church, Sturgeon Bay, comes 
from a line of stewards in the 
Lord's vineyard, his grandfather and 
great-grandfather before him having both 
for years proclaimed the Gospel, one of 
them suffering the death of a martyr. 

Our subject is a native of Michigan, 
born July 20, 1863, in Hillsdale county, 
the eldest in the family of three children 
of Charles W. and Harriet (Booth) And- 
ridge, both also natives of that locality. 
The family are of German descent, our 
subject's great-grandfather Andridge hav- 
ing been born in Germany, whence he 
was sent as a missionary among the 
North American Indians in Canada, by 
whom he was murdered, in 18 12. A 
short time afterward his wife was acci- 
dentally killed, and their two children — a 
boy and a girl — were thus left orphans. 
The son, John J. Andridge, was born in 
Little York (now Toronto), Canada, in 
1 800, and after the death of his parents 
he was bound out to a family living near 
Buffalo, N. Y., never again seeing his 
sister. About the year 18 19 he married, 
and moving to Michigan settled on a farm 
near the present city of Hillsdale, being 
one of the first three men to settle in 
Hillsdale county. For many years he was 
a Methodist Episcopal minister, though 
he retained the farm, and he died in 1887 
while visiting in the West; his wife had 
preceded him to the grave in 1868, dying 



540 



COMMKMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in Michigan. The}' had a family <>{ ten 
children — five sons and five daiif,'hters — 
of whom Charles \V. and three daughters 
— Mrs. Mary Crawford, wife of a minis- 
ter; Mrs. Martha W'ood, whose husband 
is in the milling business; and Mrs. Arties 
Snider, living on a farm — are now living. 

Charles W. Andridge, father of our 
subject, was married July 20, 1862, to 
Harriet Booth, daughter of Silas anil 
Amanda Booth, well-to-do farming peo- 
ple of English descent, who were early 
settlers of Hillsdale county, Mich., and 
three children — Schuyler, Grace and 
Andrew A.— were born to this union. 
The mother died in iSS^in Iowa, whither 
the family had removed in 1874, and 
where the father is yet living, engaged in 
milling, his life vocation. In 1865, the 
last year of the Civil war. he enlisted in a 
Michigan regiment, but did not reach the 
scene of active hostilities. 

Andrew A. Andridge received his ele- 
mentary education at the conunon schools 
of his native place, finishing his literary 
studies at the high school ui Storm Lake. 
Iowa, where he graduated in 1880. He 
then took the Iowa law course under the 
preceptorship of Hon. G. S. Robinson, 
now United States senator from Iowa, 
spending about two \ears, part of the 
time teaching school. In 1882, however, 
he decided on changing the course of his 
life, and, resolving to become a minister 
of the Gospel, entered Chicago Theolog- 
ical Seminary, from which institution he 
graduated in the class of 1885. He was 
ordained at Storm Lake. Iowa, May 12. 
1 88 5, in the same church he used to at- 
tend when a boy, and was consequently 
well known by all the members of the 
large council. His first pastorate was at 
Hawarden, Iowa, near his old home, and 
there he remained two years: thence re- 
moved to Prairie du Chien, Wis., and 
from there, after four years and a half, 
to Sturgeon Bay, where he is still pastor, 
now a period of nearly four years, he hav- 
ing come in 1S91. Although his mani- 
fold Church duties claim the most of his 



time, still Mr. Andricfge has been enabled 
to do a considerable amotmt of literary 
work which has gained for him consider- 
popularity: he edited the history of the 
Congregational Church in Prairie du 
Chien, the oldest Church in Wisconsin; 
for some years was correspondent for the 
American Magazine, published in New 
York; corresponding member of the Wis- 
consin Historical Society, also editor of 
•■The Pilot," a paper published in Stur- 
geon Bay in the interests of the Christian 
thought in \\'isconsin; is a member of a 
society organized in Philadelphia for the 
promotion of science, and has written 
\ery able articles for their magazine. 
Mr. Andridge has also lectured in all the 
large cities from Boston to Omaha. He 
is now preparing himself for the degree of 
Ph. U.. which honor he receives from the 
Illinois L'niversity. 

Ur. Andridge was married in 1883. at 
Storm Lake. Iowa, to Miss Belle C. 
Melius, who was born at Independence, 
Iowa, a daughter of William and Bessie 
(Saunders) Melius, natives of Pennsyl- 
vania and New York, respectively, who 
about the year 1854 canie to Iowa, where 
they followed agricultural pursuits; they 
are the parents of si.x children namely: 
Mrs. Ella Hamilton, in Lincoln, N. C. ; 
Mrs. Carrie Wood, in Hawarden, Iowa; 
James, in .\kron, Iowa. ; Mrs. Belle .\nd- 
ridge, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; Mrs. Grace 
Woodside, in Hawarden, Iowa; and Miss 
Inez, in Akron, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Melius 
are yet living in Akron, Iowa. To Mr. 
and Mrs. .\ndridge have been born si.x 
children, named, respectively: Maud, 
Mabel. Florence, Fred, Gladys and Ger- 
trude. In national politics our subject is 
a Republican, in State piilitics a Prohi- 
bitionist. 



ROBERT LAURIE. Scotland, the 
home of Wallace and Bruce, of 
Scott and Burns, and of Carlyle 
and Chalmers, has sent to the 
Western World an army of sturdy, in- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHWAL RECORD. 



54' 



dustrious and lo3'al citizens, wiio in their 
(juiet, ploddinf^, yet resolute way, have 
done much toward the openinj,' up and 
development of new Territories and 
States. The placing on record the fact 
that Mr. Laurie was one of these pro- 
gressive Scotch pioneers is simply a duty 
due to the memory of one who has left a 
lasting impress for good on that portion 
of Door county which for so many years 
was the scene of his honest labors. 

Mr. Laurie was born in August, 1825, 
in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, the 
youngest in the familj- of seven children — 
all sons — of James Laurie, who was by 
occupation a tailor and merchant, a man 
of limited means it is true, but descended 
from a line of Scotchmen prominent in 
Scottish history. Five of his sons lived 
to manhood, and were all skilled drafts- 
men, Robert at the remarkably early age 
of eleven years developing considerable 
talent in that direction. At his native 
place he learned ship carpentry, becoming 
a skilled mechanic, and followed his trade 
in the mother country up to the time of 
his emigration to the United States. 

On December 5, 1X49, he was mar- 
ried in Liverpool, England (at which 
time he was working at his trade), to Miss 
Catherine Monroe, who was born in June, 
1832, also in Glasgow, where she and her 
future husband were playmates in child- 
hood's sunny days. Two children were here 
born to them, viz. ; James, who is now a 
farmer of Marshall county, Minn. ; and 
Alexander M., business manager of the 
Laurie Stone Company. In April, 1852, 
accompanied by his wife and two chil- 
dren, and also his aged parents, he set sail 
from Galsgi3w for the New World on the 
good ship "Susan," bound for Canada, and 
after an uneventful voyage of five weeks 
and three da\s they landed at Montreal, 
whence they at once proceeded to lUiffalo, 
N. Y., where our subject had two broth- 
ers living — James and Alexander. By 
this time Mr. Laurie's funds were about 
exhausted, the expense of bringing the 
party of six such a distance being any- 



thing but light; so at Buffalo he at once 
sought and secured work at his trade, and 
it was not long before he owned a com- 
fortable home, where he and his family 
lived till coming to Wisconsin. One of 
the periodical "hard-times" epidemics 
befalling the country, and Mr. Laurie 
having a strong desire to settle on a farm, 
he gave up his position in the Buffalo 
ship\ards, sold his property, and along 
with his brother Alexander sailed up the 
lakes in quest of some desirable spot, 
"where there was no fe\er and ague," 
whereon to settle; and although they 
viewed many places rii route they found 
nothing to suit them till they touched on 
the west side of the Door county penin- 
sula, Wisconsin, their trip having taken 
them into four lakes — Erie, St. Clair, 
Huron and Michigan. Our subject's first 
purchase was a claim in Sevastopol town- 
ship, Door county, which an old sea cap- 
tain had commenced to convert into a 
home, but died before his cabin was fin- 
ished; Mr. Laurie then purchased, at the 
land office, Green Bay, the property in 
Sevastopol township where the family 
have since resided. This was in July, 
1854, and after making some improve- 
I ments, including the erection of a log 
I house, he returned to Buffalo to bring out 
the family, which he found increased by 
one more "responsibility " in the infant 
person of Catherine, now Mrs. William 
Snyder, of Sevastopol township. The 
journev was made by water on the old 
steamship "Michigan," bound for the 
town of Green Bay, but when they en- 
tered the bay of that name a strong 
gale sprung up which compelled the 
vessel to put in at Sturgeon Bay in- 
let, a fortunate e\ent for the fam- 
ily, as they were landed at Gar- 
land's pier, but a short distance from 
their new home. Mr. Laurie found work 
building vessels and docks in the vicinity 
until the following season, when he and 
his brother returned to Buffalo, where 
they built themselves a very small vessel 
which early in the following spring they 



542 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



sailed to Sturgeon Bay, it being the first 
craft of any kind to matce its way tinrough 
the lakes. The Laurie Brothers (for 
the}' had in the meanwhile formed a part- 
nership) successfully continued their trade 
for several years, constructing several 
vessels at Sturgeon Bay and elsewhere, 
including the " Katie Laurie " and " Belle 
Laurie," and the first sail boat built on 
the peninsula, named "The Peninsula, " 
which vessel plied between Green Bay 
and Sturgeon Bay; on her Mr. Laurie 
conveyed free, during the Civil war, from 
Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, part of the 
Twelfth Wis. V. I. The "Peninsula," 
which was a fast sailer, was subsequently 
sold in Chicago. But fate had decreed 
that the partnership between Robert and 
Alexander Laurie should be dissolved, 
and death carried off one of the brothers 
in the full vigor of manhood. In Octo- 
ber, 1862, while Ale.x. Laurie and David 
Sawyer, who had been out in the bay 
with a boat, were entering Green Bay 
harbor, the vessel capsized and Alexan- 
der Laurie and the man Sawyer were 
both drowned, after which our subject 
continued in business alone. At his Door 
county home his family was increased by 
five more children, as follows: John, 
now captain of the tug, "J. Everson"; 
Christina, at home; Isabella, now Mrs. 
W. A. Drumb, of Sturgeon Bay; Eliza- 
beth, a school teacher, and residing at 
home; and Robert, who died in infancy. 
The parents of Mr. Laurie died under 
his roof in Sevastopol township, each at 
the extremely advanced age of ninety-five 
years. Alexander and Catherine (Brown) 
Monroe, parents of Mrs. Laurie, came 
from Scotland to this country, and to the 
home of their daughter, intending to pass 
the rest of their days here; but not liking 
the country returned to their native land, 
where they died, the father in Aberdeen, 
the mother in Liverpool. 

Mr. Monroe, while visiting the Laur- 
ies, was struck with the appearance of a 
limestone deposit on the farm, and strong- 
ly urged Mr. Laurie to develop it; but it 



was some years before he followed the 
advice. For a long time the stone was 
burned for lime, but, later, a good deal of 
it was cut into building material and 
shipped to various lake towns, where it has 
proved exceedingly well adapted for the 
purposes for which it was intended. The 
quarry has now been in operation some 
years, and the product finds a ready mar- 
ket all along the lakes. On November 
15, 1889, after an industrious, useful lifei, 
Robert Laurie passed away in Sturgeon 
Bay, while being operated on for rheu- 
matism, and his remains were deposited 
in Baj' Side cemetery by the side of his 
mother. He was an ardent Republican 
in his political preferences, and held some 
civic offices, such as justice of the peace 
and treasurer of the school board; in re- 
ligious faith he was a consistent adherent 
of the Presbyterian Church, as is also his 
widow, the rest of the family being Epis- 
copalians. Since his death the family 
have continued to conduct the farm and 
stone quarry. In November, 1892, Mrs. 
Laurie, accompanied by her daughters, 
Christina and Elizabeth, took a trip to 
the "Old Country," spending the winter 
in Scotland, and visiting various scenes 
of Mrs. Laurie's childhood and young 
womanhood. "Pleasure is marked by 
ileetness, to those whoever roam, while 
grief itself has sweetness at home, sweet 
home." 



AUGUST C. VOSHARDT. editor 
and proprietor of the Kewaunee 
/Enterprise. It is one of the most 
encouraging facts which can any- 
where exist that, in this country, a large 
proportion of those individuals, who by 
professional acquirements and talents 
have attained a greater or less degree of 
prosperity, have risen by their own exer- 
tions. In the lives of such men as the 
subject of this sketch there is always to 
be found something to encourage the ex- 
ertions of those youths who, without for- 
tune or infiuential friends, are struggling 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



545 



to overcome obstacles in the acquire- 
ment of position and independence. 

Mr. Voshardt was born February 14, 
1859, at Robden, near Minden, Germany, 
son of Henry and Louisa (Buschmann) 
Voshardt, who had a family of nine chil- 
dren — six sons and three daughters — si.\ 
of whom are yet living, our subject being 
the eldest son. In 1861 the family emi- 
grated to America, arriving at New York 
May I, whence they immediately journeyed 
farther westward till they reached Wis- 
consin, where, at Two Rivers, Manito- 
woc county, they made their new western 
home. August C. was at that time two 
years old, so all his education, which was 
limited to but a few years' attendance at 
the common schools, was received in this 
country, substantially backed by his ex- 
perience in the printing office. At the 
age of thirteen he moved to Kewaunee, 
and commenced learning the printing 
business in the office of the Enterprise, 
published at that town and then owned 
by the late John M. Read. After serving 
an apprenticeship of three years he re- 
turned to Two Rivers, and again attended 
public school, but after six months en- 
tered the office of the Manitoivoc County 
Chronicle, at Two Rivers, where, with 
the exception of one year, he worked un- 
til the close of 1882. 

On January 5, 1883, he again came 
to Kewaunee, and purchased the Enter- 
prise printing plant and newspaper of E. 
Decker and \'. Mashek, who had secured 
possession of the paper a few months 
after the death of the previous owner, 
Mr. Read. Mr. Voshardt continued to 
publish the paper as an eight-column 
folio until August 14, 1 891, at which time 
it was enlarged to a six-column quarto. 
In March, same year, a new latest-im- 
proved cylinder press was purchased to 
supplant the old Washington hand press, 
steam power being also added to the 
plant, and the Enterprise, under the able 
management and editorship of its propri- 
etor, has taken prominent rank among the 
ambitious newspapers of northern Wis- 

31 



consin. It is one of the oldest papers in 
the State, the first issue having been pub- 
lished June 22, 1859, and has been con- 
stantly increasing in circulation. It man- 
fully supports the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party, and moreover is a bright, 
newsy all-round home journal. 

On September 22, 1883, Mr. Vos- 
hardt was married to Miss Katie L. Apel, 
who was born at Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 
and one son, Orme, was born to them 
Januarys, 1885. Socially our subject is 
a member of Key Lodge, F. & A. M., 
Covenant Lodge, No. 263, I. O. O. F., 
and Kewaunee Valley Council, No. 981, 
Royal Arcanum. As will be seen, Mr. 
Voshardt is a typical self-made man, one 
who by his own ability, perseverance and 
acumen has risen from a comparatively 
obscure and poor boyhood to his present 
condition of independence, being now, 
apart from his business, the owner of an 
elegant and comfortable modern home, 
overlooking the lake. For years he has 
been looked up to as one of the city 
fathers of Kewaunee, having served for 
several terms as member of the city coun- 
cil, and he enjoys to an enviable degree 
the respect and esteem of the community. 



FRANK WELLEVER, chairman 
and justice of the peace in Egg 
Harbor township. Door county, is 
one of the leading citizens of this 
section. He was born June 28, 1856, in 
Hornellsville, N. Y., son of Michael and 
Mary A. (Amiden) Wellever, farming peo- 
ple, the former of whom was a native of 
Pennsylvania, the latter of Connecticut. 
Their family consisted of four children, 
viz. : Phoebe, now Mrs. John Doty, of 
Egg Harbor township. Door county; 
Frank, whose name opens this sketch; 
Nellie, Mrs. Ed. Le Roy, of Washington; 
and Ida, Mrs. Joseph Eichinger, of Little 
Sturgeon, Wis. The father of this fam- 
ily died in New York State, where the 
mother subsequently married E. C. Tru- 
man, and in 1870 the entire family mi- 



h6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



grated westward to Wisconsin, making 
their first location in Rock county, where 
they Hved for two and a half jears. They 
next resided in Seymour, Outagamie 
county, where they remained two years, 
in 1875 removing to Door county and 
shortly afterward took up their residence 
in Egg Harbor, where the mother of our 
subject died. 

Frank \\'elle\er received all his edu- 
cation at the common schools, and was 
reared to farming, also obtaining a knowl- 
edge of the stave business, in which his 
stepfather was engaged. In 1 879 he was 
married, in Egg Harbor, to Miss Sarah 
Le Roy, a native of that place, and 
(laughter of William Le Ro\', a Canadian, 
and this union has been blessed with six 
children, namely: Mary L., Katie E., 
Frank L. , Georgina, Cora L. and Truman 
D. After his marriage Mr. Wellever lo- 
cated in Egg Harbor, and later at Stur- 
geon Bay, where he was engaged in buy- 
ing fish for E. S. Minor. In 1884 he re- 
turned to Egg Harbor township and rent- 
ed land in Section 34, which he later, in 
1 89 1, purchased, now owning a comfort- 
able farm of 108 acres. Mr. Wellever 
has dealt in staves and engaged in lum- 
bering to some extent, in addition to his 
agricultural work, which has, however, 
received the principal share of his atten- 
tion. He is one of the leading men of his 
township in many ways, taking a deep in- 
terest in the welfare and advancement of 
his section, and has been prominentl}' 
identified with the local civil government. 
having served for the past fourteen years 
as justice of the peace with eminent sat- 
isfaction to his fellow citizens, and he 
has held the office of chairman in the 
township for eight years, showing himself 
well (|ualified for that responsible position. 



JOHN KEOGH is one of the honored 
pioneers of Door county, having 
here made his home since 1856, at 
which time the county was an al- 
most unbroken wilderness, inhabited to 



some extent by Indians, and just opening 
up to the white race whose efforts were 
soon to transform it into one of the lead- 
ing counties of this commonwealth. In 
all the work of development and improve- 
ment our subject has borne his part, and, 
among the founders of the county is well 
deserving of mention. 

Mr. Keogh was born June 13, 1841, 
in County Dublin, Ireland, which county 
was also the birthplace of his parents, 
James and Mary (Moore) Keogh. In the 
Emerald Isle the father was overseer of a 
large estate, but in 1852 he gave up his 
position in order to try his fortune in the 
New World, took passage on the sailing 
vessel " Perseverance," which left the 
harbor of Dublin. Ireland, and after 
thirteen weeks she dropped anchor in the 
harbor of Quebec. From that city Mr. 
Keogh proceeded to Toronto, where he 
worked at farm labor until 1855. when he 
came to \\'isconsin. making the journey 
from Buffalo to Chicago on the "Lady 
Elgin." On the same boat he sailed to 
Manitowoc county, \\'is. , where he re- 
mained until coming to Door county in 
1855. He was the first justice of the 
peace of Forestville township, elected in 
1857; served as township superintendent 
of schools, and was actively interested in 
everything pertaining to the welfare of 
the community and its upbuilding. His 
death occurred in 1 890, and he was 
mourned by man}' friends. His first wife 
died in 1861, after which he wedded Mrs. 
Matilda Machia, who is now living in 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. In the Keogh family 
were four sons — John, of this sketch; 
Edward, who is married and is living in 
Forest\ille to\\nshi]i; Luke, a farmer of 
Forestville township: and James, a banker 
of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. 

Our subject spent the first eleven 
years of his life in the land of his birth, 
and then came with his parents to Amer- 
ica. His education was acquired partly 
in Ireland, partly ii- Toronto, Canada, 
and in 1855 he came to Door county. 
Wis., where he aided in opening up the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



547 



home farm, placing the entire i6o acres 
under cultivation. He now owns one- 
half of the old homestead, and is num- 
bered among the substantial farmers of 
the community. He went through all 
the experiences and trials of frontier life 
and went to market in Manitowoc county 
by boat, for there were no roads cut 
through at that time. In 1866, in For- 
estville township, he wedded Eliza 
Ahrens, who was born on the Emerald 
Isle, as were her parents, William and 
Mary (Condlonj Ahrens, who emigrated 
to New York in the fall of 1865. Soon 
afterward the mother came to Wisconsin, 
and is now the wife of Bartley Dunlon, 
of Nasewaupee township. Door county. 
Mr. and ^Irs. Keogh now have five 
children, namely: Mary, wife of William 
Mulvihill, of Nasewaupee township; 
Lucy; Alice, who is engaged in teaching; 
William and Martha. 

In politics, Mr. Keogh is a Republican, 
and has been honored with several public 
offices, the duties of which he has ever 
discharged with promptness and fidelity. 
He was elected sheriff of Door county in 
1889, for a term of two years; was chair- 
man of Forestville township from 1880 
till 1885; was several times assessor of 
the township, and has also served as town 
treasurer. He was justice of the peace 
many years, and aided in organizing the 
school district in which he lives. 



JOSEPH ZETTEL, one of the most 
successful agriculturists and the 
largest fruit grower in Door county, 
is a native of Switzerland, born at 
Gross Dietwyl, Canton Luzerne, Novem- 
ber 26, 1832, a son of Joseph and Mary 
Josepha (Rosly; Zettel, the former of 
whom was an innkeeper, a judge of the 
Second Court, and a captain in the reserve 
army; the grandfather was judge of the 
Second Court for twenty years. 

When our subject was seventeen years 
old his mother died, and, his father mar- 
rying again soon after, home to the lad 



became different to what it had been; 
consequently, at the age of nineteen, he 
resolved to try his fortune in the New 
World, where there was ample room for 
aspiring young men of good all-round ed- 
ucation such as it was his fortune to re- 
ceive. Making known his resolution to 
his father, the latter provided him with 
sufficient means to take him to the United 
States, and on March 27, 1853, he left 
his native town, traveling by rail to 
Antwerp, Belgium, where he took pas- 
sage on the sailing vessel "Roger Stew- 
art," bound for New York, which port 
was reached after a passage of fifty-three 
days. From there our subject proceeded 
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he readily 
found temporary employment on a farm; 
but his real destination being the citv of 
New Philadelphia, in the same State, he 
set out for that point by way of the canal. 
Discovering, while on the trip, a conspir- 
acy to rob and, perhaps, murder him, he 
determined to baffle the conspirators, 
which he did by first throwing his trunk 
overboard into the canal, and then jump- 
ing after it. Swimming ashore, he suc- 
ceeded in fishing his trunk onto dry land, 
and shouldering it carried it into the adja- 
cent woods, no small task, considering 
his burden weighed not less than 1 50 
pounds. Here, fortunately, he met a 
fellow countryman who secured for 
him work with a farmer, named Clark 
Gates, at $8.00 per month and his 
keep, which suited him well at the 
time, for he was young and strong, 
full of courage and alwas happy. At the 
end of a year he left Mr. Gates, and for 
a time worked on the Cle\'eland & Pitts- 
burg railroad, then in course of construc- 
tion, afterward going on a farm again. 
About this time he was taken sick, and 
for two months la}' a stranger among 
strangers, and but for having some money 
saved, and finding kind people who in- 
terested themselves in his behalf, he 
would have fared badly. On his recov- 
ery he returned to his old friend, Mr. 
Gates, who gave him a job chopping lum- 



54^^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ber for building purposes, and he so con- 
tinued two years, at the end of which 
time he hired with a Cleveland firm to 
come to Washington Island, Door Co., 
Wis. Accordingly on May i, 1855, he 
set out for the new country, and during 
the ensuing summer was engaged in build- 
ing mills and limekilns at $16.00 per 
month. In the fall of the same year he 
moved to Green Bay and, later, to 
Oconto, during the winter of 1855-56 
working in the pine woods there till the 
spring when he came to Sturgeon Bay, 
thence moving to Sevastopol township. 
Here he was the owner of some land in 
Section 22 which he had never yei seen, 
having bought it from map or plat at 
Menasha, and he at once commenced 
making a small clearing thereon. Later, 
however, he sold this property, and 
bought of A. W. Lawrence his present 
farm in Section 27, prior to which, in 
the meantime, he worked in the sawmills 
at Sturgeon Bay. At the time of his 
coming on this land, only a small clear- 
ing had been made, on which stood a 
rickety shanty used for making sugar in, 
and this was the first home of the family, 
for by this time Mr. Zettel had married, 
an event that will be presently spoken of. 
Everything was as wild as nature could 
make it, there being but one road, 
almost impossible to get through with 
a wagon, more like a "trail," that led 
to his farm, while wild animals, in- 
cluding bears, deer, wolves, etc., were 
still numerous, and the only link be- 
tween this little settlement and the 
outer world was the old steamboat ' ' Mich- 
igan," which at long intervals passed the 
Sturgeon Bay, but they had generally to 
go to Green Bay for the necessaries of life. 
This " Old Michigan" was the same ves- 
sel that brought Mr. Zettel from Cleve- 
land to Washington Island. As time 
wore on the farm became cleared, and in 
lieu of timber and underbrush, were seen 
fertile fields of grain, pasture or root 
crops, and in place of the old shanty, the 
present comfortable dwelling. Mr. Zettel 



now owns in all 160 acres of well culti- 
vated land, and 100 acres of timber, after 
giving 200 acres to his sons. It did not 
take him long to discover that the soil 
was well adapted for fruit culture, and in 
1862 he commenced to plant apple, pear 
and other trees which flourished under 
his scientific care so well that in the long 
period of twenty-five years he had not a 
single crop failure, and in 1892 his or- 
chard yielded 3000 bushels of apples ! At 
the World's Fair, held in Chicago, 1893, 
his fruit displa\- attracted great attention, 
especially his apples, one of which, the 
"Wolf River Seedling," measured four- 
teen inches in circumference ! His ex- 
hibit included over twenty varieties of 
apples which kept their flavor and size 
longer than those of any other exhibitor. 
His orchard, which is the largest in the 
State, comprises fortj'-five acres, in var- 
ious places, besides thirty-two acres on 
the homestead farm, and pears, cherries, 
plums, apricots, besides many kinds of 
small fruit are produced in abundance. 

On July 28, 1861, Mr. Zettel was 
married in Nasewaupee township. Door 
county, to Miss Christma Lorch, a native 
of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, born 
December 9, 1842, daughter of Christof 
and Margaretha (Leonhardt) Lorch, the 
former of whom died in the Fatherland, 
the latter coming, in 1855, to Wisconsin 
with her four fatherless children — two 
sons and two daughters. To this union 
were born eleven children, as follows: 
Christina, deceased wife of James Asnow; 
Philip, Joseph and Alfred, farmers in 
Sevastapol township; and Henrj', Jacob, 
Julius, Catherine, Louise, Mina and Lil- 
lie, all at home with their parents. In 
his political preferences Mr. Zettel is a 
stanch Democrat, and has held various 
township offices, such as treasurer, five 
years; chairman, three years; supervisor, 
one year; and treasurer of the school 
board. He is one of the most successful 
men of the county, his success being in a 
great measure due to his faithful life 
partner, who herself is a thorough busi- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



549 



ness woman; and among the men of m.ark 
in the noble army of pioneers of this sec- 
tion of the State, there is no name more 
deserving of being perpetuated in the 
pages of this Biographical Record than 
that of Joseph Zettel. 



HARLES GRAF. In enumerat- 



ing the successful farmers of Nase- 



r 

\_ ^ waupee township, Door county, 
the list would be incomplete with- 
out prominent mention of the gentleman 
whose name is here recorded. 

He was born in Saxony, Germany, in 
1835, and is a son of Adolph and Amalia 
(Shroth) Graf, who had three children, 
namely: Matilda, deceased in Ozaukee 
county, Wis. ; Herman, who served in the 
Twenty-seventh Wisconsin Regiment dur- 
ing the war of the Rebellion, and died in 
1867, and Charles. The mother died in 
1844, and two years later the father mar- 
ried Miss Hannah Upleman, by whom he 
had two daughters: Theresa, who died in 
Washington county. Wis. , and Henrietta, 
married and living in Indiana. In 1852 Mr. 
Graf and his family set sail from Hamburg, 
Germany, and after a voyage of ninety- 
six days reached New York, whence they 
came to Wisconsin, landing in Milwau- 
kee, from there journeying to Port Wash- 
ington, Ozaukee county, where Mr. Graf 
took up a claim three miles from town. 
Here he died in 1888, his wife in 1887. 

The subject proper of these lines at- 
tended the public schools in Germany 
until he reached his sixteenth year, at 
which time he accompanied his parents 
to America, where he remained with his 
father for some time, helping in the clear- 
ing up of the new home. In i860 he 
bought a team, and commenced farming 
for his own account, and same year was 
married to Miss Jacobina Werthwein, 
who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
a daughter of Jacobina Machtlle, whose 
second husband was Frederick Werth- 
wein. They came to Ozaukee county in 
1856, and in the city of Port Washington 



made their home till 1880, when they re- 
moved to Nasewaupee township, Door 
county, where the father died in 1888, 
the mother in 1889. After marriage Mr. 
Graf took his 3'oung wife to his home in 
Port Washington where they lived sev- 
eral years highly respected, and where he 
held several offices of trust, including 
church offices; he was supervisor three 
years; was foreman for the United States 
harbor contractor, Mr. Tunham, and also 
for the city when building the harbor in 
Egremont with the government for fifteen 
thousand dollars; was supervisor in a 
lawsuit against the railroad compan\,and 
saved the city some thirty thousand dol- 
lars; was also foreman for the harbor 
contractor. He speculated in real estate 
and personal property, till he lost all his 
wealth, but not his health, and then in 
the spring of 1879 came to Door county, 
where he bought 160 acres of land in 
Nasewaupee township, adjoining the farm 
of his father-in-law. He had nine dol- 
lars in cash, and was fifteen hundred dol- 
lars in debt when he came to the place — 
but he was not discouraged. He built 
a log house and went cheerfully to work 
to clear his land, and cancel his indebt- 
edness. He now owns 280 acres of land, 
140 of which are cleared and being culti- 
vated; in 1884 he built a one-and-one- 
half story frame house which is neat and 
comfortable. His crops became so large 
that he found it necessary, in 1890, to 
build another barn, which he did, the 
size being 74x42 feet. He has made a 
great success of stock raising, making a 
specialty of Holstein cattle; his horses, 
sheep and hogs are also of a good grade. 
Mr. Graf is an adherent of the Repub- 
lican party, takes an active interest in 
elections, and has served as supervisor of 
the township. Sixteen children were 
born to him and his wife, of whom twelve 
are still living, to wit: Charley; Adolph, 
married, and living in West Superior, 
Wis. ; Leonard, of Minneapolis, Minn. ; 
Mary, wife of Henry Blasser, also of Min- 
neapo'is; Louisa Schneider, of Winona, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 



Minn.; Adelia; Jacob; Gusta; Frank; 
George; John, and Amelia. Mr. and 
Mrs. Graf are working members of the 
Evangelical Church, of which he is a 
deacon, and he was instrumental in se- 
curing an edifice for that society. He or- 
ganized the school district in which he 
lives, and has taken an active part in all 
the movements tending to the benefit of 
the communitv. 



AMES McARDLE, a leading citizen 



J of Baileys Harbor township. Door 
county, for the past four years has 
served as a member of the town 
board of supervisors, and has been other- 
wise identified with public interests. 

He was born in Count\' Louth, Ire- 
land, in 1826, and was reared to man- 
hood in the usual manner of farmer lads, 
giving his father the benefit of iiis services 
during his minority. In 1865 he was 
married to Ann Fegan, a year later came 
to America, and during the first five years 
he resided at Troy, X. Y. In 1871 he 
brought his family to Baileys Harbor 
where he purchased forty acres of cleared 
land, and built thereon a frame house 
which still stands as part of their present 
residence. He has untiringly devoted 
himself to the development of the farm- 
ing interests of his town, and is now the 
, possessor of one of the best farms in the 
vicinity. To his first purchase he has 
added others, until he now has in the 
neighborhood of 350 acres of timber and 
farm land. In all his labors he has been 
ably assisted by his wife, who is a most 
estimable lady. Their marriage has been 
blessed with eight children, the two eldest 
of whom are married; the others are as- 
sisting their parents on the farm. 

In public life Mr. McArdle has dis- 
charged his duties with much credit to 
himself andsatisfaction to his constituents. 
It was a fortunate day for him when he 
determined to seek a home in the New 
World, for here he has not only pros- 
pered in business, but has also secured a 



pleasant home and gained many warm 
friends, for his life has been a straight- 
forward one, deserving of the esteem of 
those wha know him. 



JOHN J. PIXNEY, owner and editor 
of the Door County Democrat, 
Sturgeon Bay, one of the best edited, 
newsiest and liveliest newspapers of 
northern Wisconsin, is a native of Ohio, 
born March 19, 1862, in Mantua, Port- 
age count)', son of George and Charit)' 
C. (Steadman) Pinne\'. 

In 1863, at that time a one-year-old 
boy, our subject was brought by his par- 
ents from the East to Wisconsin. He 
learned the printer's trade in the office of 
the Expositor, in Sturgeon Bay, at that 
time owmed and edited by his father. 
From "devil" to "jour" he found rapid 
promotion, and he continued in the print- 
ing business about eleven years, or until 
the fall of 1885, when his father's largely 
increasing nursery business demanded his 
assistance at home. During the last two 
years of his incumbency there (which 
terminated in 1892) he conducted a print- 
ing office at the nursery, where all the 
literature of his father's vast business was 
turned out. Since December 11, 1894, 
he has been president of "The Ever- 
green Nursery Co.," established by his 
father, and the nurserj' is said to be the 
most important one in the United States 
devoted to the growth of shrubs and 
evergreens. 

In Januarj', 1893, our subject bought 
a complete printing plant, and estab- 
lished the Door County Democrat, the 
office of which he supplied, complete, 
with all modern appliances used in print- 
ing offices, including cylinder press and job 
press; wire stitching machine for pamph- 
lets, etc. — everything, in fact, pertaining 
to the equipment of a well-appointed office 
— the whole being operated by steam- 
power. The Door County Democrat is an 
eight-page quarto, and its politics are 
purely and prima facie Democratic, true 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



551 



to the principles of the partj-, which are 
upheld with jealous care. The paper has a 
large and constantly increasing circula- 
tion, while the job-room is ever busy with 
work for both home and outside trade. 
In a word, as a paying investment, it is 
no vain boast to say that the Door County 
Democrat is not excelled by any journal 
published on the peninsula. Its columns 
are found complete in both local and gen- 
eral county news, besides presenting its 
readers with the gist of the outside tele- 
graphic reports, including trans-Atlantic 
and other foreign cablegrams; while 
through the judicious collection of in- 
structive and edifying matter, its columns 
are replete with the current National and 
State affairs, and literary and domestic 
pabulum. In March, 1895, Mr. Pinney 
associated himself with others, formed 
the J. J. Pinney Printing Company, and 
bought out a rival newspaper in the same 
city, and of the same political faith, 
thereby giving the Door County Democrat 
a clear and largely-increased held. 

In April, 1892, at Caldwell, Wis., Mr. 
Pinney was united in marriage with Miss 
Martha Kingston, and one child, George 
K. , has come to brighten their home, 
born March 7, 1894. 



ALBERT G. WARREN. It is not 
often the privilege of the biogra- 
pher to have the writing of the 
life history of one who is more 
than an octogenarian in years, and who 
has not yet entirely released his hand 
from labor, as in the case of the gentle- 
man whose name here appears. Born in 
New London count}'. Conn., Jul}' 26, 
I Si 2, Mr. Warren, hale and hearty, is 
now in his eighty-third year, with facul- 
ties unimpaired, cheerful, happy and con- 
tented. 

Lewis Warren, his father — a son of 
Moses Warren, who was of English de- 
scent, by vocation a manufacturer of 
woolen cloth — was born in Canada, where 
he learned the trade of weaver. In 1806, 



in early manhood, he was desirous of 
going into business in his native country, 
but being required, before doing so, to 
take the oath of allegiance to the British 
Government, he declined, and conse- 
quently had to move to the United States, 
which he did, settling in Connecticut, 
where he married Miss Sophronia Adams, 
who was born in that State, in 1 79 1, a 
daughter of Daniel and Alice (Ainsworth) 
Adams, the former of whom was a tanner 
by trade, and served in the Revolutionary 
war. He traced his ancestry to Miles 
Standish, who came over in the "May- 
flower," and was a captain in the early 
militia. Daniel and Alice Adams had 
four children, two sons — Elihu and Guy 
Fitch — and two daughters — Sophronia 
and Alice — both the sons becoming sea 
captains. After marriage Lewis Warren 
abandoned cloth weaving and embarked 
in the milling business, but not long after- 
ward, in 1815, was drowned while repair- 
ing the dam of his mill on a branch of the 
Genesee river in New York State. He 
was a well-educated man, and a close as- 
sociate of Gen. W. H. Harrison. After 
his death his widow and her three young 
children — Guy Lewis, Albert G. , and 
William Harrison — returned to Connecti- 
cut from where they had been living in 
New York State, the entire journey of 
450 miles being made in a wagon, and 
for a time lived at the home of her father. 
Long afterward, in 1855, she came to 
Wisconsin, in order to make her home 
with her sons Albert G. and William H., 
and here died in December, 1881, aged 
ninety-one years, nine months and nine 
days. 

Albert G. Warren, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, was three years old 
when his father died, and at the common 
schools of Connecticut he secured all the 
school training he was destined to re- 
ceive. At the age of ten he went to live 
with a farmer, with whom he remained 
two years, and then clerked in a store at 
Canterbury, Windham county, and at 
Sterling Hill, same county and State, till 



552 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



he was fifteen years old, when, having 
moved to Norwich, he learned the trade 
of carriage trimmer. The firm he was 
apprenticed to failing, however, at the 
end of a year, young Warren took up 
harness making, serving an apprenticeship 
of four years, and afterward following 
same several years, a portion of the time 
for his own account, at Norwich; but 
about the year 1844 he abandoned this, 
and embarking in the upholstery and dry- 
goods business continued in that line in 
the same town until 1855. In that same 
year, accompanied by his brother William 
H , he came west to Wisconsin, on a pros- 
pective tour, and being induced to come to 
Sturgeon Bay, Door county, while tarry- 
ing at Fond du Lac, they made the jour- 
ney northward and from Bay Settlement 
on the ice, arriving at their destination 
April 3, same year, their families follow- 
ing in July of that year. Their intention 
being to commence farming operations, 
they took up 400 acres of land in the 
vicinity of Sturgeon Bay, built a log 
house 30 X 40 feet, cleared a farm, and 
for thirteen years, or until 1868, w-ere act- 
ively engaged in agriculture. For the 
next seven years our subject had charge 
of the books for A. W. Lawrence cS: Co. , 
proprietors af a general store in Sturgeon 
Bay, since when he has more or less been 
dealing in real estate, and devoting his 
spare time to working on an abstract of 
land titles to real estate in Door county. 
In July, 1836, at Norwich, Conn., 
Mr. Warren was married to Miss Sophia 
Davenport, who was born, in 18 13, in 
Connecticut, a daughter of William and 
Eleanor (Green) Davenport, respectable 
farming people, who had a family of chil- 
dren named, respectively, Jared, Russell, 
William, Charles, Mary, Sophia and 
Francis, of whom two survive, William 
and Francis. The mother of these died 
at the patriarchal age of ninety-six years 
six months. Mr. and Mrs. Warren have 
two daughters, both born in Norwich, 
Conn., namely: Sophia, now Mrs. E. C. 
Daniels, of Pasadena, Cal., and Emily, 



a resident of Sturgeon Bay, W'is. In relig- 
ious faith our subject is a member of the 
M. E. Church. In his political predi- 
lections he is a stanch Republican, but 
his first presidential vote was cast for 
Martin V'anBuren on the Free-soil ticket. 
At Sturgeon Ba\-, in the July, 1855, elec- 
tion, he was elected supervisor; in 1856 
was chairman of Sturgeon Bay town- 
ship, which included all the people of 
Door county who could get to Sturgeon 
Bay to poll their votes. In 1859 he 
was appointed county clerk, in which 
capacity he served two years; was deputy 
treasurer and clerk, many years; assessor 
several times, and town clerk for a long 
period of time. In all the various offices 
that have been held by him he has ever 
been an active worker, and at all times 
has done his duty to his constituents in a 
manner that has won him great applause 
and honor. In his earlier days Mr. War- 
ren taught school many dreary winters, 
and it is remembered that he had charge 
of the first district school in Sturgeon 
Bay, which was held in the upper part 
of a store. In 1871 he built a com- 
modious and comfortable residence on 
Cedar street, and resides in another of 
his houses, also on Cedar street, where 
the honored old pioneer and his faith- 
ful helpmeet, who is now eighty-two 
years old, calmly and reverently await 
the summons that must come to all, 
happy in the consciousness that they have 
the fullest esteem and regards of the 
entire community who one and all wish 
them continued health and fullness of 
years. 



HERMAN REINHART PAUTZ, 
the oldest insurance agent in the 
city of I\ewaunee, is a native of 
the Province of Pommcrn, Prus- 
sia, and was born January 8, 1839. His 
father, Charles Pautz, was born in i S02, 
was a blacksmith by trade, and was a 
son of Martin Pautz, a shepherd. The 
mother of our subject, wh( > bore the maiden 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



553 



name of Frederica Rohleder, was born in 
1800, and was married in 1826. Of her 
eight children, two only are living. In 
1856 the father brought his family to 
America and located near Watertowri, 
Jefferson Co. ,Wis. , but died three months 
after his arrival. The mother kept the 
family together for a year, when her 
daughter was married, and with her Mrs. 
Pautz made her home until her death in 
1863. 

Our subject had learned blacksmith- 
ing in the old country, and at this trade 
and as a farm hand he worked for others 
until he was twenty-three years of age. 
He then rented a farm near Portland, 
Wis., for three years, after which he 
bought a farm at Golden Lake, Wis. , but 
had lived there one year only, when he 
lost his first wife, Minnie (Marguard) 
Pautz, a native of Germany. He at once 
sold his place, and in 1866 came to Ke- 
waunee county, locating on a farm, three 
and a half miles northwest of Kewaunee 
city. In 1884 he sold this farm, having 
previously secured fourteen acres where 
he now resides, to which he has since 
added five acres. All this tract he has 
laid out in town lots, known as " Pautz 
Plat." About 1876 Mr. Pautz married 
Miss Minnie Born, a native of his own 
province, who, at the age of nine years, 
came to America with her parents, who 
settled at Watertown, Wis., where her 
father died a month later. The mother, 
marrying Aug. Brown, and keeping the 
family together, is now a resident of Ke- 
waunee. To this second marriage of our 
subject have been born eight children, 
four of whom are living, viz. : Emma, 
married to William Hoeft, of Ixonia, Jef- 
ferson Co., Wis.; Emil, now nineteen 
years old, is a clerk in Duvall's store; 
Louise and Alma are still at home. 

In politics Mr. Pautz is a strong Re- 
publican, has filled a number of minor 
offices, and has several times been nomi- 
nated for county positions, but his party 
being in the minority he has of course 
shared its fate. He has always taken 



much interest in the public schools, and 
when on the farm was clerk of the dis- 
trict. In the city he has served as 
assessor, and has also been township 
assessor. In 1890 he was appointed 
enumerator, and took the census of West 
Kewaunee. For the past twenty-two 
years he has been in the insurance busi- 
ness, representing some of the best com- 
panies in the country, and traveling 
through Door and Kewaunee counties and 
part of Brown, in all of which he has 
made many friends. He is a stockholder 
in, and one of the managers of, the Ke- 
waunee Printing Co., and has always 
taken an active interest in everything 
tending to the advancement and improve- 
ment of the city and county. He and 
his wife are members of the German 
Lutheran Church, and are much re- 
spected. 



HENRY C. KNUDSON, who for 
forty years has been a resident of 
Door county, a pioneer of the 
truest type, and a thoroughly 
representative self-made man, is a de- 
scendant of those sturdy, bold adventur- 
ers, the hardy Norsemen of olden time 
whose footprints were seen on the sea- 
shore sands of this continent — not deep 
impressions, perhaps, but certain and sig- 
nificant — many years before Christopher 
Columbus opened his wondering eyes to 
the light in the city of Genoa, Italy. 

Mr. Knudson, was born February iS, 
1823, in Norway, a son of Knute Am- 
brosium Knudson, an honorable and in- 
dustrious farming man, who honestly 
labored to provide for his large family of 
five sons and five daughters, and gi\e 
them the benefits of as good an education 
as could be had at the schools of the lo- 
cality. Our subject until he was twenty- 
five years old remained on his father's 
farm, occasionally taking a run out to sea 
in the capacity of sailor-boy, and then 
commenced learning the trade of ship car- 
penter, which he followed several jears. 



554 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the vessel he belonged to in his native 
land plying between Norway, England, 
Holland and France. In 1853 he came 
to the United States in the barge •' Chris- 
tiana," which he had assisted in the build- 
ing of, in Norway. After a voyage of six 
weeks he landed at yuebec, Canada, 
where he sojourned for a short time and 
then proceeded-to Chicago, 111., in which 
city he worked at his trade for a couple of 
years, at the end of which time, in 1855, 
he came to Door county, landing in Stur- 
geon Bay. Here he bought thirteen acres 
of timber land, all his limited means 
would at that time permit him to invest 
in, cut the cedar timber from it, which he 
sold, built a log house and commenced a 
settlement in earnest. On October 29, 
1857, he was married in Chicago, 111. 
(there being nc minister in or about Stur- 
geon Bay at that time), to Miss Mary 
Hansen, to whom he had been engaged 
in Norway, where she was born October 
25, 1825, coming to the United States in 
1854, where up to the time of her mar- 
riage she was employed as a domestic. 
To his newly-built modest log house he 
brought his young bride, and for some 
eighteen months they lived there in su- 
preme contentment; but a farm of thirteen 
acres was too small for an ambitious Nor- 
wegian, so, selling it, he pre-empted forty 
acres of wild land in Section 2, Sturgeon 
Bay township, going in debt for same, 
and this is the property he now owns and 
lives on. At the time of his coming to it 
there was no clearing of any kind, the 
timber was very heavy, and there was no 
road nearer than the township line, while 
his "next-door neighbor," James Gilles- 
pie, was a mile awaj-, and he had to walk 
through the woods, along a trail, to Stur- 
geon Bay, four miles distant, for the fam- 
ily provisions. But as faint heart never 
won a fair home or anything else, our 
hero bravely set to work to make a clear- 
ing, and on a portion of it erected a sub- 
stantial one-story log house, 14 x 18 feet 
in size, in which the family lived till 1884, 
when Mr. Knudson built the present ele- 



gant and commodious brick dwelling. 
From time to time he has added to his 
possessions until now he is the owner of 
a fine property, consisting of 160 acres of 
land, fifty of which he has cleared. 

On August 15, 1862, Mr. Knudson, 
leaving his wife and four children to care 
for the homestead, enlisted at Sturgeon 
Bay in Company F, Thirty-second Regi- 
ment. Wis. V. I., which was mustered in 
at Oshkosh, from there ordered to Mem- 
phis, Tenn., where for some time it did 
guard duty; it was the first regiment to 
enter Holly Springs, Miss., after it was 
burned by the Confederates; was engaged 
in many skirmishes through Tennessee 
and Kentuck}'; and while at Memphis, 
Tenn., was ordered to proceed to Chick- 
amauga in order to participate in the 
memorable battle at that place; but the 
order for some reason was countermanded. 
While lying at Memphis our subject was 
taken sick, and for two months was con- 
fined to hospital, during which time the 
regiment was placed under Sherman's 
command. When able to be moved he 
was sent to Nashville, Tenn., thence to 
Jeffersonville, Ind., where he was received 
into the convalescent hospital and his 
ultimate recovery effected, which was in 
the fall of 1864, when he at once rejoined 
his regiment at Atlanta, Ga., which city 
it was guarding. The "Thirty-second" 
was now attached to the Seventeenth 
Army Corps, was sent to Savannah, con- 
tinuing to the close of the campaign in 
those parts which ended in the Grand 
Review at Washington, where Mr. Knud- 
son received an honorable discharge, and 
returned to his home by way of Mil- 
waukee. In his three-years' service he 
was never wounded, and at no time was 
absent from his regiment except during 
his illness; but the healthy, robust man 
he was when he set out for the wars came 
home emaciated and broken in health and 
strength. As already related, he had 
left behind him his wife and four chil- 
dren, and they had " a hard row to hoe" 
in his absence, as may be well imagined. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 



555 



having no neighbor nearer than Mr. Gil- 
lespie (if we except the wild animals); 
but Mrs. Knudson was brave as she was 
good, and she kept the home well and 
secure, caring for her children with all 
the devotedness of a mother's love, while 
the ravenous wolves were continually 
hovering about in the neighborhood, mak- 
ing both day and night hideous with their 
discordant howls and savage yells. One 
time, when out in the bush hunting her 
cows, she lost her way for two nights and 
a day, during which time she had to sub- 
sist on wild berries, etc. In the winter 
time, there being no feed for the cows, 
she chopped down trees so that they could 
get at the moss and young branches, and 
this they subsisted on. The children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Knudson were as 
follows: Guned M., deceased wife of 
Charles Swenson; Mary, married to Au- 
gust Simpson, of Sturgeon Bay township; 
Henry C., at home; Hans M. , a resident 
■of Sturgeon Bay; and a daughter that 
died in infanc}'. The entire family are 
members of the Lutheran Church, and in 
his political views our subject is an ardent 
Republican. He is now semi-retired from 
acti\e life, the son, Henry C, attending 
to the work on the farm which the father 
has, from a wilderness in which roamed 
howling wolves, besides deer and other 
game, converted into a peaceful, prosper- 
ous, fertile and happy home, the labor of 
a lifetime of ceaseless toil and undying 
energy in which he has been nobly assist- 
ed by his faithful, patient and frugal help- 
meet, and family of children from the 
time they were able to gather up the chips 
as they fell to his inexorable axe. 



ADOLPH M. C. JORNS has long 
been a resident of Door county, 
and is numbered among its hon- 
ored pioneers. He settled here 
when wild game, including deer, was 
found in the forest, and when the greater 
part of the land was still in its primitive 
condition. He has aided in its develop- 



ment, and has ever manifested a com- 
mendable interest in those enterprises 
pertaining to the growth and progress of 
the county. 

Mr. Jorns was born November 27, 
1833, in Holstein, Germany, and is a son 
of August and Elizabeth (Moore) Jorns, 
the former a ship carpenter b}' trade and 
a successful and wide-awake businessman. 
In the family were seven children, as fol- 
lows: Augusta, widow of Henry Bag- 
hum; Louie, who was drowned; Maria, 
widow of Carl Schwann; Adolph; August, 
who died at the age of six years; Ferdi- 
nand, who is now living in Egg Harbor, 
Wis. , and Caroline, wife of Sovus V. 
Scheeb. 

Our subject is truly a self-made man, 
and whatever success he has achieved in 
life is due entirely to his own efforts. He 
received but limited educational privileges, 
for at the early age of eight years he be- 
gan working in a woolen factory where he 
was employed during the summer time 
from six in the morning until ten at night, 
save between five and seven in the eve- 
ning, at which time he attended school. 
He was thus employed until fourteen 
years of age, when he was apprenticed to 
a ship carpenter, Anse Dryer, with whom 
he served a term of five 3'ears, after 
which he went to sea. His father also 
followed the sea until sixty-eight years of 
age, when his death occurred from heart 
failure; his wife departed this life in 1854. 
Mr. Jorns was a sailor until thirty-five 
years of age, and during that time spent 
five years on the coast of Africa, also 
visited various other ports, in which way 
he gained the wide knowledge and experi- 
ence that have made him a well-informed 
man. About 1858 he was united in mar- 
riage with Johanna Ruchhaas, daughter 
of Henry and Johanna (Hesse) Ruchhaas, 
and during the two succeeding years was 
engaged as a private boatman. In 1871, 
he sailed from Hamburg to New York, 
where he arrived after a vo\age of ten 
days and twenty-two hours, made his way 
to Chicago, 111. , whence he came direct 



556 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to Baileys Harbor. In connection with 
his brother Ferdinand, he worked in the 
lumber woods and in loading vessels for 
a year, when, with the capital which he 
had acquired, he purchased eighty acres 
of land on which not a furrow had been 
turned or an improvement made. Hav- 
ing built a log cabin, i6x 12 feet, he be- 
gan clearing his land, and had fifty-five 
acres under a high state of cultivation 
when he sold in 1892, since which time 
he has lived at Baileys Harbor. While on 
the farm he suffered many misfortunes, 
endured much hardship, and is now in a 
crippled condition, the result of having 
both legs broken. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jorns have had a family 
of nine children, namely: Johnny J. and 
Ferdinand, who were born in Germany; 
William; Dora; Louise, who died at the 
age of thirteen \ears; Freda; August; 
Johanna, and Charlie. The eldest is the 
only one married. In his political affiH- 
ations, Mr. Jorns is a Republican, takes 
a deep interest in the success of his party 
and has served as path master, where, as 
in all the relations of life, he was found 
true and faithful to the trust reposed in 
him. 



REV. FATHER JOSEPH KIR- 
PAL, pastor of the Holy Rosary 
Church, Kewaunee, was born in 
Hohcnstein, Bohemia, December 
30, 1844. His father, also named Jos- 
eph, who was for forty years financial in- 
spector for the government, is now a pen- 
sioner, and is about seventy years of age. 
He has three children: Rev. Joseph; a 
son who is a captain in the army; and a 
married daughter. 

Rev. Joseph Kirpal completed his 
literary education at the gymnasium in 
Prague in 1863; then pursued his philo- 
sophical studies at the Jesuit College of 
Pressburg for three years, from which in- 
stitution he graduated, and finished his 
studies of theology at the University of 
Innsbruck, in Tyrol. Here he was or- 



dained, then acted as professor of the 
Latin and Bohemian languages, and sub- 
sequently as prefect and curator in sev- 
eral institutes in Austria and Hungary. 
In 1884 he came to Carlton, Kewaunee 
Co., Wis., as pastor of St. Joseph's 
Church, and in 1888 assumed charge of 
the Holy Rosary Congregation at Ke- 
waunee; he also cares for the Polish St. 
Hedwig's Congregation in W^est Kewau- 
nee, and St. \Iary's Congregation in 
Piercetown. 

The Holy Rosary Congregation has a 
history extending back to 1856. In that 
year Rev. T. Smedding visited Kewaunee 
as the first Catholic missionary, and held 
services in a hut made of boughs: in 
1857 Father Maly succeeded, and after 
him, for three years, others followed. 
In i860 the first church edifice was com- 
menced by the pious John Borgmann, 
but it was not finished until 1863. Rev. 
Ch. Exel, the first resident priest, came 
this year, but remained only three months. 
In 1866 Rev. Sheenwick commenced the 
erection of the school building, which was 
completed through the efforts of Rev. 
George Brunner, whose pastorate began 
in 1877; he also built the new church, 
an elegant brick structure, completed in 
1884. In 1887 Father Brunner was 
transferred to Francis Creek, Manitowoc 
county, and was succeeded by Rev. Pri- 
voznik, who caused the church to be ar- 
tistically painted by Liebig & Loeffler. of 
Milwaukee. The present pastor, as 
stated above, took charge in 1888, and 
has erected a fine rectory, purchased 
three new statues from Europe, and new 
pews from the Ahnapee F'urniture Co., 
and has put in a most musical chime of 
bells, the heaviest of which weighs 1 800 
pounds. The congregation now numbers 
about 120 families, and the parochial 
school is attended by at least one hun- 
dred children. From the congregation 
have been organized three benevolent 
societies, viz. : The Catholic Knights, 
with about sixty members; St. Joseph 
Society with fifty members; and the Cath- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



557 



olic Bohemian Knights, with twenty 
members. 

Father Kirpal is greatly venerated by 
his flock, over whom he has been indeed 
a most careful and tender shepherd, and 
his piety, learning, meekness, and be- 
nignity, dignity and graciousness, added 
to his energ)-, and devotion to duty, have 
won for him the admiration and esteem 
of the entire community, irrespective of 
sect or religious denomination. 



N ARNOLD WAGENER, one of 
the most highly honored citizens 
of Door county, embodies in his 
brief career of scarcely more than 
a half century a life of stirring activity 
and strong popular esteem. He is de- 
scended from that sterling and sturd\' 
German stock which has done so much 
for the world's civilization by a series of 
perilous and laborious migrations. He 
was born on the banks of the Moselle 
river in the village of Croev, Prussia, Jan- 
uary 4, 1844, son of John Nicholas Wage- 
ner, the village merchant, who in 1852 
immigrated with his wife and seven chil- 
dren — Catherine, William, Alice, Nicholas 
Arnold, August, Peter V. and Minnie — to 
America, following a son Thomas who 
had previously immigrated. The ninth 
child of the family, Josephine, was born 
in Wisconsin. 

The passage from Antwerp to New 
York was made in the sailing vessel 
" Richard Allsop, " in twenty-three days, 
arriving at the latter place in April, 1852. 
Three weeks later the family took the 
packet boat on the Erie canal for Buffalo, 
and thence proceeded to Two Rivers, 
Wis., by steam propeller. With the 
proceeds from the sale of some hogsheads 
of wine, which the father had brought 
with him, a forty-acre tract of land was 
purchased near Two Rivers, on which the 
family located. The father had previously, 
through the agency of a nephew, pur- 
chased 200 acres of land, but owing to 
business disagreements with his nephew 



it was not until after three years' litigation 
and great expense that he came into pos- 
session of this property. Mr. Wagener, 
at the ripe old age of ninety-two years, 
still lives with his wife, aged eighty-four, 
on this valuable tract of land in the vil- 
lage of Mishicot, Wis., one of its most re- 
spected pioneer citizens. 

The subject of this sketch passed his 
boyhood and early youth on his father's 
farm, but when in the spring of 1861 the 
tocsin of civil war sounded its dread alarm 
he was one of the first to enlist. En- 
rolled as a member of Company A, Fifth 
Wis. V. I. , he served throughout the war 
in the army of the Potomac, participating 
in thirteen memorable battles, enduring 
unscathed the leaden hail at Gettys- 
burg, but in the masterly advance through 
the stubbornly contested battle of the 
Wilderness he received a musket ball in 
the left leg, which placed him in the hos- 
pital for seventeen days. Mr. Wagener 
was also engaged in many skirmishes with 
the enemy, and in one of them was struck 
in the left hip by a fragment of a shell. 

Honorably discharged in the fall of 

1864 after more than a three-years' gal- 
lant service, he journeyed in the spring of 

1865 to Memphis, Tenn., with his brother 
William, also a veteran Union soldier, 
expecting to become sutler of a Wiscon- 
sin regiment, but, the war closing, they 
started west. After a brief and not prof- 
itable experience in the meat market busi- 
ness in Iowa Mr. Wagener hired out as an 
"experienced" mule driver in a govern- 
ment wagon train, bound from Nebraska 
City to Julesbury, Neb. The "experi- 
ence" he gained later, and quickly be- 
came an expert. At Nebraska City he 
again hired out as a mule driver, this 
time to private traders at $55 per month, 
bound for Denver, Colo. , and on arriving 
there with the train a partner in charge of 
the wagon train, contrary to instructions, 
concluded to go farther west. Mr. Wag- 
ener notified the house by telegraph, and 
two hundred miles out the train was over- 
taken by one of the principal partners, 



5^S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the goods equitably divided, and Mr. 
Wagener placed in charge of the return- 
ing goods, with instructions to sell out on 
the journey back, and report at Nebraska 
City. On the way he sold some two 
thousand five hundred dollars worth of 
goods, drove entirely alone, for nearly one 
thousand miles, partly through a wild 
Indian country, and reported to his em- 
ployers in good shape, with whom he re- 
mained one season, working in their store 
at Nebraska City. In the following fall 
he and his brother William engaged in 
trading on their own account, hauling a 
wagonload of apples and sweet potatoes to 
Laramie, W'yo., and other soldier or mil- 
itary camps, and selling them at a profit of 
$600, some of their large " Belle flower" 
apples selling at one dollar apiece. Our 
subject's next enterprises were two brew- 
eries, at North Platte City and at Bear 
River, where in two and a half months 
he and his partner, Mr. Hyrothe, cleared 
$2,200. This was sunk in a had brewing 
venture at the Sweet Water mines, which 
failed and depopulated the settlement. 
After an unsuccessful mining venture Mr. 
Wagener for two years following was em- 
ployed to manage a brewery at Fort 
Bridger, Wyo., and then spent a winter 
hunting. In the following spring, with 
two companions, he made the return trip 
on horseback from a point one hundred 
miles north of Salt Lake City to Leaven- 
worth, Kans. , a distance of 1400 miles, 
starting .^pril 24 and arriving July 2, 
1S72. Two days later Mr. Wagener ar- 
rived at his home in Wisconsin, and thus 
concluded his experience with western 
frontier life. 

In the spring oi 1873 he accepted a 
position with the Platz Brewing Co., at 
Milwaukee, where he remained until July, 
1874. He then formed a partnership 
with his brother William, and established 
a brewery at Sturgeon Ba\'. The same 
year (1874) his brother, William Wag- 
ener, was elected sheriff of Door county, 
and the management of the partnership 
business fell exclusivelj- upon Arnold. 



Four years later the sheriff, while hunting, 
was accidently shot with his own gun and 
subsequently died from the effects of the 
wound. Then began Mr. Wagencr's 
official life. He was appointed under 
sheriff in 1878. Two years later he was 
elected sheriff, and re-elected in 1884 and 
1890. As sheriff and as under sheriff, 
Mr. Wagener has served his county four- 
teen years. Other official honors have 
crowded upon him. For six \'ears he was 
a member of the Sturgeon Bay city coun- 
cil, and for two years president of the 
council. He has filled the offices of city 
treasurer, chief of Fire Department, etc., 
and was appointed postmaster of Stur- 
geon Bay Ma\' 1, 1894, a position which 
he is now filling. In 1892-93 he was 
assistant postmaster of the Wisconsin 
State Senate. Mr. Wagener is a mem- 
ber of the Sons of Hermann, and of Nel- 
son Post No. 97, G. A. K. 

He was married, in February, 1874, 
at Mishicot, Wis., to Isabella A. Terens, 
and their family consists of six children: 
Hubert A., Annie I. C, Arnold, William 
E., Walter and Lionel. No greater mark 
of popularity coukl well be adduced than 
that which has crowned the political life 
of Mr. Wagener. Although Door county 
is considered Republican by a good major- 
ity, Mr. Wagener has thrice been elected 
sheriff on the Democratic ticket, and the 
last time his Republican competitor paid 
him the great compliment of withdrawing 
from the contest. The tide of popularity 
was so decidedly fa\()rable to Mr. Wag- 
ener that opposition was hopeless. Broad 
and liberal in thought, generous and 
kindly by nature, he is in truth richly en- 
titled to the high esteem in which he is 
generally held by his fellow citizens. 

LOUIS BRUEMMER, cashier of 
the State Bank of Kewaunee, is 
a native of Germany, born March 
14, 1841, in Jucrgensdorf, Meck- 
lenburg-Schwerin. In 1853 he came to 
America with his parents, landing in New 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



559- 



York December 4; thence proceeded to 
Trenton, New Jersey. 

In April, 1854, he came to Wisconsin, 
where, until the coming winter, he 
worked in a sawmill at Two Rivers, Mani- 
towoc county, next living with his parents 
in the town of Mishicot, following farm- 
ing and working in the woods. For two 
winters he attended the district school, 
also studied at a Milwaukee academy 
two months, and in i860 was employed as 
a teacher in the district school. On 
August 28, 1861, he enlisted in Company 
G, First Wis. \ . I. ; was wounded at the 
battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862; 
was promoted from the ranks to sergeant, 
and on February 19, 1863, was dis- 
charged for disability on account of his 
wound. Returning to Mishicott, he 
taught school four years, and filled the 
offices of town clerk and justice of the 
peace two years, being elected to each on 
the Democratic ticket. In 1867 Mr. 
Bruemmer moved to Ahnapee, where he 
followed successively the brewery, hotel, 
gristmill and sawmill businesses. He was 
elected chairman of the town of Ahnapee 
for 1871-72; was chairman of the county 
board of supervisors of Kewaunee county 
in 1871-72, and was elected count}' clerk 
in 1872, holding the last named incum- 
bency ten consecutive j'ears. In addi- 
tion to these responsible offices he was 
elected to fill that of member of Assembly 
for the first biennial session of 1883. In 
all of these positions Mr. Bruemmer has 
proven to be a man of parts and intelli- 
gence, keenly alive to the needs of 
his constituents and the public in gen- 
eral. He now engaged as a merchant 
at Ahnapee, but soon sold out, and on the 
first day of July, 1S84, entered the Ex- 
change Bank (now the State Bank of Ke- 
waunee) as cashier, a position he still 
holds, having made himself most popular 
by his obliging disposition and willingness 
to accommodate. This bank has a capi- 
tal of $30,000, and is officered as follows: 
Edward Decker, president; Louis Bruem- 
mer, cashier; Edward Decker, Joseph 



Duval and George Grimmer,' directors. 
It is considered to be, under this able 
management, one of the thriftiest and 
soundest moneyed institutions of north- 
eastern Wisconsin, considering the vol- 
ume of trade transacted, and it is need- 
less to say that much of its prosperity is- 
due to the tact and foresight of its worthy 
cashier. Mr. Bruemmer has filled sev- 
eral municipal offices, including that of 
alderman from his ward, also supervisor, 
and in 1891 he was elected mayor of the 
city of Kewaunee. 

On June 9, 1866, Mr. Bruemmer was 
united in marriage at Two Rivers, to Miss 
Amelia Weilep, of that lakeside town, 
the result of this happy alliance being 
seven sons and one daughter, named as 
follows: August J., Otto H., Emil J.. 
Edwin H., Christy H., Arnold, Leo and 
Meta, four of whom are residing with 
their parents. The father of Mrs. Amelia 
Bruemmer, who was named John G. 
Weilep, was a Prussian by birth. He 
was a ship carpenter by trade, and came 
to America about the year 1850, first 
locating in Washington county. Wis., 
Mrs. Bruemmer's birthplace, but in a 
short time changing his residence t'o Two 
Rivers, where he kept a hotel until 1867. 
He then went to .Ahnapee, conducting a 
hotel there until his death, which oc- 
curred in Februar\', 1891; his wife passed 
away in 1887. 

Having thus given a brief sketch of 
the acti\'e life of Louis Bruemmer in the 
land of his adoption, it is proper that 
something should be said of his parents. 
Christian Bruemmer, his father, was born 
in Germany, May 2, 1792, and for thirty- 
three yeai"S was an overseer of the do- 
main of Baron von Oertzen. He mar- 
ried Sophia Schroeder, daughter of John 
Schroeder, the deceased predecessor of 
Christian Bruemmer in the position of 
trust held by him. To this marriage 
were born seven sons and one daughter, 
all of whom came to America, three of 
the seven sons being the first to venture 
across the Atlantic in 1852, the father 



560 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



and the rest of the famil)- following in 
1853. They settled on a farm in Mishi- 
cot, Manitowoc Co., Wis., and there the 
mother died in 1876, the father in 1S89. 
The father had been in the army reserve 
in Germany, and besides being a farmer, 
was a practical veterinary surgeon, his 
skill being frequently called into requisi- 
tion at his new home. Of his seven sons, 
three — Louis, Fred and Julius — gallantly 
served in defense of the Union, two in the 
Twenty-seventh Wis. V. I. One of the 
sons of John G. Weilep, Edward, was 
consul, under Cleveland's first adminis- 
tration, to Sonneberg, Germany, where 
he naturally felt at home as far as the 
language was concerned. 

Socially, Louis Bruemmer is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic Lodge at Ahnapee, of 
the Odd Fellows, Sons of Hermann and 
the G. A. R. , and is one of the strong 
men of which the county is made up. 



AUGUSTUS W. LAWRENCE.— 
"What can 3'ou raise here.'" in- 
quired a certain distinguished Eng- 
lish agriculturist of a citizen of 
Maine, as, together, they were traversing 
the rocky, iron-bound coast along which 
the northern Atlantic dashes its waves, 
summer and winter. " Your soil seems so 
rocky and sterile that no crops could 
thrive in it. What can 3'ou grow.'" 
"We raise men," was the proud reply. 
Yes, the Sunrise State does raise men, as 
history proves, and one of the best of her 
product is the one whose history we pro- 
pose to here brieliy sketch. 

Mr. Lawrence was born in the town 
of Madison, on the Kennebec river, Som- 
erset count}', Maine, October 12, 1830, a 
son of Bennett and Hannah (Carlton) 
Lawrence, both natives of New Hamp- 
shire, of English and Scotch descent, re- 
spectively. The father was born August 
16, 1786, and died in Garland, Penobscot 
Co., Maine, December 17, 1869, at the 
age of eighty-three years, four months 
and one day. In 1805 he married Han- 



nah Carlton, and nine children were born 
to them: Roland (deceased July 21, 
1814, aged five years), Louisa, Roland, 
Rachel, Ruth K., Jonathan C, William, 
Mary E. and Augustus W., of whom, 
Rachel, Jonathan C, William and Augus- 
tus W. survive. Bennett Lawrence, father 
of these, was by trade a hatter, but he 
also followed agricultural and mercantile 
pursuits, for a short time conducting a 
store in the city of Bangor, Maine, to 
which State he moved with his family in 
1830, just before the birth of our subject, 
settling on a farm. Mrs. Hannah (Carl- 
ton) Lawrence had four brothers and one 
sister; the brothers were all Revolution- 
ary soldiers, and three were killed in that 
struggle, the one who survived having 
been captured b}' a party of Indians, from 
whom he afterward succeeded in making 
his escape. 

Augustus W. Lawrence, the subject 
proper of these lines, was favored with 
but limited school advantages, as, when 
he was seven years old, his father had 
lost all his property, and the lad soon had 
to commence the battle of life in real 
earnest. He early evinced a strong pen- 
chant for reading, and his taste for stand- 
ard literature amply made amends for his 
lack of school training. Until he was 
twenty-one years old he remained at 
home, assisting on the farm and in the 
woods, his parents receiving the proceeds 
of his labor. In 1851, in company with 
his brother William (who had previously 
paid a visit to this region), he came to 
^^'isconsin, and taking up his abode on 
Washington Island followed fishing three 
years, or until September, 1853, at which 
time he came to Sturgeon Bay. Here at 
first he worked for Robert & Perry Graham, 
lumbermen, and assisted in the erection 
of the second sawmill built in this locality, 
obtaining the timber for that purpose from 
trees that stood where is now Main street. 
Sturgeon Bay, and this sawmill was com- 
pleted in July, 1855. After leaving the 
employ of the Grahams, Mr. Lawrence 
acted in the capacity of foreman for 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



563 



Others until 1882, in which j-ear he en- 
entered the service of the Sturgeon Bay 
Lumber Company, Charnley Bros., pro- 
prietors, and with them remained till they 
closed up their business in 1887. But we 
are somewhat anticipating. In i860 he 
hired out to S. D. Clark, of Chicago, but 
after two years they failed, Mr. Lawrence 
himself losing considerably thereby, and 
Charnley Bros, bought up the claims on 
the estate, our subject being retained as 
superintendent to look after their inter- 
ests. In the Sturgeon Bay Lumber Com- 
pany, which was organized as a stock 
concern in 1878, he was a stockholder, 
and was appointed secretary of same. 
He was also engaged in mercantile pur- 
suits, commencing in a small waj' in 
Sturgeon Bay, in a I2x 16 frame building, 
and although he has from time to time 
had many other "irons in the fire," to 
quote a time-honored metaphor, he has 
tenaciously clung to his mercantile inter- 
ests, and from this small beginning has 
evolved his present large store in Sturgeon 
Bay, where is conducted one of the largest 
general mercantile businesses in northern 
Wisconsin, under the immediate superin- 
tendence of L. M. Washburn, Mr. Law- 
rence's son-in-law, who is part owner, the 
style of the firm being A. W. Lawrence 
& Co. The building occupied by the firm 
is a large double store, 50 x 120 feet in 
size, and there is a branch one at Bay 
View, on the opposite side of Sturgeon 
Bay. Mr. Lawrence also owns a fine 
farm of 150 acres inside the city limits, 
which property at one time was a three- 
hundred-acre tract, but has been reduced 
from time to time by sale of lots to its 
present proportions. He has always taken 
an active interest in farming and dairying, 
erecting a cheese factory, and in live stock 
he has been no less interested, especially 
in fine-bred horses; but in the winter of 
1 893 he met with a grievous and heavy mis- 
fortune, his barn being totally destroyed 
by fire, whereby he lost eighteen valuable 
horses, including stallions and brood 
mares, for both draft and turf purposes. 

32 



In October, 1855, Mr. Lawrence was 
married at Sturgeon Bay, to Miss Emily 
J. Marshall, who was born in Brown 
county, Wis. , daughter of Van Rensselaer 
and Phcebe Marshall, the former of whom 
was a Pennsylvania Dutchman of the old 
school, the latter a native of New York; 
they came to Brown county, Wis., in an 
early day. To this union have been born 
three children, to wit: Ruth E. (Mrs. L. 
M. Washburn;, Ellen E. (Mrs. Martin) 
and Augustus W. In politics our subject 
was originally a stanch Whig, and since 
the organization of the party has been an 
equally ardent Republican. Although 
frequently urged to accept office, he has 
invariably declined, excepting in the city 
council, of which he has been a member 
several times, and at this present writing 
is president. Though not a member of 
any Church he gives liberally of his means 
to all denominations, irrespective of creed, 
and is a true friend to the poor. He is a 
typical self-made man; landing on Wash- 
ington Island forty-four years ago, liter- 
ally without a cent in his pocket, he is to- 
day moderately well off, and none stands 
higher in the respect and esteem of his 
fellow men. 



LEROY M. WASHBURN. The 
city of Sturgeon Bay, Door coun- 
ty, is indebted to the State of 
Maine for not a few of her most 
enterprising and progressive citizens, in 
the front rank of whom stands prominent 
the gentleman here named. 

Mr. Washburn was born, in 1847, in 
Sebec, Piscataquis Co., Maine, near the 
city of Bangor, a grandson of Eliphalet 
Washburn, a native of the same State, 
born in New Gloucester, and who became 
an early settler of Piscataquis county, 
taking up land in Foxcroft township, 
where he built the first frame house ever 
erected in that locality, and there he died. 
He married a Miss Hubbard, and by her 
had ten children— eight sons and two 
daughters — as follows: Moses, Stephen 



564 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



D. , Charles, George W., Adrian J., An- 
drew J., Otis, William, Charlotte and 
Mary Ann. 

William Washburn, father of our sub- 
ject, first saw the light in 1812 in Piscat- 
aquis county, Maine, was there reared to 
agricultural pursuits, and educated at the 
common schools oi his early day. Besides 
farming, he taught school and gave sing- 
ing lessons for many years, and all his life 
was deeply interestetl in educational mat- 
ters. In his political affiliations he was 
first a Whig, afterward a Republican, 
and up to his death, which occurred in 
1878, he held several minor township 
offices. I^y his wife, Lucia A. (Dunham), 
he had a family of five children, named, 
respectively, William F., Newell S., 
Leroy M., Andrew J. and Edison W. 

Leroy M. Washburn was reared on 
his father's farm in Fo.\croft township, 
Piscataquis Co., Maine, and received a 
liberal education at Fo.xcroft Academy, 
which he attended several terms. After 
leaving school he taught several winters 
in the vicinity of his home, during the 
summer months working on the farm and 
improving his time in many ways, till the 
fall of 1870, when in company with John 
Lawrence, he set out for the growing 
West, and coming to Wisconsin located 
at once in the then village of Sturgeon 
Bay. On his arrival here he immediately 
went to work in A. W. Lawrence's store, 
and although his first intention was to 
remain in the West a couple of winters 
and one summer, he has remained here 
ever since, and grown up with the city of 
his adoption. In fact, before leaving 
Maine, he had bought a farm there, but, 
two years later, having concluded to re- 
main in the West, he sold it, and with 
the proceeds purchased, in 1876, an inter- 
est in the Lawrence store in Sturgeon 
Bay, since when he has led an active 
business life, full of tireless energy and 
unceasing vigilance. In i 87 i he assumed 
the management of the mercantile de- 
partment, and to-day he is sole mana- 
ger of the business of A. W. I^aw- 



rence & Cy., in Sturgeon Bay, and of 
their branch store at Bay \'ievv, on the 
south side of the water. 

In 1875 Mr. Washburn married Miss 
Ruth E. Lawrence, daughter of A. W. 
and Emily J. (Marshall) Lawrence, of 
Sturgeon Bay. and three children have 
been born to them: George H., Emily 
J. and Harold E. The family attend the 
services of the Congregational Church, 
and in his political preferences Mr. Wash- 
burn is a stanch Republican. He served 
as chairman of the village of Sturgeon 
Bay before it became a city, and in 1875- 
76 represented this District in the State 
Assembly. Socially he is an advanced 
member of the I. O. O. F. , in which 
Society he takes an active interest. In 
addition to his connection with the I^aw- 
rence store, Mr. Washburn has several 
outside interests, including a large plan- 
ing-mill and lumber yard at Sturgeon 
Bay; the Merchants Exchange Bank at 
Sturgeon Bay, organized 1884, and which 
does an extensive banking and insurance 
business; and he is a director of the 
recently opened Ahnapee & Western rail- 
road. With the exception of occasional 
visits so his old home in Maine, and a 
trip to California in 1894, accompanied 
by his wife, Mr. Washburn has not been 
much abroad, his time of necessity being 
too closel}' taken up with his business 
affairs. He has great faith in the future 
of Sturgeon l^ay, so much so that he now 
owns large real-estate interests in both 
city and country, and not long since he 
built an elegant residence near to and 
facing the bay. .\s a business man, his 
record is withoiit a stain, and, whether in 
prosperity or adversity, he has ever been 
upright, conscientious and honorable. 



FRANK EVRARD one of the early 
settlers of Door county, has made 
his home in this locality since 
1855-, and is therefore familiar 
with its history of progress and advance- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



565 



ment, while with its upbuilding and de- 
velopment he has been prominently iden- 
tified. 

Born in Belgium, August 18, 1837, he 
is the eldest of three children of Elick 
and Mary (Malcord) Evrard, his brothers 
being John B. and Adolphus. By occu- 
pation the father w-as a farmer, and in 
1855 he severed all his business relations 
with the land of his birth, and with his 
family sought a home in the New World. 
Coming direct to Door County, Wis., he 
purchased in Union township, the 160 
acres of land now owned by his sons, 
Frank and John. Upon this place he 
built a log house, 12x16 feet, roofing it 
with cedar bark, and at once began to 
clear awaj' the timber, working steadily 
until the broad sunlight shone down upon 
many acres of cultivated soil. After liv- 
ing upon the farm for a year, he bought 
an ox-team, and the work of development 
was continued by the father and his sons, 
save Frank who began sailing on Green 
bay. and was thus employed for twelve 
years, carrying shingles made in this lo- 
cality to market in the city of Green Bay. 

This was the first independent effort 
in the life of our subject, and the venture 
was quite successful, he receiving good 
wages for his labors. After twelve vears 
passed in that way, he returned to his 
home, married Miss Florentine Patrise 
October 16, 1866, and brought his bride 
to the farm on which he has since resided. 
He then turned his attention to agricul- 
tural pursuits, v\hich he has followed suc- 
cessfully for a number of years, and in 
1880 he established a general mercantile 
store in Namur, where he is doing a good 
business. His brother, JohnB., married 
a sister of Mrs. Evrard, and together the 
brothers own 252 acres of land. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Frank Evrard six children have 
been born: Mary, Emma, Alex, Esther, 
Frank and Poland. The family are all 
members of the Catholic Church, their 
home is the abode of hospitality, and 
their circle of friends in this community 
is a very large one. 



On obtaining the right of franchise, 
Mr. Evrard identified himself with the Re- 
publicans, and continued to support them 
for some time, but during the past four 
years has affiliated with the Democratic 
party. His father was the first chairman 
of the town board in Union township, and 
has filled that office four years, while at 
the present writing he is serving as post- 
master at Namur. He came to Wiscon- 
sin when Door county was in its primitive 
condition, and has been an eyewitness of 
the greater part of its development; has 
seen the introduction of railroads; has 
watched the transfonnation of the wild 
land into beautiful homes and farms, 
and has witnessed the development of 
thri\'ing towns and cities. 



JOHN WALSH, attorney at law, Ke- 
waunee, is a native of Two Rivers, 
Wis., born January 15, 1872, a son 
of Felix and Bridget (Comer) Walsh, 
mention of whom is made in the sketch of 
Hon. John Wattawa elsewhere in this 
volume. 

The boyhood of our subject was pass- 
ed on a farm and in attending the pub- 
lic schools at Two Rivers. In June, 
1S89, he graduated at the high school of 
that place, and immediately thereafter 
went to Redfield, S. Dak. , where he 
taught school two winters, in the sum- 
mer season reading law; he was also em- 
ployed in the law office of his brothers, 
Henry C. and Thomas J. Walsh. In 1891 
he was employed as agent for the Ameri- 
can Express Co. , at the same place, and 
in the fall of 1892 he was stationed, as 
their agent, at Aberdeen, S. Dak., re- 
maining there one year, or till the fall of 
1893, when he became a student in the 
Law Department of the University of 
Wisconsin, Madi.son. In 1894 Mr. Walsh 
resumed the study of law in the office of 
his brother-in-law, Hon. John Wattawa, 
in Kewaunee, where he is still engaged, 
and on December 18, that year, was 



566 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



admitted to the bar at Milwaukee, pass- 
infj a highly creditable examination before 
the State board of examiners. 



JOSEPH F. STROH. proprietor of a 
leading general store in Sturgeon 
Bay, Door county, and one of the 
city's most progressive citizens, is a 
native of Ohio, born in the city of Cleve- 
land June 25, 1850. 

His father, Charles Stroh, a German 
by birth, came to the United States when 
a young man, locating in Cleveland, Ohio, 
where he married Miss Marv Baumer, 
also a German, who bore him two chil- 
dren: Mary Ann and Joseph F. In Cleve- 
land he followed merchandising, and in 
185 1 he came with his family to Wiscon- 
sin, settling in Fond du Lac, where he 
was engaged in general mercantile busi- 
ness. He carried the first mail between 
Fond du Lac and Milwaukee, was a 
Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion, 
and died in the army. His widow subse- 
quently married George Weis, and now 
lives in Washington county. Wis. ; six 
children were the result of this union. 

The subject proper of these lines came 
with his parents to Wisconsin at the age 
of two years, obtained a good education 
in the winter schools of Washington coun- 
ty, the rest of the year being devoted to 
working on his father's farm. In 1869, 
at the age of eighteen, he came to Stur- 
geon Bay, and for the first two years 
worked on a farm in Door county, send- 
ing his earnings to his parents; then con- 
ducted a hotel one year, after which he 
again carried on farming until 1882, when 
he commenced the business of contractor 
and builder at Sturgeon Bay, which he 
pursued some ten years, erecting many 
school-houses in Door and other counties 
in Wisconsin, besides several residences 
in Sturgeon Bay, employing from ten to 
fifteen hands. In 1891 he erected a fine 
brick business block for himself, where he 
now has his store, the balance of the block 
being fitted up and occupied as the well- 



known " Commercial Hotel;" also built 
the bridge across the bay, and assisted in 
the erection of the gristmill and elevator. 
His real-estate interests have been exten- 
sive, chiefly in the way of buying lots on 
which he would build dwellings, and then 
sell on time to people of limited means. 
Mr. Stroh has been twice married, 
first time, in 1871, to Miss Mary Hinker, 
by whom he has four children: Frank, 
Lizzie, Cassie, and Mary. The mother 
of these died in 1881, and in 1882 Mr. 
Stroh married Miss Bertha Gabert, who 
was born in Manitowoc, Wis. , daughter 
of Henry and Anna Gabert, of Ahnapee, 
Kewaunee county, where her father fol- 
lowed the shoemaking 'business; he is now 
deceased, and the mother is still a resi- 
dent of Ahnapee. Bj^ this marriage there 
were six children: Annabel, Archie, 
Lucia and Verda, living, and Joseph and 
Eddie, who died of diphtheria at the ages 
of four and six years respectively. The 
entire familj- attend the services of the 
M. E. Church. Socially our subject is a 
member of the Royal Arcanum; in politics 
he is a straight Republican, and in civic 
affairs he has been a member of the city 
council three years, besides holding sev- 
eral minor offices. When he first came 
to this county he bought a farm in Sevas- 
topol township, but sold it not long after- 
ward. In 1891 he organized a company 
who built the merchants' dock in Stur- 
geon Bay, and in innumerable other ways 
has he benefited the city and county of 
his adoption. In that same year he gave 
up contracting and building, and em- 
barked in his present general merchan- 
dising business, in which he does an ex- 
cellent trade. In all his ventures Mr. 
Stroh has been eminentl)' successful, 
having in but a few years, by dint of sound 
judgment, perseverance and untiring en- 
ergy, accumulated a fine property, and 
he stands to-day a thoroughly typical self- 
made man, all the capital he possessed 
when entering the arena of business life 
being positively naught save a willing 
pair of hands, a stout heart and a clear 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



567 



head. Since the above was written Mr. 
Stroh has taken personal charge of his 
own hotel, '• The Commercial," and con- 
ducts it in connection with his store, 
proving an admirable and courteous land- 
lord. 



M 



ICHAEL PEOT is an honored 
pioneer of Kewaunee county, 
one who has borne all the ex- 
periences of life on the frontier, 
and is familiar with the history of this 
community from an early day, while with 
its growth and upbuilding he has been 
prominently identified. The best inter- 
ests of the community have ever found in 
him a friend, and he is a loyal and valued 
citizen. 

A native of Prussia, Germany, he was 
born July 8, 1836, to Nicholas and Cath- 
erine (Maas) Peot, whose children were 
Michael, Catherine, Angeline, John, 
Nicholas and Peter; several others died 
in infancy. The father was a coal miner 
in Germany, and in that land made his 
home until 1847, when with his family 
he sailed for America, landing in New 
York after a voyage of forty-nine days. 
He then made his way to Milwaukee, 
Wis., and onto Washington county, same 
State, and purchased forty acres of land 
on which not a furrow had been turned 
or an improvement made. In the forest 
bears and deer were frequently shot, and 
the wolves ofttimes made night hideous 
with their howling; Indians still frequent- 
ly visited the settlements, but gave the 
white men little trouble. Mr. Peot and 
his sons built a log house, 18x24 feet, 
where he and his family and the family of 
George Kersch both lived, the latter own- 
ing the forty-acre tract of land adjoining 
the Peot farm. During the first winter, 
in a severe storm, a tree was blown down, 
and striking the house caused consider- 
able damage. The work of clearing the 
land was accomplished with an axe and 
grub hoe, and during the first few years 
much of the work was carried on by our 



subject and his brothers, for the father 
went to Milwaukee and cut cordwood to 
secure the money needful to meet the 
family expenses. They suffered severely 
during the first winter, and often the food 
upon their table would be frozen; but in 
the spring the father returned home, a 
crop of potatoes and corn was planted, 
and in course of time the farm yielded 
sufficiently to supply their wants which 
were of a very simple nature. Five years 
passed before they could afford to pur- 
chase a team, and it will thus be seen 
that the work of developing the farm 
was a very arduous task. An old gentle- 
man, Mathias Miller, did all the market- 
ing for the neighborhood, hauling pro- 
visions from Milwaukee, a distance of 
thirty-six miles, the trip sometimes occu- 
pying six days, and he could then bring 
only about five or six barrels of flour with 
him, owing to the bad condition of the 
roads. Many of the present day think 
that times are hard, little reflecting that 
fifty years ago people had to work on 
farms and elsewhere for three or four 
shillings per day, and no "eight-hour 
movement " at that, but in continuous 
labor from sunrise to sunset. The first 
year the Peots were farming in this re- 
gion they carried the potato seed (about 
the size of doves' eggs) in their pocket, 
and from four bushels they planted they 
digged I 50 bushels in the fall. The yoke 
of cattle which they brought with them 
strayed away in the woods, and were 
gone four weeks before they were discov- 
ered, on their road home, however. 

In 1857, the farm in Washington 
county was sold for eight hundred dol- 
lars, and the Peot family came to what is 
now Luxemburg township, Kewaunee 
county, where the father bought forty 
acres of land for one hundred dollars. 
He became owner of 160 acres on Sec- 
tion 26, and again had to go through the 
hardships of clearing a farm. On one 
occasion he lost his way, and wandered 
about for some time, but at length saw 
some cattle which he followed, and they 



568 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPIIICAL RECORD. 



led him home in safety. He had to walk 
to De Pere, twenty-five miles distant, for 
his provisions; but as the years passed 
the comforts of civilization were added 
and Mr. Peot also extended his farm un- 
til it comprised 500 acres. 

The subject of this sketch remained 
at home until thirty years of age, and 
then married Miss Gertrude, daughter of 
Peter and Gertrude (Munyawe) Schaut, 
farming people of Humboldt township, 
Kewaunee county. She was born in 
Prussia, German}', May 13, 1847, and 
had a brother, John, her senior, and a 
sister, Anna, younger than herself. The 
young couple began their domestic life 
with her parents, and in 1869 they came 
to the farm which they now occupy in 
Lu.xemburg township, Mr. Poet receiving 
from his father eighty acres of land, to 
which he has added until he now has 140 
acres, one-half of which is under cultiva- 
tion. Their home has been blessed with 
ten children: John P., Annie, Catherine, 
Michael P., Joseph, Mitchell, Nicholas, 
Mary, William and Gertrude. The par- 
ents and children hold membership with 
the Catholic Church, and in the social 
circles in which they move occupy an 
enviable position. Mr. Peot exercises his 
right of franchise in support of the Dem- 
ocracy, and for four years served as chair- 
man of the town board of supervisors, 
proving a most capable and efficient offi- 
cer, and fully demonstrating that the con- 
fidence reposed in him was not mis- 
placed. 



GEORGE \V. MARSH, for over 
thirty years a well-known and re- 
spected citizen of Sturgeon Bay, 
Door county, and prominent in 
real-estate and lumber interests, now liv- 
ing retired, is a native of New York State, 
born in the town of Warren, Herkimer 
county, September 30, 1813. He is de- 
scended in a direct line from an English- 
man who settled in Massachusetts some 
time during the sixteenth century. 



\\'illiam Marsh, father of our subject, 
was born at Andover, Mass., March 26, 
1776, and died in Ohio in March, 1843; 
was married, in 1798, to Mary Hines, 
who was born March 26, 1783, and died 
in Jul}-, 1 86 1. Thirteen children were 
born to this union, their names, dates of 
birth, etc., being as follows: Anna, No- 
vember 3, 1799; Ruth, November 30, 
1801; Diana, February 28, 1804: Will- 
iam, Jr., February 9, 1806: Benjamin 
D., April 24, 1808; Matilda, March 9, 
1 8 10, who died in infancy; Patience, 
April 29, 181 1 ; George W., September 
30, 1S13; Mary Ann, January 11, 1817; 
Lurana, April 9, 1819; Sylvia, September 
26, 1 821; John P., January 31, 1824, and 
Nathan, August 13, 1826. Of this family 
the following were living in 1895: Diana, 
aged ninety-one; Benjamin, eighty-six; 
George W., eighty-one; S}lvia, seventy- 
four; and Nathan, sixty-nine. When our 
subject was one year old his parents 
moved from Warren, N. Y. , to Granville, 
\\'ashington Co., same State, settling on 
a farm two miles west of Bishop's Corners, 
and here young George was reared and 
educated up to the age of eighteen, at 
which time the family moved to Fowler 
township, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. , where 
he commenced an apprenticeship at the 
trade of blacksmith. Marrying here in 
1837, he then commenced on his own ac- 
count a blacksmith business at Halesbor- 
ough, in Fowler township, St. Lawrence 
Co., N. Y. , on the Oswegatchie river, two 
miles above Go\erneur, at which he con- 
tinetl until the spring of 1 839, when he sold 
out and removed to Bucyrus, Crawford 
Co., Ohio. Here, unfortunately, he was 
prostrated with fever and ague, which 
clung to him tenaciously for three months; 
but in the meantime, his father being de- 
sirous of trading his farm in Halesborough, 
N. Y. , for his son's property in Ohio, 
the deal was effected, and the father 
accordingly came to Ohio, where he 
died in 1843, our subject returning to the 
old farm in Halesborough. In 1841 he 
moved to Go\erneur, N. Y., where he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



569 



bought a water-power privilege on which 
he erected a building 30 x 40 feet, three 
stories in height, where he carried on a 
general blacksmithing and carriage-mak- 
ing establishment, which latter branch of 
the business led him into another in- 
dustry, as will presently be related. Being 
naturally of an ingenious and inquiring turn 
of mind, he conceived, while building 
carriages, etc., the idea that it was possi- 
ble to make felloes with a circle saw, a 
great improvement on the method then in 
vogue. Setting to work, he made his 
own saw plate, forged the " arbour," 
completed the saw, set it up, and on the 
first trial made a complete felloe — and 
this was the first circle saw ever made 
and used for that purpose in the United 
States. He also invented a machine that 
turned the thill from tip to cross bar, the 
same as they finish them now, then 
steamed and bent them into the required 
shape, for carriages, buggies, etc., a vast 
improvement on the old method of saw- 
ing them out of the lumber; and the thills 
made by him were the first made that 
way in this country. Neither of these 
ideas or inventions were ever patented by 
Mr. Marsh, and had he done so there is 
no doubt but that he would have realized 
a considerable fortune. When he started 
for the West in 1853, he sent 300 pair 



of these thills to Buffalo, intending to 
bring them on to Wisconsin 



but he found 
a favorable opportunity of selling them to 
one individual at the railway station at 
Buffalo at his own price, which goes to 
show how highly they were already ap- 
preciated in the market. 

Selling out his business in Governeur, 
N. Y., in 1853, Mr. Marsh the same year 
established himself in the carriage-mak- 
ing business at Beaver Dam, Wis., and 
here continued manufacturing felloes with 
his circle saw, the first of the kind pro- 
duced in Wisconsin, and he soon built 
up a large trade. At Beaver Dam he 
exhibited at the county fair a two-horse 
wagon of his own make, and although he 
had to compete against wagons entered 



from New York he took first premium, 
and sold his wagon for $120. In 1857 
he disposed of his business at Beaver 
Dam, and went on a farm, where, with 
the exception of one year (1861), he re- 
mained until the fall of 1864, the time of 
his coming to Sturgeon Bay. In the 
spring of 1865 he bought the "Middle 
Mill," where now stands a planing-mill, 
but following fall sold it to Mr. Ives, who 
disposed of it to A. W. Lawrence, by 
whom it was converted into a gristmill, 
but later was burned down. After selling 
his mill Mr. Marsh returned to Beaver 
Dam, thence moved to Cannon City, 
near Faribault, Minn., bought a shop 
and made wagons that winter, but sold 
out following summer, and in company 
with his son-in-law, W. H. Stevens, pro- 
ceeded to Osakis, in the same State, 
where the latter entered a homestead. 
Mr. Marsh made a breaking plow, and 
helped to break up the fallow, put up a 
house, and assisted in cutting sufficient 
hay to winter five head of stock, all for 
Mr. Stevens. He then once more came 
to Sturgeon Bay, and bought 400 acres 
of land in Door county, which land the 
county held in the town of Egg Harbor, 
and Mr. Marsh secured the land by pay- 
ing for the certificate (it was located on 
what is known as the ' ' south bluffs of 
Horse-Shoe bay"); then entered 200 
acres of government land on the shore 
below the " bluffs," erected a shanty, and 
called the place Podunk. That same 
winter he "banked" five hundred thous- 
and feet of pine logs, and to use his own 
words "spent the happiest winter of his 
life;" in the spring sold the logs to Mr. 
Gardner for five dollars per thousand feet, 
and the land to William Sellick for two 
dollars and fifty cents per acre, after 
which he located four hundred acres in 
the south end of Gardner township, 
"the finest cluster of pine in these parts." 
The county surveyed a road through the 
land and cut it out, and that winter Mr. 
Marsh built a mill in the woods six miles 
from Little Sturgeon Bay and ten miles 



57° 



COHMEMORATIVE BWGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



from Bay \'ie\v, and made shing;les. In 
order to accommodate the traveling pub- 
lic he also kept a hotel. This land cost 
Mr. Marsh thirty dollars for each forty 
acres, and that spring he sold the prop- 
erty for twenty-four hundred dollars to 
John and Thomas Williamson. In 1871 
this tract was devastated by fire and a 
tornado, forty-five people losing their 
lives, two only being saved — Thomas 
Williamson and his mother — and the 
place has since been known as ' ' Tor- 
nado. " Mr. Marsh's next purchase was 
the lot in Sturgeon Bay, whereon he 
built the shinge mill which he conducted 
for several years, and which is now oper- 
ated by O. Brown & Company. 

Mr. Marsh has been twice married: 
first time, in 1837, to Miss Mary C. Flint, 
a native of Bomas Creek, Montgomery 
Co., N. Y. (si.x miles south of Ft. Plain), 
who died at Beaver Dam, Wis., in No- 
vember, 1856, aged forty-three years and 
eleven months, leaving five children, viz. : 
Josephine, who married Michael Walrod, 
of Rice county, Minn, (she is now keep- 
ing house for her father); Mary L. , wife 
of W. H. Stevens, of Osakis, Minn. ; 
George A., married to Melissa Bailor, 
and now living near Erwin, S. Dak. ; 
Helen M., wife of Frank A. Ives, of Stur- 
geon Bay; and Cora L. , married to 
Charles A. Bailor and living at Spokane, 
Wash. In November, 1859, Mr. Marsh 
married Miss Catherine N. Hutchinson, 
who died September 26, 1894, at the age 
of seventy-four years, by which union 
there were no children. In politics Mr. 
Marsh has been a lifelong Whig and Re- 
publican, and although averse to holding 
office has occasionally served in minor 
positions of trust. In both theory and 
practice he has always been a strict ad- 
vocate of temperance, and to this in a 
great measure may be attributed his won- 
derful energy and unimpaired faculties. 

Thus has brief!)- been sketched an 
authentic account of the life of one of the 
pioneers of W'isconsin and of Door coun- 
ty, who has been an active and vigorous 



factor in the affairs and industries; who, 
although he has passed beyond the allot- 
ted time given to man, being an octoge- 
narian, is still active, living in the enjoj-- 
ment of a comfortable and well-earned 
competence, in the enjoyment of the full- 
est esteem and regards of the people 
among whom he has so long lived, and 
calmly and reverently awaiting the sum- 
mons that must come to all. 



FRANK PAAPE, who has been iden- 
tified with the interests of Ahna- 
pee township, Kewaunee county, 
for almost the past twenty years, 
as one of her thrifty farmer citizens, is 
a native of Germany, born January 4, 
1832, in the Kingdom of Prussia. He is 
a son of Gottlieb and Flora (Hinz) Paape, 
also natives of Prussia, the former of 
whom was a miller by occupation. Both 
are now deceased. Frank, our subject, 
was the youngest child in their family of 
five children, one of whom is deceased, 
the others being Fred and Charles, of 
Prussia; Flora, Mrs. Charles Hench, of 
Milwaukee, and Frank. 

Our subject was educated in the com- 
mon schools of his native country, and 
when fourteen years of age was appren- 
ticed to a carpenter and joiner, complet- 
ing his trade when nineteen years of age, 
and following it until his emigration to the 
United States, in 1857. Soon after his 
arrival in this country he located in the 
city of Milwaukee, Wis., where he fol- 
lowed his trade some years, and then en- 
gaged in mercantile pursuits until 1875, 
when he sold his business in Milwaukee 
and moved to the town of Ahnapee, 
Kewaunee countj'. Purchasing the farm 
he still owns and occupies, he has since 
been engaged in general agriculture, and 
is one of the successful farmers of his 
section. Mr. Paape's marriage to 
Katharine Solterback took place in Mil- 
waukee May I, 1S58; she is the mother 
of sixteen children, seven oi whom are 
deceased, and nine living, as follows: 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



571 



Bertha, Mrs. Joseph Roberts, of Birnam- 
wood, Wis.; Charles, of Sturgeon Bay; 
William, of Sturgeon Bay; Henry, of 
Washburn, Wis. ; Amelia, Mrs. Ed. 
Pepper, of Marinette, Wis.; Edward; 
George; Ida, and Emma. Mrs. Paape is 
the daughter of George and Margaret 
Solterback, natives of Schleswig-Holstein, 
where she was also born, on January 10, 
1840. Politically Mr. Paape is independ- 
ent, always supporting the best candidate. 
The family are members of the Lutheran 
Church of Ahnapee. 

In 1864 Mr. Paape enlisted in Com- 
pany G, Forty-fifth Wis. V. I., for one 
year or during the war, and served some 
eleven months, receiving an honorable dis- 
charge in August, 1865; he was disabled 
during his service. He is a member of 
Joseph Andreag Post, G. A. R. , of 
Ahnapee. 



IVl 



ATHIAS MELCHIOR, post- 
master at Ahnapee, Kewaunee 
county. This gentleman was 
born October 6, 1836, in 
Schwemellingen, Prussia, Germany, where 
the old family of Melchior had resided for 
generations, occupying an honorable place 
among the citizens of their native town. 
Many of them were shoemakers by occu- 
pation, the trade being handed down 
from father to son. Grandfather Bern- 
hard Melchior died in the village of 
Schwemellingen, leaving a family of four 
children — two sons and two daughters: 
Michael (father of our subject), Nicholous, 
Elizabeth and Anna Mary. 

Michael Melchior learned the shoe- 
maker's trade in Germany, and was a 
skillful mechanic, able to work with tools 
of almost any description, could do car- 
penter work, clock and watch repairing, 
etc. , and was also a musician of consider- 
ble ability. He came to America, set- 
tling in the then new town of Ahnapee, 
Wis., where, being a progressive man, he 
became a useful citizen, made many 
friends, and was greatly respected by all 



He was a man of good 



who knew him 

habits, and a devout Christian. He died 
in Ahnapee January 7, 1891, aged nearly 
eighty-two years, followed to the grave 
by his wife, who passed away in Septem- 
ber, 1892, aged eighty-two years. She 
was a wide-awake woman, ambitious for 
the success of her family, of whom seven 
reached maturity, viz. : Anna Mary Dier 
(now deceased), Jacob (who died leaving 
eight children, five of whom were brought 
to Ahnapee by our subject), Mathias (our 
subject), John (who died in the American 
Civil war at the battle of Bull Run), 
Magdalena, Catherina, and Michael. 

Mathias Melchior learned his trade 
thoroughly in Germany, beginning when 
twelve years old. At the age of twenty- 
one he came to the United States, locat- 
ing first in Manitowoc, Wis., where he 
followed his trade in 1859-60, and during 
the year 1859 he also spent seven months 
in Chicago, working at his trade. In 
August, i860, he came to Ahnapee, and 
opening a shop here was successfully en- 
gaged at his trade until about seven years 
ago, when he sold out. Mr. Melchior 
has made some good investments in city 
and farm property, and since his retire- 
ment from the shoemaking business he 
has devoted all his time to his property 
and private affairs. In 1 862 he was mar- 
ried, in Manitowoc, to Miss Catharina 
Feuerstein, who was born February 7, 
1847, daughter of George Feuerstein, a 
farmer of Manitowoc county. Mr. and 
Mrs. George Feuerstein came to this 
country in 1855, first locating in Manito- 
woc, Wis., in 1863 moving to Ahnapee 
where they settled, he here conducting a 
farm. Mr. Feuerstein was born in El- 
sass-Lothringen, France, and served 
seven years in the French army; he died 
at the age of sixty-five years, his wife, 
Barbara, passing away when aged eighty- 
two years, leaving seven children. Mr. 
and Mrs. Feuerstein were earnest, up- 
right and conscientious people, good 
Catholics in religious faith, and respected- 
] by all. To Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Mel- 



57- 



COMMKMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



chior were born six children, as follows: 
Catharina, Eniina, Lena, Mary, Mathias 
F. and Carl J., of whom Emma and 
Lena are clerks in the postoffice, assist- 
ing their father, who received his appoint- 
ment in October, 1893. In relij:jious faith 
Mr. and Mrs. Mclchior arc Catholics, and 
have taken an active part in church work; 
he has filled many offices in same, among 
others those of secretary and treasurer, 
and has been instrumental in the building 
up the Church, giving liberalh' to its sup- 
port. He served as town treasurer, and 
is one of the substantial business men of 
Ahnapee, where he is universally honored 
and respected for his integrity and up- 
right moral character. 



FRANK HRBEK, one of the wealthy 
citizens of Kewaunee, is a native 
of Bohemia, born July 28, 1823. 
His father, Joseph Hrbek, who 
was a shoemaker, died in Bohemia leav- 
ing a widow and five children, Frank, 
who was then nine years old, being the 
youngest. The mother, whose maiden 
name was Apolonia Slany, died in 1856, 
also in Bohemia. 

Frank Hrbek served ten years and six 
months in the Bohemian contingent of 
the Austrian army, and fought in Italy 
and Hungary, also serving in Vienna. 
He came to America in 1855 and passed 
a year in Milwaukee; then, in 1856, 
moved to Kewaunee count}', and for 
eleven years followed farming with flat- 
tering success. He then sold his farm 
and settled down in Kewaunee village, 
where for five \cars he worked in a shoe- 
shop and store, later embarking in the 
butcher business, which he followed nine 
}-ears with uninterrupted prosperity. Dur- 
ing this period of continuous industry, 
however, he called into play his old mil- 
itary experience and enlisted, in 1864, in 
defense of his adopted countrj-, in the 
Sixteenth Wis. V. I., serving with that 
regiment until June 2, 1865, when he 
was honorably discharged at Washington, 



D. C, the war having come to a close. 
In August, 1846, Mr. Hrbek was married 
in Bohemia to Miss Anna Novak, adaugh- 
ter of Joseph Novak, a manufacturer of 
muslin. Two children were the fruit of 
this marriage, viz. : Antonia, who died in 
infancy in Bohemia, and Mary, who came 
to America, was here married to John 
Wrabetz, and died in 1883. The politics 
of Mr. Hrbek are those of the Republican 
party, and under its auspices he has held 
several local offices of trust, among them 
that of supervisor three terms, that of 
school treasurer two terms, and is at 
present a member of the board of alder- 
men of Kewaunee. He is also a member 
of the G. A R. 

Mr. Hrbek has always manifested a 
spirit of patriotism toward his adopted 
country, and one of liberality toward his 
county and town, mayhap one of grati- 
tude for the success he has met with in 
life since his residence here, although 
this has been owing almost entirely to his 
own industrious habits and native shrewd- 
ness and keen foresight. He has ne\er 
failed to extend a helping hand to the 
needy, nor to aid any project intended 
for the building up of the city of Kewau- 
nee. His time, influence and purse have 
willingly been at the service of his fellow 
citizens in all judicious enterprises cal- 
culated to promote the public welfare, 
and the public have not forgotten his 
prompt action in every emergency that 
has called for the exercise of his charity. 
When it is remembered that the early 
opportunities of Mr. Hrbek for securing 
an education were quite limited, and that 
his early manhood was passed in "feats 
of broil and battle," surprise may well be 
excited at his success in later j'ears in 
his quiet pursuit of the toils of peace. 
But he possessed the virtue of persever- 
ance, which helped him to a fair knowl- 
edge of the branches of learning usually 
taught in the common schools, and to 
this virtue was added a power of observa- 
tion not accorded to all persons. He is 
emphatically a self-made man, and his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



573 



life of industry and wise economy, his 
fixed purpose in all his undertakings, and 
the tenacity with which he clung to them, 
are well worthy the emulation of the 
young men of the country who find them- 
selves handicapped with poverty, but who 
possess, as he possessed, an energy that 
knows " no such word as fail." 



FREDERICK JOHANNES, jewel- 
er, and prominent as a citizen of 
Kewaunee, was born in Prussia, 
March 22, 1857. His father. 
Christian Johannes, was born in 1806, 
and was a merchant. He married Anna 
Marie Horstman, who bore him three 
children — two sons and one daughter — 
Frederick being the eldest. 

Frederick attended school in Prussia 
until fifteen years old, and then learned 
the jeweler's trade and music, although 
he never worked at the former in the old 
country. On January 20, 1846, he mar- 
ried Miss Dorothy Vashardt, a farmer's 
daughter, and in September, 1845, he 
volunteered in the Prussian army, serving 
two years, in 1 848 re-enlisting, and serv- 
ing, during the latter term, nine months 
in Denmark and in Hessen four months 
in 1854. In the spring of 1855 he came 
to America, but left his family behind, 
fearing that he might again have to go 
into the army. He first located in Two 
Rivers, Wis., but after remaining there 
only one year and six months came to 
Kewaunee, and in the summer season 
worked for Slavson & Taylor, in the first 
steam sawmill erected here, employing 
liimself in the winter at his trade, chiefly 
repairing watches. In the fall of 1859 
he went over to the old country, and in 
1 860 came back with his family. For a 
year he again lived at Two Rivers, but 
finally settled in Kewaunee, filing saws in 
the mills in summer and working at his 
trade in the winter, as he had done be- 
fore. When the Rebellion broke out, he 
was offered a commission in the Union 
Volunteer army, but he declined, as Mrs. 



Johannes refused to give her consent, 
arguing that he had already done suffi- 
cient duty as a soldier. 

Mr. Johannes has always voted with 
the Democratic party. He has filled the 
office of register of deeds of Kewaunee 
two terms, and of county judge four years. 
He was elected president of the village, 
and later mayor of the city; he is the 
present police justice of the city, also one 
of the oldest county justices, and, al- 
though he has several times declined re- 
nominations, the people still insist on 
electing him. Fraternall}' he is a mem- 
ber of the F. & A. M., and I. O. O. F., 
and for years he has taken a great inter- 
est in the Lutheran Church. Mr. and 
Mrs. Johannes have had born to them six 
children, all daughters, named respect- 
ively: Sophy, Caroline, Wilhelmina, 
Marie, Minna and Clementine, all, save 
one, yet living. 



JOHN FRIEDERICH IHLENFELD 
is one among the thrifty German 
pioneers who have become well-to- 
do business men, and who are well 
worthy of representation in the history of 
Kewaunee county. He comes of an hon- 
orable famil}- of farming people who took 
great pride in their good name. 

Christian Ihlenfeld, grandfather of our 
subject, was a steady, hard-working man 
who reached a ripe old age, and was hon- 
ored and respected by all who knew him. 
His son Christian, father of our subject, 
was reared in his native village in Prussia, 
and was also noted for his industr}-. He 
there married Sophia Kaiser, and in 1855. 
accompanied by his family, consisting of 
wife and three children, he crossed the 
Atlantic to America, making a new home 
in Mishicot, Manitowoc Co., Wis. The 
three children were Christian, John and 
Friederica, the last named dying at Two 
Creeks, Wis., while Christian yet follows 
farming in Manitowoc county. 

The subject proper of this article was 
born February 29, 1840, in Gausendorf, 



574 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Kreis Demmien, Prussia, Germany, and 
with his parents came to the New \\'orld, 
where he was reared upon a farm, follow- 
ing that occupation until he was twenty- 
two years of age. On January 31, 1862, 
in Milwaukee, Wis., he enlisted in Com- 
pany H, Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and 
was under the command of Gen. C. C. 
Washburn until the close of the war. On 
March 24, 1862, the regiment reached 
St. Louis, where the troops were drilled 
for a few weeks (Mr. Ihlenfeld being there 
made corporal), and then sent on an ex- 
pedition through Missouri and Arkansas, 
fighting bushwhackers and Gen. Price, 
as well as the guerilla chief, Mor- 
gan. In the meantime, Mr. Ihlenfeld 
was promoted to sergeant, and in Helena, 
Ark., he helped to build fortifications, 
and also went on scouting duty into 
Mississippi. He next went to Memphis, 
Tenn. , and scouted up and down the 
river after bushwhackers, when with his 
regiment he proceeded to the siege of 
Vicksburg. His company was again en- 
gaged in scouting duty, stationed at 
Haynes, Snyders Bluff and along the 
Yazoo river pass. They then went with 
Gen. Herron to capture Yazoo City. 
Company H acted as Gen. Washburn's 
body guard, and twenty-one men with 
their captain, Julius Myers, were taken up 
the river in the direction of the city and 
piloted around toward the enemy's pickets 
where they then concealed themselves. 
The city was bombarded, and while the 
battle was going on a Confederate trans- 
port came down the river, and was cap- 
tured by this company, the boat being 
brought ashore while the crew were either 
killed or dispersed. Company H next 
escorted a wagon train to Benton, Miss., 
and then returned to Yazoo City after 
having captured many men and quantities 
of ammunition. Proceeding again to Ben- 
ton, they thence moved to Kenton and to 
Jackson, Miss., where the main body of 
cavalry was stationed, after which they 
returned to Vicksburg. Mr. Ihlenfeld 
there veteranized, February i, 1864, and 



after scouting in that vicinity for some 
time went with his company to Oakland, 
where thej' took part in an engagement 
which lasted several weeks, Company H, 
which was in advance of the main army, 
opening the battle which was a very 
severe one. Our subject also took part 
in the battles of Cotton Plant, Memphis, 
Helena, Yazoo City, Duvalls Bluf?, Jack- 
son, Oakland and Granada, also at Egypt 
where they captured 1600 prisoners and 
the large supply train, then retreated to 
Vicksburg, hotly pursued by the Rebel 
cavalry. 

At Helena, Ark., Mr. Ihlenfeld suf- 
fered an attack of )ellow jaundice, and 
when he had partially recovered he acted 
as sergeant of the guard at Gen. \\'ash- 
burn's headquarters. He was summoned 
to the sick bed of the General, and telling 
of his cure by "blue mass," the General 
secured some of the same, and was also 
cured. About December 20, 1864, the 
command removed from Memphis, and 
while going up a high bank after crossing 
a creek, Mr. Ihlenfeld's horse fell, crush- 
ing our subject's right leg, thereby mak- 
ing him a partial cripple for life. For 
three days his injuries were unattended, 
and for nearly a year afterward he re- 
mained with his regiment, receiving an 
honorable discharge in Austin, Texas, 
November i 5, 1865. 

Mr. Ihlenfeld at once returned to Mish- 
icot. Wis., where he remained a year; but 
being unable to do farm work he sold his 
property and came to Ahnapee, where he 
has since been engaged in the wholesale 
and retail flour and feed business. In 1866 
he married Mrs. Wilhelmina Weilep Kunel, 
of Two Rivers, Wis., whose first hus- 
band, Anton Kunel, a soldier in the Civil 
war, was captured and died in Anderson- 
ville prison; their daughter, Amelia, is 
now the wife of Casper Miller. Mr. and 
Mrs. Ihlenfeld are the parents of six chil- 
dren: Richard (who married Bessie \\'ein- 
ing, and is assistant principal of Ahnapee 
High School), Amelia, Sophia, Aln^a, 
Leona and John. The mother is a mem- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



575 



ber of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Ihlen- 
feld is an honored member and takes an 
active interest in the work of the Masonic 
fraternity, and is also affiliated with Joseph 
Andregg Post No. 242, G. A. R., of which 
he is senior vice-commander. A highly re- 
spected man, he occupies a prominent posi- 
tion in business and social circles, and is the 
same loyal citizen that followed the old tiag 
on southern battle fields. 



JOHN HENQUINET is one of the 
extensive land owners of Gardner 
township, Door county, also propri- 
etor of a general store in the village 
of Gardner, and is the efficient postmas- 
ter at that place. His career has been a 
successful one, and the well-directed 
efforts and straightforward dealing which 
have brought to him success are worthy 
of emulation. A native of Belgium, born 
April 16, 1830, he is the second child of 
John B. and Catherine (Chandoir) Hen- 
quinet. The father was employed in a 
factory where was manufactured poison, 
which caused his death while he was yet 
a young man. The children of the family 
were: Joseph, John, Louie, Peter, Desire, 
Antone (deceased) and Antone. 

A self-made man, our subject started 
out to make his own way in the world at 
the age of thirteen, and was employed at 
day labor for some time. He also served 
for three years in the army, and this mil- 
itary training in several ways proved a val- 
uable experience. In 1855 he bade adieu 
to the friends and scenes of his youth, 
and accompanied by his brother Peter, 
now a resident of California, sailed for the 
New World, reaching New York on the 
14th of June. He then came west to 
Milwaukee, Wis., where he was employed 
in a brickyard for eight months, after 
which he removed to De Pere, and se- 
cured employment in a shingle mill, where 
his services were retained for a year. On 
the expiration of that period he went to 
Kewaunee county, and with his brother 
purchased 160 acres of land, where he 



made his home for four years, coming 
then to Gardner township, Door county, 
here buying a tract of 560 acres. This 
was about the year 1862, and they re- 
tained possession of the entire amount 
until the fire of 1871, when they sold a 
portion of it, still retaining, however, 
320 acres. 

Turning from the business career to 
the private life of Mr. Henquinet, we note 
that on the 29th of July, i860, was cele- 
brated his marriage to Desire, daughter of 
Antone and Mary (Grede) Colignon. In 
1862 they became residents of Gardner 
township. Door county, but after three 
years returned to Kewaunee county. 
About 1867, however, they again came to 
Door county, settling on land belonging 
to Mrs. Henquinet's mother, which is still 
their home. Mrs. Colignon lived with 
them until her death in 1876. 

Our subject at once began to clear the 
farm, and during the first season raised a 
crop of potatoes and wheat. He came to 
this country a poor boy, but, together, he 
and his brother worked, and their earnest 
labor, which was carried on uninterrupt- 
edly, and their perseverance and economy 
brought to them a well-merited compe- 
tence which is now theirs to enjoy. In 
1883 John Henquinet established a gen- 
eral store, and is doing a good business 
in that line, receiving from the public a 
liberal patronage. In 1889 he was ap- 
pointed postmaster at Gardner, and the 
duties of that office he discharges in a 
prompt and faithful manner, in addition 
to the other business cares which are 
resting upon him. Seven children graced 
the union of Mr. and Mrs. Henquinet: 
Antone, Louie, Joseph (deceased), Lucy, 
Theophilus (deceased), Joseph and Mary. 
Four of the number are still under the 
parental roof, and the family is one of 
prominence in the community, while the 
household is the abode of hospitality. 
Mr. Henquinet supports the men and 
measures of the Republican party, has 
served as supervisor for two years, and 
was chairman of the town board one 



576 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPHICAL RECORD. 



year. His business cares receive his 
earnest attention, tiie trusts reposed 'in 
him are faithfully fultilled, and he is a 
most highly esteemed citizen. 



ANTON CERO\SKY, Jr.(Cherov- 
sKv), a successful farmer of Carl- 
ton township, Kewaunee county, 
was born in Cista, Jicin county, 
Bohemia, November 5, 1850, and is a 
son of Anton and Annie (Ziska) Cerovsky, 
Sr. , the mother a daughter of Joseph 
Ziska, of the famous Bohemian family of 
that name. 

Anton Cerovsky, Jr., the subject of 
this sketch, attended school until fifteen 
years old. On May i, 1S68, at the age 
of seventeen years seven months, he em- 
barked at Bremen, German}', on the ves- 
sel "Kosmos," for America, and after 
severe trials, landed at New York City, 
July 3, following, where he learned team 
shoemaking as trimmer. For a short time 
he followed different vocations, and then 
worked at his trade as trimmer about 
eight years, or until i 876, when he went 
into the saloon business, which netted him 
a neat sum of money before he quitted it 
in 1882, at which time he engaged with a 
New York firm as a traveling salesman. 
For a year or more he traveled through 
the West, being desirous of finding a lo- 
cation, and of leaving New York, but he 
returned to that city and again engaged 
in the saloon business, losing four thous- 
and dollars. He then leased a large 
place in New York for ten years, but after 
five years sold out his business and lease, 
having cleared a neat capital, and, retir- 
ing from the business, came to Carlton 
township, where he bought the farm he 
still occupies, without the slightest knowl- 
edge of farming. Mr. Cerovsky, Jr. , was 
a member of Zerubbabel Lodge No. 324, 
V. ik. A. M., at New York, from which he 
withdrew upon removal from that city, 
and became a worthy member of Key 
Lodge No. 174, F. & A. M., at Ahnapee, 
Kawaunee Co. , Wis. He is also a mem- 



ber of the I. O. O. F. (Praha Lodge No. 
436, N. Y. C), and the C. S. P. S. (Jan 
Amos Komensky No. loj, being one of 
the founders of the same — the strongest 
Bohemian society in the United States, 
numbering a membership of over ten 
thousand. In politics, he is a Republi- 
can, and is one of the justices of the peace 
of Carlton township. 

Mr. Cerovsk}', [r. , was married in 
New York City, November 3, 1872, to 
Mary Husek, who was born February 6, 
1853, in Guttenberg, Bohemia, a daughter 
of Jachim and Barbara Husek, the father 
a dealer in the celebrated Bohemian ware. 
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cerovsk)', 
Jr., has been blessed with the birth of 
eleven children, seven of whom are living, 
as follows: .Annie, the eldest, is one of 
the most successful school teachers of 
Kewaunee county, Wis.; Julian helps his 
father; Ludwig, who is attending the 
Carlton High School, is a bright, studious 
boy, and ranks among the first of his class; 
Marcella, Emily, .\nton and Arthur are 
also attending school. Mr. Cerovsky has 
been very successful as an agriculturist, 
and stands high in the esteem of his fel- 
lovvmen in Carlton. 



AUGUST J. BOSMAN. The great 
class of farmers that form so im- 
portant an element in national 
history and national prosperity is 
well represented by our subject, who is 
one of the leading agriculturists of Gard- 
ner township. Door county. He was 
born March 8, 1830, in the Province of 
Brabant, Belgium. His grandfather, 
Phillip Bosman, was a native of the same 
country, a carpenter and joiner by trade, 
and died March 11, 1838, at the age of 
eighty-two years. There Louie Bosman, 
father of our subject, was born December 
'9- '799; he married Mary C. Liesse, and 
they became the parents of children as 
follows: August J., Catherine, Gustaf, 
Antonet, Jane, Adolph, Dieu Donne. 
The subject of this sketch received 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



577 



the advantages afforded by the common 
schools, and continued his education until 
seventeen years of age when he began 
learning the carpenter's trade with his 
father, from whom he received instructions 
in the business some four years. At the 
age of nineteen he went to Brussels, 
where he worked at his trade four years, 
and then returned to his father's employ, 
the succeeding two years being thus 
passed. Attracted by the opportunities 
and privileges of the New World, he set 
sail from Antwerp February ii, 1856, 
and forty-eight days later landed at New 
York. His destination was Wisconsin, 
and, on reaching Green Bay, he proceeded 
to Red River, where he was engaged in 
carpentering three years, after which he 
was employed by the government for one 
year to carrj' the mail between Green 
Bay and Sturgeon Bay, a distance of 
fifty miles, the trip being made twice a 
week through a wild forest and across a 
trackless prairie. 

On October 3, 1859, Mr. Bosnian was 
united in marriage with Elionore Burgu- 
enium, and they came to Gardner town- 
ship. Door county, where Mr. Bosnian 
purchased forty acres of land, and erected 
a log cabin, which for five years was their 
home. The young couple began their 
domestic life in a primitive style, but in 
that little home many happy hours were 
passed, for there is a freedom and ease 
about such a life that has its charm for 
all. Our subject cleared the farm, trans- 
forming the once wild land into a rich 
and fertile tract until five years had passed, 
when he returned with his wife on a visit 
to the land of his birth. There he also 
passed five years, and in 1869, yielding 
to the wishes of Mrs. Bosnian, he again 
returned to the Wisconsin farm which has 
since been their place of residence. As 
his financial resources have increased he 
has added to his land until he now has 
160 acres, si.xty of which are cleared and 
improved, and in addition to its cultiva- 
tion he owns and operates a cheese fac- 
tory which he himself built. Mr. and 



Mrs. Bosman have one child, Gustaf, who 
was born February 26, 1867, and Febru- 
ary 9, 1890, married Miss Mary L. Gas- 
soul, by whom he has three children: 
August J., Elionore L. and Louie. 

The Bosnians are worthy members of 
the Catholic Church, and the gentleman 
of whom we write, in his political views, 
is a Republican; he was elected town 
clerk, serving two years; chairman of the 
town board, serving one year; town treas- 
urer, serving four years; and justice of the 
peace, serving sixteen jears. His has 
been a well-spent life, characterized by a 
laudable ambition, an untiring industry 
and a commendable perseverance, and 
the success that has come to him is the 
just reward of his own labors. 



JOSEPH ROBINSON is the owner of 
one of the most highly improved 
farms of Jacksonport township. Door 
county, and is numbered among the 
leading agriculturists of the locality where 
since an early day he has made his home. 
The record of his life is as follows: 
He was born February 20, 1833, in 
County Fermanagh, Ireland, and is a son 
of John Robinson and Jane fSmith), the 
former a farmer of comfortable means. 
In the familj' were ten children — seven 
sons and three daughters — Joseph being 
the fourth. No event of special im- 
portance occurred during his childhood 
and youth, he aiding in the labors of the 
farm and giving his father the benefit of 
his services until nineteen years of age, 
when he determined to try his fortune in 
America, hoping thereby to enhance his 
condition. In July, 1852, he sailed from 
Liverpool, England, on "The Crown," 
and after a voyage of nine weeks landed 
at Quebec. Having an uncle, Joe Smith, 
living in Upper Canada, thither he pro- 
ceeded, earning there his first dollar by 
chopping wood. For about six years he 
remained in Canada, and then removed 
to Fulton, N. Y. , where his brother John 



57S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was living, and where for some time he 
made his home. During that period he 
learned the trade of blacksmith, after 
which he returned to Canada, and for 
about eight or ten years was in the employ 
of the Grand Trunk Railroad Company, 
serving first as brakeman, then as bag- 
gageman and later as conductor. 

In July, 1866, Mr. Robinson moved 
to Wisconsin, locating in Jacksonport 
township, Door county, where he did a 
jobbing business in getting out cedar. At 
that time there was but one house in the 
town — that occupied by P. G. Hibbard. 
He aided in building the first pier at Jack- 
sonport, and continued in this place for 
three years, after which he returned to 
New York City, where, about the year 
1869, he was united in marriage with 
Margaret Breen, who was bom in the 
same county as her husband, in Ireland, 
and had been one of his schoolmates in 
her girlhood days. About the time of his 
marriage, Mr. Robinson visited in Canada, 
and was offered his former position with 
the Grand Trunk Railroad Company, but 
his interests were in Door county, and he 
returned to Jacksonport, where he and his 
wife began their domestic life in the home 
which he had erected. He was engaged 
in getting out cedar lumber, in which en- 
terprise he was very successful, but after- 
ward suffered misfortune, having $1,200 
in notes, from which he had expected to 
realize full value, but instead lost all. In 
1885 he took up his residence on his 
farm in Section 15, Jacksonport town- 
ship, and now has a tract of 166 acres,. 
seventy of which are cleared. Rapidly 
has he improved his land, and is now the 
owner of a valuable and desirable farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had a family 
of five children, as follows: Mary J. (de- 
ceased in infancy), and George J., Will- 
iam J., Isabella M. and Jane E., still at 
home. The parents are both members 
of the Episcopal Church, and in politics, 
Mr. Robinson was formerly a Republican, 
but of late years has affiliated with the 
Democratic party. He is a highly re- 



spected man, a good citizen, a kind neigh- 
bor, and in the history of Door county 
well deserves representation. 



ARCHIBALD MacEACHAM, M. 
D. (deceased), was born Decem- 
ber 25, 1833, in Glasgow, Scot- 
land, and the place of his birth, 
known as "Granite Palace," is still in the 
possession of the family. His parents, 
Neil and Jane (Taylor) MacEacham, 
were also natives of the land of heather, 
the father born in the island of Islay, the 
mother in Paisley. In 1834 they came to 
this continent, making their New-W'orld 
home in Prince Edward's Island, and here 
the mother died in 1837, the father sur- 
viving her until 1883, dying also in Prince 
Edward's Island. 

The subject of these lines was but an 
infant when his parents brought him 
across the Atlantic, and at the common 
schools of Prince Edward's Island he re- 
ceived a liberal educational training. 
When sixteen years old he commenced 
the study of medicine, which he prose- 
cuted till the breaking out of the war of 
the Rebellion, when he entered the naval 
service as surgeon's assistant, remaining 
as such some four years, during which 
period he was twice wounded while in the 
performance of his duties. After the war 
he resumed his medical studies, and on 
graduating practiced in Chicago, 111., 
later in Marquette, Wis., in 1 870 coming 
to Sturgeon Bay, where he soon suc- 
ceeded in building up a large and lucra- 
tive practice, and by his energy, sagacity 
and progressiveness became one of the 
foremost promoters of the welfare and 
importance of the city. In 1875 he 
bought out McKinney's drug store, and 
thereafter devoted much of his time to 
that business, as well as to his office 
practice. In 1880 he bought the farm at 
Circle Ridge, built a dock there and con- 
verted it into a busy shipping place, giv- 
ing employment to a large number of 
hands in the winter seasons, getting out 




A. MacEacham, M, D. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



5S1 



cedar. The Doctor died March 21, 18S4, 
at Brooksville, Fla. , whither he had gone 
to purchase a winter home, and from an 
issue of a Sturgeon Bay paper of about 
that date we glean the following: " His 
death was a public loss, a temporary 
wound to the prosperity of Sturgeon Bay, 
and the principal business men felt that 
one of the business props of the place 
had been broken down. Probably one of 
the largest funeral processions ever seen 
on the peninsula followed his remains to 
Bayside Cemetery. People from all parts 
of the county were there to show their 
respect and esteem for the departed, and 
it is safe to say that there was not 
another person in the community more 
universally beloved by the people in gen- 
eral than the deceased. * * * As a practi- 
tioner, he won the confidence and love of 
all who employed him, and although when 
established in the drug business he relin- 
quished his practice, yet quite a number 
of his old patients would not permit a 
tranfer of themselves, but clung to their 
old doctor."' 

On March 20, 1872, Dr. MacEacham 
was married at Sharon, Wis. , to Miss 
Nettie Barrett, of New York, and two 
children came to brighten their home: 
Jeanie F. , born February 23, 1873, and 
William A., born February 6, 1875. Mrs. 
Nettie MacEacham is a daughter of Jesse 
and Margaret Ann (Smith) Barrett, edu- 
cated and refined people, the father born 
in Bedford, Westchester Co., N. Y. , son 
of Joseph and Deborah (St. John) Bar- 
rett, the mother a native of New York 
City, daughter of Ellis and Hannah (Pel- 
ham) Smith: she was educated at Miss 
Prime's Seminary at Sing Sing on Hud- 
son, at which city she was married to Mr. 
Barrett in January, 1834. They began 
housekeeping in Bedford, Westchester 
Co., N. Y. , where he engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits, and there their children 
were born, named, respectively, in the 
order of their birth: Julia, Ellis, Nettie, 
Jotham, Samuel, Roscoe, Jennie, Will- 
iam and Carleton. Of these, Roscoe, 
33 



Samuel, Jennie and Carleton are de- 
ceased; William, at the age of nineteen 
joined the regular army, stationed in the 
West, and has not been heard from in 
nearly twenty years; the others are mar- 
ried and living in different parts of Wis- 
consin. In 1857 the father of this family 
sold his farm at Bedford, N. Y. , and 
moved west to another at Markesan, 
Green Lake Co. , Wis. , taking with him 
all his family except his daughter Nettie, 
who remained in the East some years 
longer, making her home in the family of 
her mother's only brother, J. W. Smith, 
a merchant of New York City. After a 
few years' residence in Markesan Mr. Bar- 
rett sold his farm and removed to Sharon, 
Walworth Co., Wis., where he passed 
the remainder of his honored life, dying 
in 1877. His widow passed away in 1880, 
at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mac- 
Eacham, at Sturgeon 13ay, whither she 
had gone to pass her declining )-ears, but 
dying in less than a week after her arrival. 
Mrs. MacEacham is now living at Stur- 
geon Bay in the companionship of her 
children, and enjoys the unqualified 
esteem and regard of her many friends 
and acquaintances. 



FREDERICK BACH, one of the 
most influential citizens of Ke- 
waunee, is a native of Austria, 
born October 11, 1847. His 
father, Anton Bach, was a farmer, and 
as it was the custom of the country to 
learn a trade, he was also a wood-turner. 
Wenzel Bach, the father of Anton, was a 
school-teacher, and his trade that of 
painting and wood carving. He came to 
America in 1854, and died in Kewaunee 
in the spring of 1854. * 

Anton Bach was m.arried in Austria 
to Teressa Doerfler, and with her and 
the other members of the family came to 
the United States in 1853. To the mar- 
riage of Anton were born six children, 
viz.: Edward, Martin, Frederick, Anna, 
Mary and Lottie. The father of this 



5S3 



COMMEMORATirE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



famil)-, after reachiiij,' the United States, 
passed a year in Milwaukee, ^^'is. , and 
then took up a piece of wild land from 
the State in Kewaunee county, in what 
is now known as Kewaunee township, 
which he improved and resided upon un- 
til 1S65, when he rented it out and 
moved to Carlton, dyinfj there in the 
winter of 1S66. 

Frederick Bach, the subject proper of 
this sketch, lived on the home farm, as- 
sisting his father until 1865, his brothers 
Edward and Martin serving meanwhile in 
the Civil war. On their return Edward 
and he bought the general store and saw- 
mill of a Mr. Dean, at Carlton, which was 
conducted for a time under the firm name 
of Taylor & Bach, Frederick having 
really no interest in the business until 
1875. when he bought a share, the firm 
then becoming Taylor, Bach & Co. In 
1892 Frederick Bach and his family came 
to Kewaunee, where he had an interest in 
a gristmill; this he superintended about 
si.\ months, when his health failed, and 
since that time he has taken no active 
part in the management of the concern, 
although he retains his interest therein. 
He is also a stockholder in, and president 
of, the Bach, Koenig & Piser General 
Store Co., of Kewaunee, which company 
was organized in 1893, and has also a 
large branch store at Carlton. Mr. Bach 
also has an interest in the Kewaunee 
Jiank, and in a cheese factory that now 
ranks as second in the State, although it 
was run at a loss for some time, when 
first started, by Tavlor, Bach & Co., in 
1875. 

Mr. Bach was united in marriage in 
September, 1876. with Miss Emma St. 
Fetter, a native of Carlton, W'is., and to 
this union have been born five children, 
\\/.. : Cora, Maud, Luella, Rowland and 
Edward. In politics Mr. Bach is a Re- 
])ublican, and cast his first presidential 
vote for ( irant, but he prefers business to 
politics. He is a member of the I. O. 
(>. F., and K. of P., and is a great favor- 
ite in social circles. His integritv has 



never been questioned, and his word has 
been always accepted as being ' ' as good 
as his bond." His business abilitj- and 
enterprise have been matters of admira- 
tion and commendation, and there are 
few men that stand as high in the esteem 
of the community as does Frederick Bach. 



JOSEPH GOETZ, a well-to-do agri- 
culturist of Section 3, F'orestville 
township. Door county, has here 
made his home since 1879, at which 
time he purchased 160 acres of wild land, 
covered with a heavy growth of timber. 
He at once began to clear and im- 
prove the place, and in course of time 
the tract was transformed into rich and 
fertile fields which were made to yield to 
the owner a golden tribute. His first 
dwelling was a log cabin, but it has long 
since been replaced by a more modern 
structure, his present residence, which 
was erected in 1889, being a story and a 
half frame, 20 x 32 feet, with an L 24 x 
1 8 feet. He also has a large barn 40 x 
60 feet, and all the other accessories and 
conveniences of a model farm. In 1 889 
he erected a cheese factory which he 
operated until 1893, when he ga\e it over 
to the care of his son. 

The owner of this fine property was 
born in Prussia in 1838, and is a son of 
Philip and Margaret (Breal) Goetz, who 
were natives of the same country. In 
1853 they left the fatherland for America, 
locating in Manitowoc county, \\'is. . 
where Mr. Goetz developed and improved 
a farm until 1876. when he moved to Nase- 
waupee township, Door county, and here 
made his home until his death, which oc- 
curred when he was aged eighty-one 
j'ears. His wife passed away in 1894, in 
the seventy-ninth year of her age, leaving 
a family of four children, namely: Joseph; 
Nich, whois living in Nasewaupee town- 
ship; Katie, wife of Gottlieb Mussman, 
also of Nasewaupee township; and Anton, 
a resident of Minnesota. One had died 
after coming to this country. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



5S3 



The subject proper of this sketch 
began his education in the pubhc 
schools of Germany, and there contin- 
ued his studies until thirteen years of 
age, when, in 1852, he came with his 
uncle to the United States, the voyage 
being made in a sailing vessel, which 
landed after a passage of thirty-six da3's. 
Coming westward to Wisconsin, he be- 
came a resident of Rapids, where for some 
time he worked as errand boy in a hotel 
by the month. In i860 he moved to the 
Lake Superior region, northern Michigan, 
and was there engaged in mining imtil 
1863, when he returned to Wisconsin 
and in Manitowoc worked in a sawmill 
till 1864. In that year he once more 
journeyed to the Lake Superior region, 
and was there employed in a sawmill till 
1866, when he returned to Manitowoc, 
Wis., where he worked in a sawmill until 
coming to Forestville, Door county, at 
which time he turned his attention to 
agricultural pursuits, as above stated. 

In 1863, in Manitowoc count}'. Wis., 
Mr. Goetz wedded Miss Marv F"rocena, a 
native of Poland, and a daughter of 
Thomas and Susan Frocena, who were 
born in the same country. In 185 5, with 
their family, they became residents of 
Manitowoc county, and the father secured 
land which he operated during the rest of 
his life, his death occurring in 1893; his 
widow still survives him. In the family 
of Mr. and Mrs. Goetz were nine children, 
as follows: William, who is married, 
operates a cheese factory and a general 
store, and is now serving as postmaster at 
Maplewood; Joseph is engaged in teach- 
ing in Stratford, Wis. ; Frank, Anna, 
Katie, Margaret, Thomas, Julia and Felix 
are all yet at home. Mr. Goetz is num- 
bered among the pioneers of Door coun- 
ty, and in its growth and upbuilding he 
has ever borne his part, while in its wel- 
fare he manifests a most commendable 
intere.st. He exercises his right of fran- 
chise in support of the Democracy, has 
served as treasurer of the school board, 
and has alwavs been a warm friend to the 



cause of education, believing it to be one 
of the important factors in the promotion 
of good citizenship. In connection with 
his family he holds membership with the 
Catholic Church. 



WILLIAM BARRETTE, a public- 
spirited and progressive citizen 
of Red River township, Kewau- 
nee county, who has identified 
himself with the best interests of the com- 
munity in which he makes his home, was 
born in Belgium February 18, 1829, one 
of the eight children of Francis and Mary 
J. (Millman) Barrette. The father was a 
farmer by occupation, and through the 
greater part of his life carried on agricul- 
tural pursuits. The members of the fam- 
ily are John 13., Catherine, Joseph, An- 
toinette, Casper, Constant, \Villiam and 
Isador. 

In taking up the history of William 
Bariette we present to our readers the life 
record of one who is both widely and 
favorably known in Kewaunee county. 
The common schools afforded him his ed- 
ucational privileges, and in his younger 
years he learned the stone cutter's trade, 
at which he worked until his marriage. 
That important event in his life occurred 
July 16, 1846, the lady of his choice be- 
ing Virginia Geos, and to them, while 
still residing in Belgium, was born a son, 
Joseph. In the year 1848, having de- 
cided to try their fortune in America, they 
embarked at Antwerp on a sailing vessel 
bound for Quebec, Canada. From that 
city they made their way direct to Green 
Bay, Wis. , thence to Ahnapee township, 
now a part of Lincoln township, Kewau- 
nee county. Here Mr. Barrette pur- 
chased fort}' acres of land in Section 8, a 
wild and unimproved tract, upon which 
not a tree had been cut or a furrow 
turned. He made the journe\- in a wagon 
drawn by a yoke of oxen, and followed 
the path marked by blazed trees, for no 
roads had yet been made in that vicinity. 
A place had to be cleared large enough 



5«4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to construct a house, and a dwelling 
22X22 feet, covered with cedar bark, 
was built. With characteristic energy 
Mr. Barrette began the development of 
a farm, and though the work was slow, 
and his implements quite crude in com- 
parison with those used to-daj-, the 
work progressed, and where once stood a 
dense forest were seen waving fields of 
grain. The marketing was done at Green 
Bay, a distance of twentj'-one miles, and 
as Mr. Barrette owned the only team in 
this locality he did all the marketing for 
the neighborhood. It frequently required 
three days to make the trip, and he would 
spend the night in his wagon somewhere 
on the road between Bay Settlement and 
Green Bay. He used a grub hoe in 
planting his first crop of wheat and pota- 
toes, and the wheat was harvested with a 
sickle and threshed with a flail. After seven 
years spent upon his first farm, during 
which time he had increased it to eighty 
acres and cleared thirty acres, he sold 
out and went to Chicago, where for a 
similar period he worked at his trade. On 
his return he purchased one hundred 
acres of land in Section 5, Red River 
township, now owned b}' his son, Prosper, 
and again began the work of developing a 
new farm. On that place he lived twenty 
years, and added to his possessions until 
he was the owner of 392 acres of valuable 
land. A part of this he afterward sold, 
and then removed to Section 9 of the 
same township, where he purchased one 
acre of land, erecting thereon a store and 
residence; he has also just purchased a 
pier and mill on the bay shore, costing 
$1400, and to his various business enter- 
prises now devotes his attention. After 
coming to Wisconsin five children were 
added to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Bar- 
rette, namely: Mary, Augustine, Prosper. 
Octavie and William, Jr. ; the mother of 
this family passed away September 19, 
1889. The youngest son, who has always 
remained at home with his father, secured 
his literary education in the common 
schools, and for two years attended busi- 



ness college. On the 25th of April, 1S91, 
he was married to Mary, daughter of 
Clement and Frances (Kayej Genesse, 
and the}- had two children — Fannie and 
Lillie. 

In his political affiliations, the subject 
of this sketch is a Republican, has served 
as supervisor in Ahnapee township, and 
as chairman of the board of supervisors 
in Lincoln township three j'ears. For 
four years he was chairman of the town 
board in Red River township, since Au- 
gust 14, 1890, he has been postmaster at 
Duvall, and his prompt and faithful dis- 
charge of the duties devolving upon him 
has won him the commendation of all 
concerned. In religious belief he is a 
Catholic, and while living in Lincoln 
township mass was held in his home 
when there was no church in that locality. 
He is one of the honored pioneers of the 
county, and has not only witnessed the 
growth and development of this region 
but in all possiible ways has aided in its 
progress and advancement. 



JACOB RODRIAN, county treasurer 
of Kewaunee county, was born in the 
Rhine Province, German}', Novem- 
ber 6, 1845. His father, Philip 
Rodrian, a farmer by occupation, married 
Fredericka Bretz, whose father was also 
a farmer. Mrs. Fredericka Rodrian died 
in Germany in 1890; Philip Rodrian is 
still living in that country. 

Our subject attended the public schools 
of his native country between the ages of 
six and fourteen years, and then worked 
on his father's farm until he was twenty- 
four j'ears old, or until 1869, when he 
came to America. He had one brother 
and three sisters, and of these onl}' one, 
a sister, came to America, the others re- 
maining in Germany. When Mr. Rod- 
rian reached America he landed at New 
York City, whence he at once pushed 
forward to Wisconsin, locating at Hart- 
ford, Washington county, and here hired 
out on a farm for two years; then moved 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



585 



to Ahnapee, Kevvaunea county, where he 
bought the farm on which he still makes 
his home, and where he is classed among 
the best farmers in the county. In pol- 
itics he has always been a Democrat 
since coming to the country, being active 
in both national and State politics. In 
1882 he was elected treasurer of his town, 
which office he filled three consecutive 
terms, 1884-85 and '86; was assessor 
1887-88, and in the latter year was 
elected countv treasurer, in which incum- 
bency he is serving his third term, seem- 
ing to be peculiarly fitted for this special 
class of public service. In 1894 he was 
elected for a member of Assembly to the 
Wisconsin Legislature. 

On April 30, 1872, Mr. Rodrian was 
married to Miss Julia Portz, daughter of 
John Portz, whose family came from 
their native Germany in 1875, and in this 
country the father died in 1S83. Eight 
children have come to bless the home of 
Mr. and Mrs. Rodrian, who are devout 
members of the Lutheran Church at 
Ahnapee. The family are held in high 
esteem by their neighbors, and Mr. Rod- 
rian is recognized as one of the leading 
men of the county, and one of its sub- 
stantial, go-ahead citizens. 



J NO GISLASON. The name of 
Gislason was, for many years, a 
most familiar one in Iceland where 
Gisli Einersen, father of our subject, 
was a prominent Lutheran minister. He 
graduated in the theological course of the 
Copenhagen University, and was ordained 
to preach. A man of much mental abil- 
ity and a deep thinker, he wielded a 
powerful infiuence for good, and was 
greatly beloved by his parishoners. His 
wife, Sigridur Gudnundsdaughter, was 
also a native of Iceland and, as her name 
states, was a daughter of Gudnundur, 
that being the manner of denoting the 
family to which a child belongs. She 
was the mother of five children, of whom 
our subject was the youngest. 



Jno Gislason was born December 12, 
1S49, at Kalfholti, Iceland, and was but 
eighteen months old when his father died. 
He was educated in Iceland, and at the 
age of fourteen years commenced clerking 
in a general store, where he remained 
employed at intervals until 1870, then 
emigrated to the United States. In Mil- 
waukee, Wis., he remained four months, 
then made his way to Washington Island, 
Door county, and found work in the 
woods, but in the spring of 1871 he lo- 
cated permanently at Detroit Harbor 
where he now resides. He bought a 
farm of sixty-one acres, although he made 
fishing his business until 1876, when he 
sold his possessions and went to Madison, 
(Wis.) where he attended school. He 
was then twenty-seven years old, and 
though possessed of a good education in 
his native tongue he inherited too much 
of his father's scholastic tendencies to be 
content with that after locating in another 
country. Accordingly he remained in the 
school at Madison until he had mastered 
the English language, and secured a fair 
knowledge of other topics. The spring 
of 1877 found him in \Vashington Island, 
Wis., where he followed various pursuits 
until 1884, when he opened a general 
store at Detroit Harbor, which business 
he has continued ever since, having built 
up a large and constantly increasing trade, 
and become prosperous in every way. 
When any public enterprise needs the as- 
sistance of the business men of the place, 
Mr. Gislason is one of the first to be ap- 
proached, and unless the plan appears 
impracticable he accords it his hearty co- 
operation. Since his return to the Island 
he has bought 240 acres of land which he 
is having cleared and prepared for culti- 
vation; it will then be most valuable and 
for this foresightedness he will no doubt 
reap a rich profit on his investment. 

Mr. Gislason is a stanch Republican, 
taking an active part in political affairs, 
and although having no desire for office 
his friends have made him supervisor and 
justice of the peace. He is now clerk of 



=;86 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the board of education in his district, and 
is ever ready to promote the interests of 
the schools. He is a member of the 
Lutheran Church, which was so dear to 
Ills father's heart, and contributes Hber- 
aily t(jward its support; while his gener- 
osity in every charitable enterprise brought 
to his notice is most commendable. On 
November 8, 1877, he was married at 
Milwaukee, \\'is. , to Miss Augusta Barna- 
son, also a native of Iceland, and the fol- 
lowing named eight children were born to 
them: Sarah E., Gisli I., August, Law- 
rence, Ella, Charles, Esther and Stella 
T. Mr. Gislason is personally superin- 
tending their education, and hopes to 
make them useful men and women. 



1841, 



FRED HARDER, for over twenty 
\ears a resident of Egg Harbor 
township. Door county, is a na- 
tive of German}-, born August 16, 
the eldest in the family of Fred 
Harder, who had five children — one son 
and four daughters. 

In 1864 Mr. Harder was married, in 
German}-, to Caroline Kullmann, who was 
born there in 1834, and late in the fall of 
1866 they sailed from Hamburg on a ves- 
sel bound for New York, where they 
landed after a somewhat unpleasant voy- 
age of four weeks. By rail they came 
west to Chicago, where Mr. Harder en- 
gaged immediately at any labor that 
would bring him an honest dollar, for the 
e.xpenses of the journey had nearly ex- 
hausted his savings. Chicago was their 
home for over five years, Mr. Harder 
working at the carpenter's trade there 
after the great fire, and in 1873 removed 
his family to Door county, Wis., where, 
in Section 29, Egg Harbor township, he 
bought si.xty acres, paying cash for same; 
but shortly afterward it was found that the 
title was imperfect, and he had to pay a 
second time for part of the tract. The 
land was totally unimproved, and he com- 
menced the task of clearing without de- 
lay, proving himself a most 



worker, and possessed of a spirit of energy 
and perseverance that allows nothing to 
discourage him. He now owns 140 acres, 
eighty of which he has cleared and has in 
good condition, doing the greater part of 
the work himself. By his own unaided 
efforts he has acquired a comfortable 
property, and, by his conscientious hon- 
esty and fairness in all his transactions, 
has gained the resp^ect and confidence of 
those who have had dealings with him. 

To Fred and Caroline (Kullmann) 
Harder were born four children, two in 
German}' — Gusta, now Mrs. William Mil- 
ler, of Plymouth, Ind. , and another 
daughter that died in infancy, while en 
route to the United States — and two in 
Wisconsin — \J\zz\e, Mrs. John Weiter- 
man, of Voseville, Door Co., Wis., and 
a daughter that died in infancy. The 
mother of these passed from earth in Egg 
Harbor township, and Mr. Harder subse- 
quently wedded Amelia Bunner, a native 
of Saxony. For his third wife he was 
married, April 15, 1883, in Egg Harbor, 
to Miss Caroline Blunk, who was born in 
1 85 1 in Germany, and this union has 
been blessed with one child, William. 
Mr. Harder is a Lutheran in religious 
sentiment, and politically he is a stanch 
supporter of the Republican party. 



JOHN \\'EIS, a prosperous and highly 
esteemed farmer citizen of the town 
of Sturgeon Bay, is a native of Wis- 
consin, born in Washington county 
May I, 1857. 

His father, George Weis, was a native 
of the Rhine Province of Bavaria, and 
when a young man came to the United 
States, first locating in New York, where 
he followed the trade of baker, which he 
had learned in the Fatherland. His eye- 
sight becoming impaired, however, he 
was obliged to abandon that business, 
and coming to Wisconsin made a new 
home in Washington county, where he 
turned his attention to agricultural pur- 
suits. He there wedded Mrs. Mary Stroh 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 



587 



{iicc Stormj, who had two children: Mary 
and Joseph. George Weis passed the 
rest of his days in Washington county, 
dying there in 1882, where his widow is 
still residing. This worthy couple were 
the parents of seven children — five sons 
and two daughters — our subject being the 
third child and second son. 

Having passed his early life in a Ger- 
man settlement, John Weis was educated 
in that tongue until eleven years of age, 
when he left home to work for others, 
and has since been dependent on his own 
resources, so that whatever success he 
has achieved is due entirely to his per- 
sonal efforts. When nineteen years old 
he commenced working at the mason's 
trade, which he followed some seven 
years, and until he reached his majority 
he handed all his earnings over to his 
parents, not even buying his own clothes. 
Coming to Door county (where he had a 
half-brother living), in order to look up a 
location, he during the first summer found 
work in a sawmill for A. W. Lawrence, 
after which he was engaged at the trade 
of stone mason. Long and earnestly did 
he now work, until he had secured enough 
money to purchase a farm, and in course 
of time he found himself the owner of 1 20 
acres of land, forty of which he has 
cleared. Xhis is one of the most pro- 
ductive farms in the county, made so by 
the efforts of the owner, who is justly 
numbered among the practical and enter- 
prising agriculturists of the county. 

At the age of twenty-four years our 
subject was married to Mrs. Elizabeth 
Marie Toppings, widow of Thomas J. 
Toppings, who enlisted, in 1862, in Com- 
pany A, Ninth Missouri Cavalry, in which 
he served three years and seven months; 
he died in 1875, o^ consumption, brought 
on by exposure and consequent sickness 
while in the army. Mrs. Elizabeth M. 
Weis was born March 3, 1850, at Pitts- 
burg, Penn., daughter of Nicholas Hinker, 
who came to Sturgeon Bay in 1857, and 
settled in Sevastopol township, then a 
vast wilderness, where he died January 



26, 1865, of heart disease, contracted 
through exposure and hard work in his 
endeavor to clear up a farm and support 
a family consisting of his wife, aged 
father-in-law and five daughters. The 
father-in-law, John Bates, who was a na- 
tive of Amsterdam, Holland, died at the 
age of 102 years, leaving but one daugh- 
ter, the wife of N. Hinker. Nicholas 
Hinker left surviving him his wife and 
five daughters, to wit: Mrs. Elizabeth M. 
Weis; Mrs. Catherine G. Follett, of 
Green Bay, born at Buffalo, N. Y., Feb- 
ruary 28, 1852; Mrs. Mary A. Stroh, 
born at Larimer's Station, Penn. ; Mrs. 
Caroline M. Lavassor, of the city of Stur- 
geon Bay, Wis., born at Sevastopol, 
Door Co., Wis., January 15, i860; and 
Mrs. Margaret L. Weis, born December 
31, 1862, also at Sevastopol, now a resi- 
dent of Sturgeon Bay, and with whom 
the widowed mother is at present living. 
The third daughter, Mrs. Mary A. Stroh, 
died May 23, 1880, leaving four children: 
Frank, Lizzie, Cassie, and an infant 
daughter whom the mother, on her death- 
bed, gave to Mrs. E. M. Toppings (now 
Mrs. John Weis) who named the infant 
Mary Josephine Weis (she is now [1895] 
fifteen years old, and is bright, affection- 
ate and dutiful). There is also now an- 
other infant left to the care of the old 
home, a little son of John Weis' second 
sister, Mrs. Andrew May, who died April 
22, 1895, the same hour the baby was 
born, leaving also husband and four 
children — two sons and two daughters; 
she was also born and reared in Wash- 
ington county, Wisconsin. 

Nicholas Hinker, who was a native of 
Alsace, Germany, came to this country 
with his parents when six years old, and 
in 1849 married Mary C. J. Bates, who 
was born at Utrecht, Holland, in 1831, 
and when eight years of age accompanied 
her father and brothers from her native 
country to the United States, locating at 
first in Philadelphia, from there moving 
to Pittsburg where she married Mr. 
Hinker. He was a coal miner seven 



5S8 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



years prior to coining to Wisconsin. Mrs. 
Elizabeth M. Weis was, as will be seen, 
seven years old when her parents brought 
her to the then wilderness of Sturgeon 
Bay, settling four miles east of what was 
then the village of Sturgeon Bay. For 
the most of the way in their journey 
through this region they found no road of 
any description, so the men in the com- 
pany had to make one and "blaze" the 
trees, and the party did not reach the 
roofless shanty until the third day, which 
was June i8, 1857. It rained so much 
that no work could be done at first, so 
Mrs. Weis' father and mother peeled a 
lot of cedar bark to form a temporary 
roof, and about the worst trouble they 
had was from the swarms of mosquitos 
that visited the shanty to feast on the 
new arrivals — so numerous and sanguin- 
ary were the ' ' varmints" that a ' ' smudge" 
had to be kept up night and day. 

The fact that Mr. John Weis has 
prospered in his undertakings is due, as 
will be readily understood, to deter- 
mined effort and good management, and 
he is now in comfortable circumstances. 
In religious faith he is a member of the 
Catholic Church, and in political affilia- 
tion since attaining his majority he has sup- 
ported the principles of the Republican 
party. 



M 



.\TTHIAS ROLLER, an in- 
dustrious and well-to-do farmer 
of Carlton township, Kewaunee 
county, was born in Germany, 
February 25, 1S31. and is a son of Al- 
bert and Theresa Roller. 

His boyhood days were passed in the 
school room and on the farm with his 
parents until he was fourteen years of 
age, when he started out in life for him- 
self, beginning as a farm servant, and so 
continuing until 185S when he came to 
the United States. It took him si.\ weeks 
to cross the ocean, and, landing at New 
York, he proceeded to Carlton, having 
only fifteen dollars left to start in life 



with. The ne.\t year after arriving at 
Carlton, he went to Chicago, where he un- 
loaded vessels, for which he received ten 
cents an hour, and then only three times a 
week. Not being able to make a living 
there, he came back to Carlton, and for 
about two years chopped cord-wood, also 
worked in the forest, and was then able 
to locate on the farm he now owns. The 
land was, of course, all in standing tim- 
ber which he proceeded to cut and mark- 
et, at the same time preparing the soil 
for cultivation. These pioneer days were 
days of hardship and toil, but perseverance 
and industry carried him through, and 
his farm, consisting of 120 acres of land, 
is now all cleared, and will compare favor- 
ably with any farm in the township. On 
the night of September 30, 1888, Mr. 
Roller's property was destroyed by fire. 
The loss amounted to four thousand dol- 
lars, insured for two thousand dollars, 
but the ne.xt year he immediately set to 
work and re-erected the building. 

In 1S58 Mr. Roller married Theresa 
Sipple, who was born in Germany in 
1837, a daughter of John and Josephine 
Sipple. This marriage has been blessed 
with eleven children, namely: Joe, Julius, 
John, Willie, Matthias, Philip, Mary, 
Caroline and Laura, living, and Joseph 
and Louisa, deceased. Six of these are 
now married, namely: Joe, Julius, John, 
Mary, Caroline and Laura; five are living 
on farms in the same town, where their 
father has started them in business; 
Laura is residing in Chicago. Mr. Roller 
and famil}- enjoy the respect of all their 
neighbors, and are regarded as good and 
useful citizens, such as form a solid and 
healthful community. 



REV. ALONZO PARRER CUR- 
TISS was born January 2, 1862, 
in Westmoreland, N. Y. , and his 
ancestors on the mother's side 
were the old English refugees who fled to 
Holland during the period of the Restora-. 
tion. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



5S9 



The Curtiss family is also of English 
origin, and the grandfather was a buyer 
and seller of live stock in New York, mak- 
ing his home in Westmoreland, that 
State, where he owned some real estate 
and spent his last days. His son, Josiah 
A. Curtiss, father of our subject, was 
born in Westmoreland, N. Y. ; he mar- 
ried Juliet Phelps, a daughter of Dr. 
Alonzo Phelps, of Kirkland, Oneida Co., 
N. Y. , a descendant of Oliver Cromwell's 
private secretary who signed the death 
warrant of King Charles I. After the 
death of Cromwell, and during the time 
of the Restoration, he fled to Holland 
with his family. He was a man of great 
force of character and influence, and a 
monument was erected to his memory in 
a church in Holland. The old family 
name was originally Guelph — the family 
name of Queen Victoria. His descend- 
ants came to America and settled in New 
York. The mother of our subject died 
June 15, 1894. 

The subject of this sketch received his 
primar}' education in the grammar school 
of Clinton, N, Y. , a Presbyterian institu- 
tion, where he pursued his studies three 
years. Later he emigrated westward, 
settling in Sandwich, 111., where he be- 
came book-keeper for the Sandwich Manu- 
facturing Company, and afterward held 
the same position in their branch house 
in Kansas City, Mo., remaining in the 
employ of that firm for about three years. 
He then went to Boston, where he studied 
Latin and Greek with a Harvard tutor, 
preparatory to entering the Western 
Theological Seminary in Chicago, his 
name being enrolled among its students 
September 29, 1889. He was graduated 
therefrom in May, 1892, was ordained as 
deacon in June of the same year in Sheboy- 
gan, Wis., and was ordained priest in the 
cathedral at Fond du Lac, Wis., Novem- 
ber 20, 1892. In June of that year he 
had come to Ahnapee, and has since had 
charge of St. Agnes church of this place, 
having given evidence of great pastoral 
power, while with both old and young. 



Thorough 



rich and poor he is a favorite 
study and preparation have made him 
well fitted for his chosen work, and he is 
doing good service in Ahnapee. 



HECTOR BONCHER, one of the 
most prominent and influential 
citizens of Luxemburg township, 
Kewaunee county, is a native of 
Wisconsin, born in Humboldt township. 
Brown county, December 6, 1864, a son 
of John B. and Mary (Tracy) Boucher, 
well-to-do agriculturists of that locality. 
They were born in Belgium, whence 
the father, when he was about thirteen 
years old, came to this country with his 
parents, Maria and Theresa Boucher, 
who settled in Humboldt township. 
Brown Co., Wis., taking up 320 acres of 
wild land. Here for a long time they and 
their children were employed getting logs 
out of the woods and making shingles 
by hand, one thousand being considered a 
good day's work. The children, fifteen 
in number, born to John B. and Marj- 
Boucher, were as follows: \'ictor. Hec- 
tor, Ortance (deceased), Henry, Joseph, 
Mary, Adeline and Catherine (twins), 
Eli, one that died at the age of sixteen 
years, Ortance Paul (deceased), Gene- 
vieve, Victoria, Paul (deceased) and Mar- 
tin. The parents are yet living on the 
old homestead in Humboldt township. 
Brown county, now consisting of ninety 
acres of well-improved land, which the 
father himself conducts. The children 
all commenced the business of life early. 
Hector, our subject, when fourteen years 
old, entering a sawmill in Oconto where 
he worked a couple of months at fifteen 
dollars per month, after which he re- 
turned home for a few weeks and then 
went into the lumber woods, laboring 
there four months. Another two months 
were spent at the parental home bv Mr. 
Boncher, and we next find him in Her- 
mansville, Menominee Co., Mich., work- 
ing in a sawmill at twenty-six dollars per 



59° 



COJUMEMORAriVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



month, whence after three months he 
moved to Crystal Falls, Iron county, 
same State, where he drove team for a 
railroad company, at twenty-eight dol- 
lars per month. At the end of two 
months, however, he was unfortunate- 
ly taken sick, and had to return home; 
but, recovering in a few weeks, he 
once more went into the lumber woods, 
driving a yoke of oxen three months. He 
then once more came home in order to 
help his parents. All this time his earn- 
ings were regularly sent to them to assist 
in paying off the debt on the farm, in 
which filial duty his example was followed 
by his brothers. In 1880 our subject 
went to New Franken, Brown county, 
where he served an apprenticeship of two 
and one-half years at the trade of black- 
smith under Antoine Burkhardt, and then 
went to Kansas City, Kans. , six miles 
from which city, in \fissouri, he worked 
seventeen hours a day for two months, for 
a gardener, his wages being fifteen dollars 
per month. From there he proceeded to 
Beatrice, Neb., for the purpose of look- 
ing up a certain land claim, which, how- 
ever, he failed to locate, and thence 
moved to Quindaro, Kans., where he 
worked at his trade three months. While 
•residing in Kansas he attended night 
school, thus acquiring about all the edu- 
cation he ever received, by which it will 
be seen that he is not only self-made, but 
also self-educated. From Kansas he went 
to Joliet, 111., then returned to Kansas, 
and was engaged there one year and nine 
months shoeing wild horses; but receiv- 
ing a severe injury one day while at work, 
.he had to abandon the job and leave for 
his home in Brown county. Recovering 
from his accident, he came to Luxem- 
burg township, Kewaunee county, and 
here worked at his trade eighteen months 
at $1.25 per day. 

This was in 18S7, on October 26 of 
which year he married Miss Catherine 
Arendt, daughter of Michael and Mary 
Arendt (deceased), respectable farming 
people of Luxemburg township, a sketch 



of whom follows. After marriage our 
subject removed to Humboldt township. 
Brown county, where he bought forty 
acres of land, half of which was cleared, 
and here for five j'ears he followed agri- 
cultural pursuits as well as his trade, and 
also kept a saloon, in each interest meet- 
ing with unqualified success. Selling out 
to his brother Victor, who is still carry- 
ing on the business, and whom he taught 
the trajJe of blacksmith, our subject again 
came to Luxemburg township, and buy- 
ing half an acre of land at Luxemburg 
erected thereon a building, 60 x 60 feet, 
known as "The Railroad House," in 
part of it engaging in the saloon business 
for a time, the remainder of the building 
being rented for a general store. In 
1895 he sold this property and business, 
and he is now building a fine residence at 
Luxemburg. He is connected with the 
Petrie & Co. Lumber Co., as agent. To 
him and his wife were born four chil- 
dren: Daniel, Elisa (deceased), John (de- 
ceased) and Edmund. Mr. and Mrs. 
Boucher are members of the Roman 
Catholic Church, and in his political pref- 
erences he is a Democrat. 

That from a poor uneducated boy, 
who when he was but fourteen years old, 
the time he first left the parental home, 
could not write even a short letter to his 
father or mother, he has risen to his pres- 
ent comfortable, well-to-do position by 
his own unaided efforts, is proved by his 
brief but interesting biography; and that 
he well deserves all he has succeeded in 
acquiring goes without saying. 

Mrs. C.\therixk (Arendt) Boncher 
is a native of Wisconsin, born in Luxem- 
burg township, Kewaunee county, October 
26, 1866, and remained at the residence 
of her parents till the age of twenty-one, 
when she was united in matrimony with 
Hector Boncher, October 26. 1887. 

Her parents, Michael Arendt and 
Anna Maria (Deiski), were natives of 
German}-, and both came to this country 
in their youth. They met, the first time, 
as new acquaintances in Gran\illo, Mil- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



591 



waukee Co., Wis., and after being mar- 
ried there they moved to Lu.xemburg 
township, Kewaunee county, finding them- 
selves in a considerably wild-looking coun- 
try, without roads, and with but very few 
settlers. Then taking up woodland they 
commenced clearing up the same for 
farming, besides which they kept a saloon 
and postoffice (W'alhain), the mail being 
carried by hand. About si.v years after- 
ward they removed from that place one 
and a half miles east, and again set to 
work to clear up new land for farming 
and agriculture, on which they remained 
the rest of their lives. The children born 
to this pioneer couple were: Peter, who 
died February 20, 1873; John, now a 
dealer in general merchandise in Luxem- 
burg township, married to Margaret Denk, 
who was born in Germany; Joseph, who 
died November 19, 1888, at the age of 
twenty-eight years; Mary and Margaret, 
both deceased in infancy; Michael, a 
farmer, and owner of his parents' farm, 
and chairman of Luxemburg township, 
married to Annie Gengler, who was born 
in Granville township, Milwaukee Co. , 
Wis. ; Catherine, wife of Hector Boncher; 
Daniel (single), farmer of Luxemburg 
township; Lucy, now the wife of J. C. 
Parks, a prominent law officer of Chicago, 
111. ; Peter (single), a farmer, living with 
his brother on the old home; Nicholas, 
deceased in infancy; and Mary, also stay- 
ing with her brothers in the old home. 
The family lost their beloved father July 
17. 1878, when the youngest child was 
three months old, he being at that time 
fifty years old. Mrs. M. Arendt, the 
widowed mother, continued farming with 
her children for eight _vears more, and then 
followed her deceased husband into Eter- 
nity, dying August 20, 1 886, at the age 
of forty-seven years. The Arendt family 
are members of St. Mary's Roman Cath- 
olic Church at Luxemburg, Kewaunee 
county, in the cemetery connected with 
which the remains of their dear parents, 
brothers, sisters and children rest in 
peace. 



DR. JOHN A. ROBERTS, of Ke- 
waunee, was born in Manitowoc 
county, Wis., February 12, i860, 
a son of Adam and Ann Roberts, 
both nati\'es of England, the former born 
at Montfort Bridge, Shropshire, England, 
the latter at the Isle of Ely. 

Dr. Roberts, after receiving a sound 
preliminary education at the Monitowoc 
high school, attended Rush Medical Col- 
lege, Chicago, from which institution he 
graduated with the class of 1890, and at 
once began practice at Kewaunee, where 
he had previously been interested in the 
drug business with his brother, C. B. 
Roberts, who had settled here in 1874. 
This partnership in the drug business had 
been formed in 1879, and in 1882 a sec- 
ond store was established at Ahnapee, 
John A. taking charge, but in 1887 this 
branch was sold. In December, 1891, 
C. B. Roberts died, and Dr. John A. 
Roberts then bought out the interest of 
the widow in the Kewaunee store, since 
when he has oonducted it on his own ac- 
count, in connection with his professional 
practice, which has continued to augment 
its proportions quite rapidly up to the 
present time. 

Dr. Roberts was united in marriage 
September 19, 1883, with Miss Mary L. 
White, daughter of Bradford R. W'hite, 
the result of this union being one inter- 
esting daughter — Florence L. Roberts. 
Socially, the Doctor is a member of the 
I. O. O. F., K. of P. and Knights of the 
Maccabees. In his political affiliations, 
he is a Democrat, and he fills the posi- 
tion of commissioner of public health. 



PHILIP HERRBOLD, one of the 
industrious and thrifty farmers of 
Sevastopol township. Door coun- 
ty, was born October 8, 1848, in 
Ozaukee county. Wis., and is a son of 
Jacob Herrbold, a native of Germany, 
who when a youth of fourteen years came 
with his father, Philip Herrbold, to Amer- 
ica, crossing the Atlantic in 1839. The 



592 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



family located about ten miles from Mil- 
waukee, Wis., which was then one of the 
most distant frontier settlements. Jacob 
Herrbold was married in Ozaukee county 
to Susan Conrad, a native of Germany, 
and they became the parents of six chil- 
dren — four sons and two daughters — one 
of whom is still living on the old home- 
stead in Ozaukee county, while our sub- 
ject and his two sisters — Mrs. Wm. Bar- 
tel and Mrs. David Klumb — reside in Se- 
vastopol township. The father of this 
family died in 1888; the mother is still 
living. 

Philip Herrbold, whose name opens 
this sketch, received a fair education, and 
remained at home until he had attained 
his majority, for his father was in com- 
fortable circumstances and could help 
his children. On December 29, 1877, in 
Ozaukee county. Wis., he was united in 
marriage with Hermena Geidel, a native 
of Germany, who was brought to America 
when a year old by her parents, ^fr. and 
Mrs. Gottfried H. Geidel. The young 
couple began their domestic life in Ozau- 
kee county, but in the spring of 1878 
they came to Door county, reaching their 
new home on the 28th of June. Their 
home has been blessed with five children 
— Clara, Louisa, Amanda, Jacob and 
Rudolph; they lost their first-born, a 
daughter, in infancy. Mr. Herrbold's 
father gave him i 20 acres of land in Sec- 
tion 36, Sevastopol township, and he 
at once began the development of a farm, 
for the land was covered with a heavy 
growth of timber, and no improvement 
had been made on the place. Cutting 
the wood, he would dispose of it at neigh- 
boring markets, and thus earned enough 
to support his family while his farm was 
being prepared for cultivation. In ap- 
pearance, to-day, it bears little resem- 
blance to the tract upon which he located 
in 1878; for now rich and fertile fields 
yield him a golden tribute in return for 
the care and labor he bestows upon them, 
and good buildings and other improve- 
ments stand as monuments to his thrift 



and enterprise, at the same time adding 
to the value and attractive appearance of 
the place. All is new and well-kept, 
and the farm is one of the best in the lo- 
cality. 

Mr. Herrbold has been and is a hard- 
working man, and has led a busy and 
useful life. Indolence and idleness, are 
utterly foreign to his nature, and his per- 
severance and good management have 
made him one of the substantial citizens 
of the community. In politics he is a 
Democrat, and has served as town super- 
visor, but has never cared much for pub- 
lic office; in matters of religion, he is 
connected with the Moravian Church of 
Sturgeon Bay. 



JOHN M. BORGMAN, the enterpris- 
ing proprietor of the planing-mill in 
Kewaunee, was born in Green Bay 
February 25, 1851, the eldest in a 
family of eleven children, of whom five 
sons and four daughters are still living. 

John Borgman, the father, who was 
a native of Prussia, born April 20, 1S23, 
when sixteen years old was apprenticed 
to the trade of carpentry, and became a 
master carpenter. For three years after- 
ward, however, he was obliged to serve 
the regulation time in the Prussian army, 
and at a later date, in 1848, was abnut 
to be pressed into the service again, when 
he escaped to America and settled in 
Green Bay, Wis., resuming his trade in 
1849 or 1850. His marriage took place 
in the latter year to Miss Catherine \Vald, 
also a native of Prussia, born June 10, 
1832, and who came to America with her 
parents in 1840. The father of Miss 
Wald also located in Green Bay, and 
later bought a large tract of land east of 
the city, where he followed farming the 
remainder of his days. Mr. Borgman 
engaged in contracting and building in 
Green Bay until 1858, when he moved to 
Kewaunee, still following his trade until 
1880, when he bought a farm one mile 
south of the then village, 'on which he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



593 



Still resides. A Democrat in politics, he 
has never been an office-seeker, yet has 
consented to perform the duties of some 
of the village, township and county 
offices. 

John iM. Borgman, from the age of 
seven to that of sixteen, attended the dis- 
trict school of Kewaunee, excepting three 
months' stud}' at a business college in 
Milwaukee, in 1875. Under his father 
he learned the carpenter's trade, and in 
iSSi erected his present plant, compris- 
ing planing mill and fanning-mill factory, 
with an extensive lumber yard attached, 
which he enlarges as his increasing 
trade demands, employing at the present 
about ten men constantly. For the past 
five years he has done a considerable 
amount of government work in harbor 
contracting, and he has a valuable interest 
in the Kewaunee Brick Co., of which he 
is the secretary and treasurer. He is un- 
tiring in his energy and ever on the alert 
for opportunities to extend the field of his 
practical usefulness. In politics Mr. Borg- 
man is a Democrat, and takes the interest 
in both local and national affairs that 
every true citizen should feel as a duty 
and not for emolument. He has served 
his fellow-citizens in two or three public 
positions, because he has been sought for 
the office, not that he sought the office. 
In 1878 he was elected sheriff of the 
county, and for nine years was supervisor 
of his ward; he was also chairman of the 
county board four years, and at various 
times has been a delegate to State and 
Congressional conventions. 

Our subject was first married August 
22, 1876, to Miss Mary Riedy, daughter 
of Patrick Riedy, who was among the 
early settlers of Kewaunee county, and to 
this union were born two children, Wil- 
fred M. and Charles Edwin, both of 
whom died in infancy, the mother de- 
parting to the beyond February 17, 1879. 
Mr. Borgman's second marriage was con- 
summated November 27, 1883, with Miss 
Mary K. Poser, daughter of Frederick 
Poser, one of the pioneers of the county. 



By this union were born three children, 
of whom one only. Vera A., is now living, 
Estella having died at the age of five 
years, and Clarence W. in infancy. Mr. 
Borgman is an upright and useful citizen, 
a thoroughly practical business man, and 
is deeply interested in everything pertain- 
ing to the welfare and progress of his 
adopted city, Kewaunee. 



ALBERT SCHMELING. Among 
the many thrift}', industrious farm- 
ers to whom Kewaunee county 
owes the rapid development of 
her agricultural resources, we find many 
Germans, and of these the gentleman 
here named is a prosperous agriculturist 
in the town of Ahnapee. 

He was born June 23, 1851, in Prus- 
sia, Germany, son of Charles Schmel- 
ing, also a native of Prussia, born in 
181 1. The latter was educated in the 
common schools, and was reared on a 
farm. When a young man he married 
Doretha Westphal, a native of the same 
country, born in 1S14, and to their union 
came five children who reached maturity, 
viz.: Caroline, deceased; Hannah, Mrs. 
Charles Noll, of Waterford, Racine Co., 
Wis. ; Henry, overseer of the poor of 
Kewaunee county; Alvenia, Mrs. Charles 
Dammas, of Ahnapee, and Albert. In 
1857 Mr. Schmeling emigrated to the 
United States and came to Ahnapee. 
Kewaunee Co. , Wis. , where he purchased 
a part of the farm now owned and occu- 
pied by his son Albert, engaging in agri- 
cultural pursuits. He was one of the 
first settlers of the township, and passed 
through all the hardships and trying ex- 
periences of early Wisconsin pioneer 
times. He converted what was a wilder- 
ness at the time of his arrival into a 
smiling farm, and conducted it success- 
fully until his death, which occurred in 
1 88 5, his wife following him to the grave 
in May, 1893. They were active mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church, and he was 
one of the organizers of the first Church 



594 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mrs. Schmeling is a 



society in Ahnapee township. Politically 
he was a Republican. 

Albert Schmeling was educated in the 
public schools of Ahnapee, and reared on 
a pioneer farm, experiencing thereby in 
his earlier years manj' of the inconven- 
iences of life. He has lived on this place 
altogether since coining to Wisconsin, at 
the age of six years, and here he has al- 
ways followed agricultural pursuits, being 
now one of the successful representative 
farmer citizens of his locality. Since 
coming into possession of the farm he has 
erected commodious buildings, improved 
the place generally, and added to it until 
he now owns 105 acres of good land. 
Politically, like his father before him, he 
is a Republican, and in religious faith is a 
member of the Lutheran Church. 

Mr. Schmeling's marriage to Hannah 
Grunvaldt took place June 20, 1.S74, and 
to their union were born nine children, 
three of whom are deceased; the living 
are Charles, Hugo, Herman, Minnie, 
Martha and Elsie 
native of Prussia, born in 1854 



JOHN R. Mcdonald, who is en- 
gaged in the insurance business in 
Ahnapee, claims Connecticut as the 
State of his nativity, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in Litchtield county, Octo- 
ber 20, 1823. He is descended from the 
old McDonald family, of the Highlands of 
Scotland, whose representatives came in 
an early day to New England, and were 
well-known people of Connecticut. 

His father, Lewis McDonald, was a 
native of Litchfield county. Conn., there 
followed shoe making for some years, and 
then removed with his family to Erie 
county, Penn., where he followed farm- 
ing. Becoming a resident oi Cattaraugus 
county, N. Y. , he there engaged in hotel 
keeping for a time; then removed to 
P"orestville, X. Y. , and later emigrated to 
Wilmot, Kenosha Co., ^^'is., where he 
carried on shoe making. He died there 
at the age of seventy-nine years, and in 



his death the community lost a highly 
esteemed and valued citizen. He mar- 
ried Betsy Rowley, a native of the Nut- 
meg State, and a daughter of Ebenezer 
Rowley, whose father, Ebenczer Row- 
ley, Sr. , was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary war. His powder-horn, on which 
is engraved his name, a church and a 
dragon, is still in the possession of the 
family. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
McDonald were: John R., Charlotte 
(deceased), Elizabeth, Harriet, Mary and 
Homer. The mother of this family died 
in Missouri. 

Our subject, who was onh' two years 
old when his parents left Litchtield coun- 
ty. Conn., was educated in the common 
schools near Erie, Penn., in early life was 
employed on a farm and, later, read law 
in Chautauqua county, N. Y. After being 
admitted to the bar, he engaged in practice 
in western New York, as a partner of Judge 
Elisha \\'ard, until failing health com- 
pelled him to abandon that work; so, sell- 
ing his possessions, he went by water to 
Detroit, thence drove across the country 
with a horse and wagon to Wisconsin, 
narrowly escaping being stuck in the inud 
in Chicago. His brother-in-law, David 
McCummins, and his father, being resi- 
dents of Kenosha county. Wis. , thither 
Mr. McDonald went, locating in Wilmot, 
where he practiced law for a short time. 
For several years during the fall season 
he would organize fishing parties whom 
he would escort to Green Bay. during 
which time his family li\ccl in Wihnot. On 
June I, 1859, he came to by water .-^hna- 
pee. Wis. , where he was engaged in hotel 
keeping for several years; in [863 he was 
appointed internal revenue collector for 
Kewaunee and Door counties, serving in 
that capacity five years. In the fall of 
1868 he was elected from those counties 
to the State Legislature, and while in the 
.Assembly secured the passage of a bill for 
levying a tax for the ]')urpose of creating 
a fund to open the mouth of Wolf river 
(now known as .\hnapee river) for navi- 
gation, a work which was eventually 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHWAL RECORD. 



595 



accomplished through an appropriation 
made by the United States Government. 
His efforts led to the estabHshment of 
Ahnapee harbor, a work of much benefit 
to the locality. He has been justice 
of the peace for about twelve years, is 
notary public, and has been court com- 
missioner for many years. Although an 
ardent Republican, he was elected district 
attorney in a Democratic county, and the 
good majority which he received attests to 
his personal popularity and the confidence 
and trust reposed in him by his fellow- 
townsmen. 

Mrs. McDonald was in her maiden- 
hood Helen M. Bennett, daughter of Rev. 
James Bennett, a Baptist minister, of 
Forestville, N. Y. To our subject and 
his wife were born five children: Charles 
(deceased), James, George, Frank, and 
Nellie, \\'ife of Herbert Thorp. The par- 
ents and children are widely and favor- 
ably known in the locality in which they 
live, the home is the abode of hospitality, 
and the members of the family hold an 
enviable position in social circles. Mr. 
McDonald has led a busy and useful life, 
and is recognized as a prominent and 
influential citizen of the community 
whose worth and ability have made him 
a leader in his adopted countj'. 



JOSEPH BOHMAN, one of the most 
successful farmers of Carlton town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was born in 
Pilsen, Bohemia, February 15, 1854. 
His father, also named Joseph, a 
native of Germany, was born in 18 19, 
and by trade was a baker. He married 
Mary Fisher, and in 1S55 brought his 
wife and three children to the United 
States, Joseph being then an infant; after 
their arrival here four more children were 
born. The family first located in Mani- 
towoc county. Wis., where the father 
was employed in making shingles for 
about a year, then came to Carlton town- 
ship and homesteaded a farm, which he 
at once proceeded to clear up for cultiva- 



tion, but after a short time he sold a por- 
tion of this farm to pay for the rest. He 
then bought a portion of another one, 
which he tilled until 1863, when he went 
into the saloon business on the same farm. 
This he followed about eighteen years, 
then sold and lived in retirement until his 
death, which occurred December 6, 1892. 
His wife was born in Germany in 1824, 
and died in Carlton in 1877. 

Joseph Bohman, the subject proper of 
this sketch and the third of the seven 
children alluded to above, passed his boy- 
hood in attending the schools of Carlton 
township, and his earlier manhood in 
assisting in cultivating the home farm. 
At the age of twenty-four he started 
farming on his own account, and he has 
proven himself to be one of the best man- 
agers and one of the most successful 
farmers in Carlton township. Mr. Boh- 
man was united in marriage, J une 1 8, 1877, 
with Miss Barbara Viska, who was born 
in Bohemia December 6, 1859, a daugh- 
ter of Joseph and Josephine Viska, who 
came to the United States in 1864, and 
settled in Carlton. To the union of 
Joseph Bohman and Barbara (Viska) 
Bohman have come four children, their 
names and dates of birth being as follows: 
Joseph, November 10, 1879; Emma, 
September 2, 1881; Mary, July 12, 1883, 
and Polly, December 29, 1889. Mr. and 
Mrs. Bohman are members of the Catho- 
lic Church; socially he is affiliated with 
the Royal Arcanum, and politically he is 
a Republican. He has held several town- 
ship offices, the duties of which he has 
performed with fidelity and to the full 
satisfaction of the public. He and his 
family enjoy the respect of their neigh- 
bors, and he is looked upon as being one 
of Carlton's most substantial citizens. 



FRANCIS BELANGER has been 
actively identified with farming 
and lumbering in Door county, 
and especially in Sturgeon Bay 
township. He is a Canadian by birth,. 



596 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



having first seen the Hght March 1 3, 1 845, 
in Charrington, (.)uebec. and is a son of 
Francis Belanger, who was also a native 
of Canada, where he owned a farm. 
Francis, Sr. , was a carriage maker by 
trade. He was twice married, and had 
a family of eleven children — eight sons 
and three daughters — our subject being 
the eldest child by the first wife, who 
died in Canada. The father died in 
Massachusetts. 

Our subject received a good common- 
school education, in the French language, 
which he speaks and writes fluently. He 
remained on the home farm up to the age 
of si.xteen years, \\'hen he went to Troy, 
N. Y. , and commenced work in a brick- 
\'ard, at $15 per month and board, con- 
tinuing to work there for three summers, 
during the winter time living at home. 
Having acquired considerable knowledge 
of the business, he went to North Adams, 
Mass. , where with his e.xperience he could 
command higher wages for the same 
work, being employed there one summer, 
and in December, 1866, he came to Stur- 
geon Bay, Wis. , expecting to find em- 
ployment, lumbering, but his first work 
was at Fish Creek, Door county, where 
the vessel " Ludington " was then being 
built. After coming here he engaged in 
various occupations, principally lumber- 
ing, remaining in the employ of A. W. 
Lawrence for eighteen years, in the lum- 
ber woods during the winter season, and 
in mills during the summer time, for 
nine winters holding the position of fore- 
man, and generally acting as head sawyer 
in the mills. 

On April 29, 1872, Mr. Belanger was 
married, in Sturgeon Bay, to Jane Be- 
langer (no blood relation), a native of 
Ottawa, Canada, and daughter of Francis 
Belanger, and in 1873 he bought a lot in 
Sturgeon Bay, on which he erected a 
residence, where they resided for si.\ 
years, when he sold it. Then, in 1879, 
he bought from A. W. Lawrence the 
eighty-acre farm he now owns and occu- 
pies, paying $1,600 for same. Not a 



stump had been removed from the place 
at that time, and Mr. Belanger lost no 
time in commencing the work of clearing, 
now having fifty acres of his farm in till- 
able condition. His attention is now 
given chiefly to farming, though he is still 
a first-class sawyer, and also engages in 
lumbering occasionally. By assiduous 
industry he has succeeded in converting 
his land into a productive farm, which he 
is continually improving, having erected a 
comfortable house, a barn and other out- 
buildings, and in various ways added to 
its beauty and value. Mr. Belanger's in- 
dustrj' has met with well-merited success, 
but he has also had his misfortunes in 
business, meeting his greatest setback in 
1 87 1. While in the lumber business in 
Gardner township. Door county, in part- 
nership with another man, they were vis- 
ited by fire, Mr. Belanger barely escaping 
with his own life, and, besides losing the 
work of a whole summer, lost three thous- 
and dollars in lumber and a valuable mare 
worth $250 — one of the team which drew 
their supply wagon. Our subject was at 
work again within a month, however, and 
though the loss was especially severe at 
the time his never-failing perseverance and 
energy placed him once more on a sound 
footing. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Belanger have been 
born children as follows: Josephine, 
Willie, Emily, Eva, Leo, Jurdich, and 
Leonard, living, and one son that died in 
infanc}'. The family are Catholics in re- 
ligious connection. Mr. Belanger was a 
Democrat in political sentiment until 
1893, \\hen he enlisted in the ranks of the 
Republican part\', of which he is now a 
stanch supporter. 



JAMES KEOGH, cashier of the Bank 
of Sturgeon Bay, and one of the 
most highly respected citizens and 
leading business men of Door county, 
is a native of Dublin, Ireland, born April 
26, 1850. 

In 1852 his parents, James and Mary 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



599 



(Moore) Keogh, emigrated with their in- 
fant son to Canada, locating near Dunn- 
ville, Ontario, whence after a residence of 
three years they moved to the United 
States, setthng, in 1855, in Forestville, 
Door Co., Wis., where they were en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits up to their 
death, the father dying December 5, 1890, 
the mother in September, i860. They 
had four children — John, Edward, Luke 
and James — all living at Forestville ex- 
cept James. 

At the common schools of Forestville 
our subject received his elementary educa- 
tion, which was supplemented with a 
course of study at the State Normal 
School at Oshkosh, prior to which, how- 
ever, he had taught school some three 
years. After leaving the Normal he again 
taught school three years, during his en- 
tire six-years' career as teacher in various 
parts of Door county — Nasewaupee, Clay 
Banks, and Forestville — proving an able, 
efficient and successful educator, and he 
is yet held in the most respectful remem- 
brance by many of his old pupils. In 
1874 he came to Sturgeon Bay, having 
been elected to the office of register of 
deeds on the independent ticket; in the 
following year his re-nomination to the 
same office came from the Republicans, 
was endorsed by the Democrats, and his 
election was accomplished by the people. 
For fourteen continuous years, or until 
1888, Mr. Keogh served faithfully and 
diligently in this incumbency, only leav- 
ing it to accept a position as cashier in 
the Bank of Sturgeon Bay, and that his 
services were fully appreciated by his 
constituents was manifested by his re- 
peated re-elections. In fact, his admin- 
istrative ability was so justly recognized 
by his fellow citizens that they promptly 
called him to other positions of public 
honor and responsibility, to wit: In 1878 
he was elected county superintendent of 
schools, and filled the office two years; 
served as alderman several terms, school 
commissioner, and president of the board 

of education at different times, also as 
34 



justice of the peace, and during the years 
1892-93 was mayor of Sturgeon Bay, his 
nominations coming invariably from the 
Republican party, of which, since qual- 
ified to vote, he has been an active, con- 
scientious member. From 1891 till the 
spring of 1893 he was secretary of the 
Sturgeon Bay Dock Company, and since 
January, 1889, he has, with character- 
istic ability and fidelity, been identi- 
fied with the Bank of Sturgeon Bay as 
cashier. He is also president of the 
Brown Manufacturing Co., of Sturgeon 
Bay, and is a director of the Ahnapee & 
Western railroad, of which he was one of 
the organizers and proprietors of the 
Sturgeon Bay branch. On March 3, 
1883, Mr. Keogh was admitted to the bar 
as an attorney at law, and in April, 
1895, he was elected city attorney of the 
city of Sturgeon Bay. 

On December 29, 1S73, Mr. Keogh 
was married in Ahnapee to Miss Rose C. 
Simon, daughter of Peter Simon, an hon- 
ored pioneer of Door county, and the fol- 
lowing named seven children have been 
born to them: Ida, Ella, Nora, Isabella, 
Lillie, Walter and Eulalia. Mr. and 
Mrs. Keogh are members of the Roman 
Catholic Church; he is president of 
Branch No. 59, of the Catholic Knights 
of Wisconsin, and State delegate of the 
Catholic Order of Foresters; was elected 
a member of the Wisconsin State As- 
sembly, serving in the session of 1893, 
and served on the committees of Insur- 
ance, Banks and Banking, besides others. 
He has always been a prominent and influ- 
ential leader in city affairs, and is a 
powerful supporter of any cause to which 
he may give his sanction. 



PETER A. PETERSON. The 
township of Nasewaupee, Door 
county, is settled largely by for- 
eigners, who by their thrift and in-, 
dustry have made that section of the 
country to consist of a succession of well- 
cultivated farms. 



6oo 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Conspicuous among this industrious 
class is Peter A. Peterson, who was born 
in Norway in 1S53, son of Kittie and 
Ingebor Kristene Thorscn Peterson, who 
came to the United States, and in 1856 
to Wisconsin, where they subsequently 
settled in Sturgeon Hay, the father work- 
ing in a sawmill. He was a sailor while 
living in Norway, and naturally sought a 
home near the water. Soon after com- 
ing to Sturgeon Hay he bought a bit of 
woodland which in time he converted into 
a home where he remained until July 2, 
1866, when he was killed by a tree, while 
peeling bark. His wife died Julv 22, 
18S5. Their family consisted of three 
children; Peter A., our subject; Nicko- 
lena, who died when four years old; and 
Andrew, who now makes his home in 
Sawyer, Uoor county, Wisconsin. 

The subject of this memoir was three 
years old when he accompanied his par- 
ents to Nasewaupee township, and was 
reared on the farm he now owns. The 
common schools were not too plentiful in 
that locality at that time, but he had the 
advantages of the best there was, and be- 
tween times helped his father with the 
lighter work on the farm. As he grew 
older he came t(j like the free indej)endent 
life of a farmer, and decided to follow- 
that vocation through life; he now owns 
eighty acres of land, fifty of which are 
under cultivation. He is a good farmer 
and careful manager, and his produce is 
of the best that is raised in the township. 

Mr. Peterson votes the Republican 
ticket, and takes much interest in local 
politics. He was married in Sturgeon 
Bay township .\pril 15, 1885, to Miss 
Louisa Anderson, daughter of August 
Anderson, a prominent farmer of Nase- 
waupee, who came here in 1879. The 
family were natives of Sweden. Mrs. 
Peterson is the mother of five children: 
Ethel May, Clarence, Emcline. Jo.sephine 
and Elsie. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson being 
the children of early pioneers, their youth 
was spent in the utmost simplicit)'. Their 
modes of recreation were few and of a 



primitive kiiid.but contained for them more 
real enjoyment, no doubt, than the chil- 
dren of the present generation would get 
from the most elaborate entertainment. 
Mr. PetersoTi takes a paternal pride in his 
family of little ones, and intends to give 
them better educational advantages than 
was possible f<jr him to have had. 

GEORGE L^'CKE may appropri- 
ately be termed " a man with a 
grandfather." His ancestor, two 
generations back, was Captain 
Louis L. Lycke. a native of P'rance, who 
fought under Napoleon and fell in the 
famous battle of Waterloo (in 181 1;). His 
son, our subject's father, Louis L. , Jr., 
was born in France in 1801, received an 
excellent education, and was possessed of 
much natural relinement. When a yf)img 
man he started out to seek his fortune, 
and his inclination leading him to Den- 
mark, he there purchased a farm, and suc- 
ceeded in winning the hand in marriage 
of Miss Dora lUirring. Si.\ children were 
born to them, of whom Fred, the young- 
est, is dead; the others are: Anton, 
George, Laura (of Demnark), Ferdinand 
(of Cirand Forks county, N. Dak.), and 
Herman (a cigar manufacturer, of Cincin- 
nati. Ohio). 

Our subject was born March 4. 1841, 
in Denmark, where he received a practi- 
cal education, and at the age of seven- 
teen years was apprenticed to the mason's 
trade, which business he followed in his 
native place until 1871, when he emi- 
grated to the United States, locating in 
Chicago, where he was engaged in mason 
work seven years. In 1878 he removed 
to Washington Island, Wis., where he 
bought 160 acres of heavily-timbered 
land, which he cleared and prepared for 
cultivation; he has also erected a brick 
house and other buildings proportionately 
good. 

Mr. Lycke is affiliated with the Re- 
publican party, who have elected him 
chairman for si.\ consecutive years, which 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



60 1 



office he still holds. He is an honored 
member of the Lutheran Church, and 
contributes liberally of his means toward 
its support. Previous to his coming to 
America he was married to Miss Katha- 
rine Olson, a native of Denmark, born 
May 27, 1842, and they have seven chil- 
dren: Abel, Lewis, Dora, Frank, Annie, 
Walter and Laura; the first three men- 
tioned reside in Clark county, Wisconsin. 



NIELS FRUS, a native of Den- 
mark, born May 27, 1850, is a son 
of Mathias Frus, who was an ex- 
tensive horse and cattle dealer in 
Denmark, and a man of good education 
and of considerable influence. He was 
married to Margaret Nielsen, by whom 
he had four children: Mads (deceased), 
Niels, subject of sketch; Hans, of Den- 
mark; and Anton, now a resident of Cali- 
fornia. 

Niels Frus attended the public schools 
of Denmark, and being an apt pupil se- 
cured a fairly good education during the 
brief years that he was able to attend. 
His father owned a large farm, and he was 
away much of the time buying and sell- 
ing stock, so young Niels, on whom a 
great deal of responsibility fell in his 
early life, was left to look after the affairs 
at home. At seventeen \'ears of age he 
left the parental roof, and from that time 
on earned his own living unassisted. In 
1870 he emigrated to the United States, 
landing in New York with just two dollars 
in his pocket, and fortunately found em- 
ployment at once, so he remained there 
six months working in a brick \ard; then 
removed to Washington Island, Door Co., 
Wisconsin, where he worked for others 
for some time, subse(|uentK' buying eighty 
acres of land. His purchase was covered 
with timber still untouched by the hand 
of the woodman, but Mr. Frus cleared 
the ground himself, and in due time be- 
gan raising crops. The soil proved to be 
unusually fertile, and his harvests now 



amply repay him for his long season of 
irksome toil. 

In politics Mr. Frus votes with the 
Democratic party, and has filled the office 
of supervisor with satisfaction to the com- 
munity at large, is well posted on the af- 
fairs of his adopted country, and talks in- 
telligently on the leading topics of the 
day. He possesses a strong religious 
vein which has induced him to unite with 
the Lutheran Church. 

On January 13, 1876, our subject was 
married to Miss Christina Berg, a native 
of Norway, born October 22, 1844, and 
three children were born to them: Mollie, 
Nora and Emma. Mr. Frus takes an 
active interest in all educational matters, 
and is giving his daughters a practical ed- 
ucation. 



ARNI GUDMUNDSEN is an Ice- 
lander by birth, and comes of a 
famil\- of scholars and profession- 
al men. His father, Thordur, 
was a graduate of the University of Cop- 
enhagen, in the law department, and was 
appointed judge of a District Court, which 
office he held for many years, being once 
appointed to till a vacancy as Justice of 
the Supreme Court. He also served as a 
member of the legislature, and attracted 
much attention by his clear knowledge of 
the law and keen judgment in legislation. 
He was married to Johanna Knudsen, an 
estimable lady of Danish descent on her 
father's side, and of Iceland extraction on 
her mother's. They were the parents of 
eleven children, of whom five sons and 
two daughters are still living. 

Our subject was born February 2, 
1845, in Reykjavik, the capital city of 
Iceland, is the eldest son, and had private 
tutors under whom he received an 
education in the Icelandic as well as 
in the Danish language. When seven- 
teen years of age he secured a position as 
clerk in a general store where he remained 
until 1 871; then was secretary to a dis- 
trict judge for less than one year. In the 



6o2 



COMMEMOnATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 



latter part of the year following he emi- 
grated to the United States, coming west 
to Milwaukee, Wis., whence after a short 
time he removed to Washington Island, 
Door Co. , Wis. , where he worked at com- 
mon labor five years. In 1878 he was 
married to Miss Haldora Petersen, by 
whom he had nine children, as follows: 
Gudnj' Anna, Johanna Andrea (deceas- 
ed), Margaret S., Laura M., Thordur, 
Magnus, Paul, John A. and Halldor. 
After his marriage he bought 160 acres of 
timbered land in Door county, of which 
he subsequently sold eighty acres, and 
improved the rest, erecting good buildings 
and making the place most attractive and 
habitable. He has discovered that his 
land contains a rich deposit of tine-grade 
marble, which will be most valuable when 
developed. 

Mr. Gudmundsen votes the Republi- 
can ticket, and has been treasurer of 
Washington township for fifteen years, 
justice of the peace fourteen years, and 
in I S90 was appointed to take the census. 
His wife died November 8, 1893, aged 
thirty-nine years, and is buried in Wash- 
ington Harbor cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. 
Gudmundsen were both members of the 
Lutheran Church. 



ARCHIE WILTSE, who devotes 
his time and energies to agricul- 
tural pursuits, to merchandising 
and to the manufacture of cheese 
in Liberty Grove township, Door county, 
was born March 28, 1835, '" Cattaraugus 
county, N. Y., and is the second in the 
family of six children of Hiram and Al- 
vira (Day) Wiltse. The father was a 
farmer by occupation all his life. The 
children of the family were Lorenzo, 
Archie, Celestine, Clarissa, Judson, and 
one who died in infancy. 

The parents being in limited circum- 
stances, the children early started out in 
life to provide for their own maintenance, 
except Archie, who aided his father, giv- 
ing him the benefit of his services until 



twenty-two years of age. The mother 
died when our subject was only about 
thirteen years old, and for his second 
wife the father wedded Mary Ann Peck. 
She being also called to the home beyond, 
Mr. Wiltse afterward married Rachel 
Smith, and after her divorce was joined 
in wedlock with a German lady. When 
Archie Wiltse left home he went to work 
in a brick yard where he remained some 
eight seasons, receiving at first only fifteen 
dollars per month in compensation for his 
services, but afterward his wages were 
increased to sixty dollars per month. His 
early life was thus one of hardship, in 
which he labored long and late in order to 
acquire enough money to meet his living 
expenses. Industry, enterprise and per- 
severance, however, have proved to him 
the rounds of the ladder on which he has 
climbed to success, and overcoming the 
difficulties and obstacles in his path he 
has steadily worked his way upward. 

In 1858 Mr. Wiltse chose as a com- 
panion and helpmeet on life's journey 
Miss Martha O. Partridge, daughter of 
William and Betsy (Powers) Partridge, 
their wedding being celebrated in Pal- 
myra, Wis., whither Mr. Wiltse had re- 
moved with his parents in 1846. He 
there remained until 1871, when he came 
to Liberty Grove township, Door county, 
where he had purchased 160 acres of 
land at five dollars per acre, a tract lying 
south of his present farm. Here, in con- 
nection with his brother Judson, he built 
a log cabin, 20 x 30 feet, in which he 
lived for about three years. Archie 
Wiltse then purchased i 50 acres of land, 
on which stood a building that is now 
used as a store room, but otherwise the 
place was little improved. Wild game of 
various kinds could be secured in the for- 
ests, through which no roads were cut, 
and the place was all in a primitive con- 
dition and unimproved. In 1872, he be- 
gan clearing the land, and, almost entirely 
unaided, placed ninety acres under cul- 
tivation. To his original purchase he has 
added until within the boundaries of the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



603 



farm is now comprised 350 acres of good 
land. In 1872 he also built a pier, which 
he has since used, and in 1881 he em- 
barked in general merchandising, which 
he has since carried on continuously in 
connection with the pursuits of agricul- 
ture and the manufacture of cheese. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Wiltse were born 
six children, only one of whom is now 
living: Charles died at the age of sixteen 
years; Jessie M. (i), when eleven years 
old; Jessie M. (2), at the age of two and 
a half years; Edward, at the age of two 
months; Edward is the only surviv- 
ing member of the family; Jessie M. (3); 
died when aged about sixteen months. 
Since casting his first presidential vote for 
Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Wiltse has affili- 
ated with the Republican party, and 
warmly advocates its measures. He has 
held the offices of assessor and town 
clerk for one year each, and was chair- 
man of the town twelve years, town 
board of supervisors about twelve years, 
filling the office so acceptably that he was 
constantly re-elected. He is true to 
every trust reposed in him, whether pub- 
lic or private, and has the confidence and 
high regard of a large circle of friends and 
acquaintances whom we feel assured will 
receive with interest this record of his 
life. 



DAVID SHAMPO is one of Wis- 
consin's native sons, born in ttie 
city of Green Bay, in November, 
1842. His father, Oliver Shampo, 
was a native of Montreal, Canada, and a 
shoemaker by trade, but during much of 
his life he followed farming. When a young 
man he wedded Mary Mansou, and to 
them were born ten children, of whom 
David is the oldest. He could attend 
school but little, and that in the winter 
season, for his services were needed upon 
the home farm, and to his father he gave 
the benefit of his labors during his minor- 
ity. He has witnessed a great change in 
the common schools since his own youth, 



and in this fact rejoices, for he is a warm 
friend of education. 

In February, i860, in Bay Settlement, 
Wis., Mr. Shampo married Miss Mary 
Leason, a native of Green Bay, and then 
located in Scott township, Brown Co., 
Wis. , where he made his home for about 
twenty-six years, coming then to Door 
county. In September, 1864, he enlisted 
in Company D, Sixteenth Wis. V. I., 
which was sent from Madison to Rock 
Station, Ga., and there joined Sherman's 
army which marched to Savannah. In 
that city Mr. Shampo was taken sick with 
typhoid fever, and lay ill from Decem- 
ber until the following April, when he re- 
joined his command at Raleigh, the day 
before the surrender of Johnston. After 
the South had laid down its arms he went 
with his regiment to Washington, and 
there participated in the grand review, 
the most brilliant military pageant ever 
seen on the Western Hemisphere, after 
which he was honorably discharged in 
Madison, Wis., in June, 1865. He was 
fortunate in that he was never wounded, 
but the sickness and exposure he endured 
was fully as bad, and he returned to his 
home in Bay Settlement much broken in 
health. In March, 1876, Mr. Shampo 
sold his farm in Scott township. Brown 
county, and came to Door county, where 
he purchased forty acres of land on Sec- 
tion 10, Jacksonport township, at once 
beginning to clear it of the heavy growth 
of timber with which it was covered. The 
trees quickly fell before his sturdy strokes, 
and when the land was cleared furrows 
were turned and crops planted until the 
once wild tract was made to yield rich 
harvests to the owners. The boundaries 
of his farm have been extended until it 
now comprises 120 acres, forty of which 
are under cultivation, and the substantial 
and modern improvements thereon give 
evidence of the careful supervision of the 
owner. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Shampo have been 
born ten children: David, Frank and 
Joseph, who reside in Jacksonport town- 



6o4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ship; George, at liome; Marj', wife of 
Josepli Miner, a resident of Egg Harbor, 
Wis. ; Jane, wife of Alex La Bombard, 
of Rapid River, Mich. ; Matilda, wife 
of Isaac Brennett, who is located in De- 
Pere, Wis.; Emi]\-. at home; Louis, who 
died at the age of fonrteen years; and 
Virginia, who died in Brown county. 
Wis., when three months old. Mr. 
Shanipo is a member of the Catholic 
Church, and is affiliated with Schuyler 
Post, G. A. R., of Sturgeon Bay. Wis. 
He is one of the supporters of the Re- 
publican party in his township, and 
warmly advocates its principles. His 
fellow townsmen have demonstrated their 
confidence in his ability by frequently 
calling upon him to serve in positions of 
public trust, and his first election to office 
was as supervisor of his town.ship, in 
which capacity he served three years. He 
was then made chairman of the town 
board, and creditably served in that posi- 
tion five years; has also been assessor 
three years, and was school treasurer five 
years. His defective hearing, resulting 
from sickness and exposure in the army, 
has caused him to retire, to a certain ex- 
tent, from politics, although his friends 
greatl)' desire to retain him in office, and 
he is now serving as assessor. Mr. 
Shampo is widely known in Door county 
as a good neighbor and representative 
citizen, and in a high degree enjoys the 
respect of a large circle of warm friends. 



HANS TORSTENSON is one of the 
largest landowners in the north- 
ern part of Door county, of 
which he has been a well-known 
resident for many years. He is a native 
of Norway, born December i.S, 1846, son 
of Torsten and Anna (Erickson) Hanson, 
farming people, who reared a family of 
eight children, viz. : Bertha, Theodore, 
Randa, Hans, Cora, Ole. Edward and 
Julius. 

Our subject enjoyed in his boyhood 
but limited educational opportunities, 



never having attended school, but re- 
ceived all his instruction at home. For 
eight years he was employed by one Ole 
Oleson, a storekeeper, the compensation 
for his services being $10 per jear in 
money, a suit of clothes and a pair of 
boots. Believing that he could do better 
in the New World he decided to emigrate, 
and in 1869 sailed from Christiania on a 
vessel bound for Quebec, whence, after 
landing, he came directly to Chicago, 111., 
soon obtaining employment at $10 per 
month, which he then considered very 
good wages. He worked six months as 
a farm hand, and then engaged as team- 
ster at $35 per month, continuing thus 
for about three years. In 1872 became 
to Ephraim, Door Co., Wis., where for 
two years following he was employed by 
A. Anderson, at teaming, and then pur- 
chased forty acres of land at Liberty 
Grove, cleared and in tillable condition, 
paying one thousand dollars therefor. 
In 1873 he was united in marriage with 
Miss Minnie Nelson, daughter of Carl and 
Anna C. Nelson, and the young couple 
took up their residence on the farm, re- 
maining there eight years, at the end of 
which time Mr. Torstenson sold the place 
for five hundred dollars, and coming to 
Hedge Hog, purchased 160 acres of tim- 
berland. Building a dock here, he com- 
menced the wood business, in which he 
has since been prosperously engaged. By 
various purchases he acquired ownership 
of over 640 acres of land in the neighbor- 
hood, of which 280 acres are still in its 
primiti\e condition, and has not yet been 
touched b)- the axe. Mr. Torstenson is 
one of the best known men in his section, 
and for fourteen consecutive years was 
the faithful and efficient postmaster at 
Hedge Hog, having been but recently re- 
moved from the office, for political reasons 
only, he being a stanch member of the 
Republican party. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Torstenson were 
born eight children, namely: Olive (de- 
ceased), Cornelius, Ella, Clarence (de- 
ceased). Alma, Seldon, Clara, and Adolph. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



605 



In religious connection our subject and his 
wife are both members of the Brethren 
Church at Ephraim. 

JARED A. JONES, of Jacksonport, 
is one of the self-made men of Door 
county, one who has worked his 
way upward from a humble position 
to a condition of comparative affluence, 
overcoming the difficulties in his path by 
perseverance and good management. 

He was born in Westbrook, Middlesex 
Co. , Conn. , April 8, 1 846, a son of Erastus 
Jones, a vessel caulker by occupation, and 
Elizabeth (Spencer) Jones, who died 
leaving a family of five children, Jared A. 
being the only son, and at that time but 
eght years old. His parents being in 
somewhat limited circumstances, his 
school privileges were in consequence 
meager. Upon his mother's death he 
went to live on the farm of his grand- 
father, Capt. William Spencer, and in 
1 868 came west in company with his 
father and brother-in-law, E. A. Hill, to 
Egg Harbor, Wis., where the daughter, 
Jerusha, now the wife of P. W. Kirtland, 
was living. The following spring the father 
returned east, and died in Westbrook, 
Conn., in the spring of 1871, at the age of 
fifty-seven 3ears. Jared A. had followed 
fishing along the coast of New England, 
and when he came to Wisconsin he began 
business in his own interest, by engaging 
in fishing near Jacksonport, Wis., and 
later at "The Door." In the spring of 
1870 he purchased 120 acres of new land 
■on Section 20, Jacksonport township, and 
made improvements upon it, first by lum- 
He now owns 160 acres of good 



bering. 

land, about forty acres of which are 
cleared. For nearly twenty years he has 
followed fishing, and for three years he 
sailed the lakes. Physically he is a pow- 
erful man, and his life has been one of 
hard labor, but he is now in comfortable 
circumstances. 

In 1880, in Jacksonport, Wis., Mr. 
Jones was married to Miss Elida Phillips, 



a native of the Empire State. They 
have a pleasant home, and it is the abode 
of hospitality. In his political views Mr. 
Jones is a Republican, a stanch adherent 
of the party principles, and has served 
his fellow townsmen as supervisor for a 
period of live years, while for two years 
he filled the office of school clerk. His 
public and private life are alike above 
reproach, no trust reposed in him is ever 
betrayed, and he is a valued citizen, one 
who takes an active interest in everything 
pertaining to the welfare of the commun- 
ity, the upbuilding of the county and its 
general prosperity. 



HENRY POEHLER, one of the 
most industrious and 'enterprising 
agriculturists of Door county, and 
the owner of a valuable farm of 
seventy acres, was born August lo, 1861, 
in Ozaukee county, Wis. , of German 
lineage. 

His father, Frederick Poehler, was a 
native of Germany, and in the family 
were nine children, Henry being the third 
in order of birth. As his parents were in 
limited circumstances he was early thrown 
upon his own resources, and when not 
yet twelve years of age began to earn his 
living as a farm hand. He continued 
with his first employer four years, giving 
entire satisfaction, for he was industrious 
and enterprising. At the e.xpiration of 
that time he came to Door county, locat- 
ing in Sturgeon Bay township, where he 
chopped wood for John Gilbert; subse- 
quently went to the lumber woods, and 
was there employed three 3'ears. He 
and his brother worked together, and the 
greater part of their earnings were given 
to their parents. On September 28, 
1885, in Sevastopol township, he was 
married to Miss Jessie Blank, who was 
born in Germany, a daughter of Martin 
Blank, and who, at the time of her mar- 
riage, was serving as a domestic in Door 
county. By their union have been born 
five children — Louisa, Fred, Amelia, Hat- 



6o6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL KECORD. 



tie and Edward — and the family circle 
yet remains unbroken. 

At the time of his marriage Mr. 
Poehler owned eighty acres of land which 
he had cultivated and improved, building 
thereon a good residence. Not a tree 
had been cut down when he became the 
owner of the place, but he at once began 
to clear it, and in course of time it was 
placed under the plow. In 1892 he pur- 
chased an additional eighty-acre tract, 
and now has a quarter section of land, of 
which fifty acres are under cultivation. 
He exercises his right of franchise in sup- 
port of the Democracy, and holds mem- 
bership with the Lutheran Church. Mr. 
Poehler has led a busy life, and some- 
thing of his labor is shown by the fact 
that the expression ' ' as hard a worker as 
the Poehler boys" is a common compari- 
son in his locality. He is destined to 
become a rich man, for he is not only 
industrious but also possesses good busi- 
ness and e.xecutive ability, and his career 
has already been a prosperous one. 



GEORGE M. ROBERTS is a na- 
tive of Massachusetts, born in 
Ncwburyport, October 30, 1831, 
and a son of Emanuel and Sarah 
(Odderway) Roberts, the former a native 
of Spain, the latter of the Keystone State. 
Emanuel belonged to a wealthy family, 
and when a lad of nine summers came to 
the United States on a vessel which was 
owned by his uncle, and "which was 
en route for Nova Scotia. He was left 
at Newburyport, Mass., and on the re- 
turn trip was to have been again taken on 
board, but no one ever came for him, and 
for some years he lived with a minister. 
He then married and became the father 
of eleven children — seven sons and four 
daughters. Both parents died in the old 
Bay State. 

George M. Roberts received but 
meagre educational privileges, and while 
still young learned ship carpentering, 
which he followed for some years. On 



August 25, 1853, he was married at New- 
buryport, Mass., to Miss Rachel Phil- 
brick, who was born in Jefferson township, 
Lincoln Co., Maine, April 23, 1834, and 
is a daughter of Peter and Fannie (Noyes) 
Philbrick, who had twelve children, nine 
of them daughters, eight of whom became 
school teachers. Upon his marriage, Mr. 
Roberts located in Newburyport, Mass., 
where he lived si.x years, working at ship 
carpentering. In New England he con- 
tinued his residence until about 1857, 
when he migrated to Shebo\gan Falls, 
Wis., reaching that place with little cap- 
ital save a persevering spirit and a com- 
mendable industry. At Sheboygan Falls 
he secured work in a sawmill, hut after a 
short time went to Two Rivers, where he 
worked at the carpenter's trade except 
through the winter seasons, when he was 
employed as a lumberman. Subsequently 
he removed to Manitowoc, Wis., and for 
a time worked in a shipyard, after which 
he returned to Two Rivers, where he was 
employed at carpentering and in the lum- 
ber woods. While at that place he also 
began fishing along the west shore of 
Lake Michigan till the spring of 1861, 
when he removed to Claybanks, Wis. , 
fishing in that vicinity until 1882. Locat- 
ing in Section 18, Sevastopol township, 
in that year, he purchased a small tract 
of land, and has since engaged in fishing 
and farming. He also owns 160 acres of 
land in Claybanks township, and has a 
considerable amount of this world's goods, 
acquired through his own well-directed 
efforts. 

Five children were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Roberts, to wit: George, a farmer 
and fisherman, of Claybanks township; 
Emma, wife of Theodore Delelle, of 
Claybanks; Carrie, who has successfully 
engaged in teaching for seven years; 
Nettie, wife of John Pallister, of Sevasto- 
pol township; and Fannie, who died in 
infanc}'. ^Ir. Roberts exercises his right 
of franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Republican party, with 
which he has been identified since its or- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



607 



ganization, and his first Presidential vote 
was cast for Fillmore. He has never 
been an office seeker, but has served as 
treasurer of Claybanks township; was 
treasurer of the school district, and is now 
serving in that capacity in District No. 3, 
and for about seven years filled the office 
of supervisor with credit to himself and 
satisfaction to his constituents. Socially, 
he is connected with the I. O. O. F. , has 
been a Freemason for thirty years, and 
is a member of the K. O. T. M. A self- 
made man, he deserves great credit for 
his success in life, which is due entirely 
to his own efforts. 



SAMUEL CHRISTOPHER HAN- 
SEN, who has followed the voca- 
tions of tanner, cabinet maker, 
stair builder and farmer, was born 
April 3, 1823, in Denmark, a son of Hans 
Hansen, a weaver by occupation, who 
died when Samuel was but two years old. 
The mother, Inger Christina Kroer Han- 
sen, had six children — three daughters 
and three sons, Samuel being the second 
son. 

Our subject received a common-school 
education, and when but ten years of age 
left home and began to earn his own liv- 
ing. For six years he worked in a tan- 
nery, and at the age of sixteen was ap- 
prenticed to the cabinet-making trade, 
which took six years to complete. This 
occupation he followed twenty-two years 
in Denmark, and in 1867 he emigrated to 
America, where, in Chicago, he worked 
at his trade two years, and then followed 
stair building five years. On his arrival 
in Chicago he had but fifty cents that he 
could call his own, yet he lived upon that 
small sum eight days, when he was for- 
turnate enough to secure work. In 1875 
he removed to Washington Island, Door 
Co. , Wis. , where, five years previously 
he had invested in eighty acres of timber 
land; on this he located, and then began 
the tedious task of clearing and preparing 
the ground for cultivation. His place is 



now all cleared and in a high state of 
cultivation, and amply repays him for all 
of his past hard work. 

Previous to his coming to the United 
States Mr. Hansen was married in Den- 
mark, to Godtfredsine Martine, who was 
born May 20, 18 19, and they had three 
children, viz. : Christophina Godtfred- 
sine Martine, who died in Denmark; Jacob 
Marcus Glasius, who died in Chicago; 
and Godtfred Martin Samuel, now first 
assistant lighthouse keeper at Pilot Island, 
or Porte Des Morts. Mr. Hansen be- 
longs to the Lutheran Church, as does 
also his wife and son. In politics he is a 
Republican, although taking no active 
part in elections. He is a good neighbor 
and public-spirited citizen, ever ready to 
advance any cause which will benefit the 
community. In his native land he saw 
active service, as a soldier in the Danish 
army, sharpshooters (infantry), in the war 
between Denmark and Prussia during the 
years 1848, 1849 and 1850, returning 
home in 185 1. His son, Godtfred Martin 
Samuel, was born in 1855, in Denmark; 
was educated in the Danish and English 
languages, and in 1 879 was married to Miss 
Ellen Mary Olsen, of Norway, by whom 
he has three children, named respectively: 
Freetjoff Carl Marinus, Olivia Godtfred- 
sina Wilhelmina Christophina and Hen- 
rietta Julianna Caroline Mary. The 
mother and children reside with the 
grandparents, where their father comes 
during his vacation from the lighthouse. 



TELLACK AND ELLEN (HAL- 
VERSON) HAINES, natives of 
Norway, emigrated to Canada in 
1848, and from there, after two 
years, removed to Washington Co. , Wis. , 
thence to Door county, locating in Union 
township, and purchasing a farm which 
they commenced at once to prepare for 
cultivation. 

After remaining upon this place some 
seven years, they removed to Sturgeon 



•6oS 



COMMEMORATiy'E BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Bay township, same county, where they 
h'ved two years; tlience proceeded to Saw- 
yer's Harbor, in same township, where 
they again purchased land which they 
had to clear. In 1880 they again changed 
their location, this time moving to Nase- 
waupee township, same county, settling 
upon the present homestead, which now 
-contains 200 acres, sixty-eight of which 
are under cultivation. In the year of 
their removal (1880) Mrs. Haines died, 
the mother of the following children: 
Oliver, who enlisted in the Civil war, and 
died in hospital; Tellif, who lives at Stur- 
geon Bay, Wis. ; Melvin, who makes his 
home at Sawyer's Harbor, Wis. ; Mary, 
wife of John Peterson; Elias; Christena, 
now the wife of Hans Eliason; Oscar 
(the last four mentioned live in Nasewau- 
pce township, Wis.), and Eliza, wife of 
Thomas Gillespie, of Sturgeon Bay town- 
ship. Mr. Haines was remarried in 1884, 
this time to Mrs. Simpson, of Manito- 
woc county. 



WILLIAM MOORE was born in 
Essex county, N. Y. , in 1864, 
and is a son of William Moore, 
Sr. , who was born and reared 
in Ireland, and emigrating to America set- 
tled in Essex county, N. Y. , where he 
met and married Miss Sarah McMahon, a 
nati\e of New York. 

He there engaged in teaming and in 
burning charcoal until 1870, when he 
started westward and became a resident 
of F"orestville township, Uoor county. 
Wis., settling upon the farm which is 
now the home of our subject. It was a 
wild and unimproved tract of i6o acres, 
and was reached only by a trail, no roads 
having yet been laid out. Mr. Moore 
built a log house in 1871, and at once 
began to clear and improve his farm, 
which he continued to cultivate until 1 880, 
when he was accidentally killed by a fall- 
ing tree. His wife survived him about 
•eight years, and died on the old home- 



stead. Mr. Moore took a deep interest 
in the cause of education, did all in his 
power for its advancement, and aided in 
organizing the school districts of the 
neighborhood. In his family were ten 
children — Ida, wife of William Johnson, 
of Forestville; William; Agnes, wife of 
John Gordon, of F"orestville; Sarah, wife 
of John Cadigan, of New York; Maggie, 
wife of Leo Otto, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 
Richard; Efifie, who is living in Chicago, 
111. ; Alice, who makes her home at Two 
Creeks, Manitowoc Co., W'is. ; John, a 
resident of Essex county, N. Y., and 
Joseph, deceased. After the death of her 
first husband, Mrs. Moore became the 
wife of James Parish, and they had five 
children — Cora, of Two Creeks, Wis. ; 
Welthy, of Nasewaupee, Door Co. , Wis. ; 
Gladys and George, both of Forestville 
township; and Stephen, who is li\ing in 
the same locality as Welthy. 

William Moore, the subject proper of 
this sketch, was a six-year-old child when 
he came to the Badger State. The dis- 
trict schools afforded him his educational 
privileges, and upon the old home farm 
in Forestville township he was reared, 
much of the work of developing and im- 
provmg the place devolving upon him, as 
he was the eldest son. He cleared the 
greater part of the farm, and at length 
came into possession of a tract of 160 
acres, fifty of which are under a high 
state of cultivation. He has led a busy 
life, j'et has found time to faithfull}' dis- 
charge his duties of citizenship, and for 
two years he served his fellow townsmen 
as constable, discharging the duties of the 
office with credit to himself and satisfac- 
tion of his constituents. 

In February, 1889, in Forestville 
township, Mr. Moore married Miss Amel- 
ia Brandt, who was born in Manitowoc 
county. Wis., a daughter of August 
Brandt, a native of Germany, who be- 
came one of the early residents of Mani- 
towoc county, thence removing to Forest- 
ville township. Mr. and Mrs. Moore had 
four children, two of whom are now liv- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



609 



ing — Willie and Emily; Frankie died at 
the age of six weeks, and Esther lived 
only one week. Mr. Moore is a member 
of the Episcopal Church, his wife of the 
Lutheran, and both are well-known peo- 
ple, held in high regard by their many 
friends. 



ANDREW JACOBSON. Finland, 
Russia, has furnished to Door 
county a number of worthy citi- 
zens, among whom is the gentle- 
man whose name is here recorded. He 
was born June 28, 1849, and is a son of 
Jacob and Helena Jacobson, who had a 
family of four children — Mathias, August, 
Henry and Andrew. The father died 
when Andrew was only si.x^ months old, 
and when his mother died he was sixteen 
years of age. His early life was not an 
easy one, for he had no school privileges 
or other advantages, learning only to read 
and write, and at the age of nine he began 
work on a farm, being employed in this 
way until he was seventeen years of age. 
At that time, Mr. Jacobson shipped 
before the mast, first sailing on the 
vessel "Equator," which went on a 
twenty-two-months' trip from Finland to 
London, thence to New Zealand, from 
there to Peru, South America, and to 
France, returning thence to Finland. 
His next trip was to Hamburg, and in 
1874 he came to New Orleans on an Eng- 
lish vessel. Later he sailed to France 
and the West Indies on a six-months' 
trip; after which he went to the Baltic 
Sea, returning to Liverpool, England, and 
to New York, where he joined the crew 
of an American vessel, which was just 
starting to Peru, going thence to Spain 
and back to New York, having been away 
from that harbor eighteen months. Two 
months later we find him in Amsterdam, 
Holland, where he engaged in a vessel 
bound for the East Indies, which after a 
voyage of nine months again reached the 
port from which it sailed. Mr. Jacobson 



then returned to his native land, from 
which he had been absent four years, and 
after a visit there went to Sweden, where 
he engaged on a Swedish vessel bound 
for London, where he shipped on an En- 
glish vessel for New Orleans. In the lat- 
ter city he hired on an American vessel, 
just starting for Italy and France, and 
reached New York again after a voyage 
of seven months. For one summer Mr. 
Jacobson sailed on the Great Lakes, and 
in the fall of 1876 came to Baileys Har- 
bor, Wis. For a few months he worked 
in the woods, and then, in connection 
with John and Andrew Brann, purchased 
some land, the partnership continuing for 
about three years, when by mutual con- 
sent it was dissolved. 

Mr. Jacobson was united in marriage 
with Miss Ellen H. Neholm, daughter of 
John and Helena Neholm, and to them 
were born two children — John ahd Wil- 
helmina, the latter of whom died in in- 
fancy. Our subject and his wife now 
have many friends and acquaintances 
in this community, and are highly re- 
spected people. When he made his 
first purchase of land, he became owner 
of a tract of forty acres upon which he 
made his home for a year. In 1881 he 
went to Chicago and worked at the car- 
penter's trade for a time; then removed 
to Sturgeon Bay, Wis. , and embarked in 
the cigar business, having learned that 
trade in Finland. For six months he 
lived in Bay View, Wis., then returned 
to his farm, continuing its cultivation for 
about five years, or until 1886, when he 
came to Baileys Harbor and rented a 
saloon which he conducted two years, 
after which he purchased the house which 
he now occupies, and turned his attention 
to the manufacture of cigars, which in- 
dustry still occupies his time and atten- 
tion. In politics he is a Republican, but 
has never sought or desired official prefer- 
ment for himself. His life has been an 
eventful one, and his extensive travels 
have made him an entertaining conver- 
sationalist. 



6io 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



JW. WORACHEK, one of the well- 
known and popular citizens of Door 
county, has spent his entire life in 
Wisconsin, which is the State of his 
nativity, his birth having occurred in the 
neighboring county of Kewaunee, in 
Casco township, in 1863. His father, 
Albert Worachek, was born and reared 
in Bohemia, and when a young man he 
crossed the Atlantic to America, for he 
had heard much of its advantages and 
privileges, and wished to trj' his fortune 
in the New World. Coming westward to 
Wisconsin, he located in Casco township, 
Kewaunee county, upon a tract of en- 
tirely unimproved land, and began the 
development of a farm which has since 
been his home. He married Miss Lizzie 
Sticker, also a native of Behemia, and 
they became the parents of six sons and 
four daughters who grew to mature years, 
and three that died young. 

The subject of this sketch, who is the 
second son and child, was reared on the 
old homestead in the usual manner of 
farmer lads, early beginning work in the 
fields, for his parents were poor and 
could not afford to hire help. His school 
privileges were in consequence very mea- 
ger. When he had attained a sufficient 
age, he began working in the neighbor- 
hood as a farm hand, giving his money to 
his parents for safe keeping. When he 
had thus acquired a sufficient sum he in- 
vested it in land, improved the same to a 
considerable extent, and then sold at a 
good profit. In December, 1885, in 
Casco township, Kewaunee county, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
Bunda, who was born at Two Rivers, 
Wis., in October, 1868, a daughter of 
Wenzel Bunda, a native of Bohemia and 
a mason by trade, but now engaged in 
farming. The young couple began their 
domestic life upon a farm which our sub- 
ject had purchased, and there made their 
home until May, 1890, when their dwell- 
ing and barn were destroyed by fire, and 
they then removed to Sister Bay, Wis. 
Mr. Worachek entered into partnership 



with Wenzel Bunda, a merchant and 
cheese manufacturer, and the connection 
was continued for one year, after which, 
in the spring of 1868, our subject came to 
Egg Harbor and established the first 
cheese factory in the township. This 
business he has conducted continually 
since, and his trade has steadily increased, 
bringing him success. In the spring of 
1894 he embarked in the hotel business, 
and is now the genial host of the "Ke- 
waunee House," a popular hostelry, 
which receives a liberal share of public 
patronage. He sets an excellent table, 
and the appointments of the hotel are 
such as are found in any first-class estab- 
lishment of the kind. 

Mr. and Mrs. Worachek have two 
interesting children, both daughters, 
Annie and Hattie. The parents attend 
the Catholic Church, of which they are 
devout and consistent members, and in 
politics Mr. Worachek is a Democrat, 
supporting by his ballot the men and 
measures of that party, but is not strictly 
partisan. He is thrifty and energetic, 
and is now a prosperous and popular citi- 
zen, having by well-directed efforts gained 
a good business which yields to him a fair 
income. His entire life has been passed 
in his locality, and those who have 
known him from boyhood are numbered 
among his stanchest friends, a fact which 
indicates an honorable and well-spent life. 



WILLIAM J. JACKSON has the 
honor of being a native of Wis- 
consin, and is one of her oldest 
sons, reckoning years of contin- 
uous residence. He was born in Fort 
Howard, Brown county, April 25, 1827, 
and is a son of John William Jackson, a 
butcher by trade and a very successful 
business man, but who was killed by the 
Indians two months prior to the birth of 
our subject. His wife, who bore the 
maiden name of Catherine Dockerty, was 
a daughter of John \^^ and Margaret 
Dockertv, the latter of whom reached the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



6n 



remarkable age of 103 years. After being 
left a widow two years, Mrs. Jackson mar- 
ried Peter Eldred, who in 1831 took the 
family to Manitowoc, Wis., where for 
four years he worked at the shoemaker's 
trade, ■ removing then to Two Rivers, 
Wis., here again following shoemaking, 
until his death in 1838; his wife also 
passed her remaining days in that place. 
By her second marriage there were born 
three children: Albert and Charlie, who 
died in infancy, and John, now living in 
Clay Banks township. Door county. 

Our subject was the only child of the 
first marriage. His educational privileges 
were somewhat limited, for at the early 
age of ten years he began earning his own 
livelihood, sailing on the lakes, and dur- 
ing the succeeding thirty-five years he 
was engaged in this way and in fishing, in 
which latter industry he was very success- 
ful. On July ig, 1856, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Caroline Sherman, 
daughter of Emfred and Caroline Sher- 
man, who were living in Baileys Harbor, 
where our subject then spent much of his 
time fishing until August 15, 1862, when 
he enlisted in Company A, Twenty-sev- 
enth Wis. V. I. He went first to Mil- 
waukee, thence to Madison, and on to 
Columbus, Ky. , where he joined his regi- 
ment. The first engagement in which he 
participated was at Union City, Ky., after 
which he was under fire at the battles of 
Storey, the Seige of Vicksburg, and the 
battles of Helena, Little Rock, Spoonville, 
Bentonville,Okalona, and Saline Bottoms. 
At the last named engagement he was 
wounded, whereby he suffered the loss of 
his second finger, and almost lost his entire 
hand. When the war was over, he was 
honorably discharged, June 6, 1865, and 
returned to his home. Mr. and Mrs. 
Jackson have six children living: Frank, 
Albert, Ira, Irving H., Minerva and 
Roger E. ; they lost three children: Hen- 
rietta, who was drowned; and Olive and 
Bertha, who were burned to death in their 
own home. 

For some time after his return from 



the war, Mr. Jackson was obliged to cut 
wood, but later resumed his old occupa- 
tion of fishing, which he followed until 
1868, when he embarked in the lumber 
business. Subsequently, he began read- 
ing law, and has now for some years been 
successfully engaged in the practice of the 
legal profession. He is thorough and 
systematic in whatever he undertakes, 
and his life has been a busy and useful 
one, in which he has gained the respect of 
all with whom he has been brought in 
contact. He has been called upon to fill 
a number of public offices, having served 
as constable, justice of the peace, town 
clerk, assessor and notary public, and in 
all these positions he has discharged his 
duties with a promptness and fidelity 
which have won him high commendation. 



WILLIAM STICHMANN, an en- 
terprising agriculturist of Door 
county, whose farm is situated in 
Section 15, Forestvilletownship, 
is a native of Prussia, born in 1859, a son 
of Carl and Reko (Mahuke) Stichmann, 
who were also of German nativity. 

In 1867 the family located in Mani- 
towoc county. Wis., but in 1872 they re- 
moved to Forestville township. Door 
county, where the father commenced the 
development of a farm and continued in 
its cultivation until his death, which oc- 
curred in 1891; the mother died Jan- 
uary 12, 1895. This worthy couple had 
a family of four children, as follows: 
Bertha, wife of Fred Myers, of Forestville 
township; Anna, wife of Joseph Dettmann, 
of the same township; William; and Min- 
nie, wife of Fred Barnosky, of Nase- 
waupee township. Door county. 

The subject proper of these lines was 
reared in Manitowoc county and in For- 
estville township, the public schools of the 
neighborhood in which he made his home 
affording him his educational privileges. 
At the early age of eleven years he began 
swinging the axe in aiding in the clearing 
and developing of the home farm, thus 



6l2 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



becoming familiar with all the hardships 
and arduous labors of frontier life. When 
he started out in life for himself he 
turned his attention to aj^ricuitural pur- 
suits, and now he has a good farm of 
eighty acres, sixty of which are under a 
high state of cultivation and well im- 
proved. In 1892 he erected ;i large 
frame barn, 64x32 feet, and the other 
conveniences are in keeping with this 
structure. In 1885, in Ft)restville town- 
ship, he was married to Miss Mar>- Ann 
Gordon, who was born in New Y(jrk, a 
daughter of John and Sarah (Moore) Gor- 
don, natives of Ireland, who in an early 
day came to Door count}', where they still 
reside. Mrs. Stichmann died in 1889, 
leaving two children — Elmira and Liilie — 
and in 1892 Mr. Stichmann was again 
married, this time in Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee count}-. Wis., to Miss Anna 
Shirkc}-. a native of that county, b\ whom 
he has two daughters — Martha and Esther. 
In his political views our subject is a 
Republican, and in religious belief he and 
his wife are Lutherans, attending the 
church at Forestvilie. Mr. Stichniami 
is a warm friend of the cause of educa- 
tion, and is now serving as a member of 
the school board. \ public-spirite<l and 
progressi\c citizen, he takes a warm in- 
terest in ever}thing pertaining to the wel- 
fare of the community, and dt)es all in 
his power to promote enterprises calcu- 
lated to pro\e of public benefit. 

AUGUST BUSSE is engaged in the 
manufacture of cheese, and also 
follows farming in Forestvilie 
township, Door count}', where he 
located in 1887. During the following 
year he built a factory 20x30 feet, 14 
feet high, wherein is used the milk of one 
hundred and twent}' cows, 24,000 pounds 
of tine cheese being the annual output. 
He owns a good farm of 1 20 acres, sixty- 
five of which are cleared and improved, 
and thereon he erected, in 1888, a good 
stor}-and-a-half residence, 22 x 32 feet. 



Mr. Busse was born in Lippe-Det- 
mold, German}', in 1836. and is a son of 
Fred and Elizabeth Busse, natives of the 
same country, where the father worked 
as a laborer throughout his entire life; he 
died in 1854, his wife in 1872. They 
had two children. August being the only 
one now living. \o e\ent of special im- 
portance occurred during our subject's 
childhood, which was passed under the 
parental roof and in attending the public 
schools. When <]uiti' \oung he learned 
the trade of brick making, becoming an 
expert in that line, and soon was enabled 
to occupy the position of overseer in 
brickyards, being thus employed imtil his 
emigration to America. Ere leaving his 
nati\c land he was married, in 1866, to 
Miss Carolina Ream, who was born in 
the same province as himself, a daughter 
of Conrad and Eliza ( Langanberg) Ream, 
also natives of Germany, where they 
lived and died. Seven children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Busse: Eliza, 
wife of Louis Jerchow. of Ahnapee, Wis. ; 
August; Julius: Willie; Herman; Amelia, 
and Clara. 

In 1870, accompanied by his family, 
Mr. Bu.sse sailed for the United States 
and took up his residsnce in Sheboygan 
county. Wis., devoting his time and at- 
tention to farming in Herman township, 
where he made his home until his re- 
moval to Door county in 18S7. Here he 
has since ("onducted a good business, both 
as a farmer and cheese manufacturer, and 
by his enterprise and energy has acquired 
a comfortable competence, which num- 
bers him among the substantial citizens of 
the communit}'. He and his wife are 
members of the Reformed Church, and 
in his political views he is- a Democrat. 



D 



ESI RE ENGLEBERT. a pros- 
pertius farmer of Brussels, Door 
count}', was born December 8, 
1842, in Belgium, a son of John 
Englebert; who was a carpenter in his 
own country, and in 1856 emigrated to 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



613. 



the United States with his family, which 
then consisted of wife and six sons — 
Felix, Joseph, Gustaf, Charles, John and 
Desire — and one daughter Mary. All 
of the sons except one are still living. 

On the arri\al of the family in this 
country they stopped at Dayton, Ohio, 
but the place not proving exactly to their 
liking the\' removed to Chicago, by which 
time their finances had become so low 
that they found it necessary to secure a 
home as cheaply as possible, and where 
the facilities for steady work were good. 
In the spring of 1857 they came to Brus- 
sels township. Door county, where Mr. 
Englebert bought eighty acres of land in 
section 20. After four years' residence 
on this place he sold it for $350.00 and 
bought 160 acres in section 2(S (north- 
east quarter), at which time it was cov- 
ered with forest trees, and he was the 
first to cut into this tract of land, where 
he erected buildings, the children soon 
beginning to look upon it as their perma- 
nent home. In the spring of 1892 the 
father was laid to rest in the church-yard 
in Brussels, where the remains of the 
mother had been deposited twelve years 
before. One daughter, Mary, was born 
to them after their arrival in the United 
States. 

Desire Englebert was fourteen years 
old when he accompanied his parents to 
the United States, and as a consequence 
his education was entirely in his mother 
tongue. The jear following their arrival 
the family came to Wisconsin, and as 
they were in somewhat straightened cir- 
cumstances, our subject went to work for 
strangers that he might support himself. 
He spent two summers working in a 
truck yard in Chicago, whither he had 
tramped from his home in Brussells, 
Wis., on foot, begging his way the entire 
distance, and often sleeping in the woods. 
In Chicago he arrived with just fifty cents 
in his pocket, .having given his entire 
wages to his parents, who were greatly 
in need of the help. Such industry and 
filial devotion was not to go unrewarded. 



however, for from that time forth he was 
always successful in securing work, and 
he prospered in every waj'. 

At the age of twenty-three years, in 
1865, our subject was married to Miss 
Emerance Gaspart, a native of Belgium * 
and a resident of Brussels, who bore him 
ten children, two of whom died in in- 
fancy. Those living are: Eugene, of Kau- 
kauna. Wis., a machinist by trade, and 
Eloisse, Elmond, Celina, Joseph, Henry, 
Nestor and Josephine at home. After his 
marriage Mr. Englebert bought forty acres 
of land in Section 28, Brussels township, 
all woods save a small plat, on which 
stood a log shanty. For this property he 
paid $500.00 and went largely in debt. 
In the course of ten years he had cleared 
the land and erected good buildings, but 
the fire of 1871 swept everything away — 
his buildings, his stock, his household 
furniture — everything, in fact, save the 
clothes which he and his family had on at 
the time they were swallowed up in the 
flames. After he had recovered some- 
what from the effects of the fire, he built 
a commodious brick house, which was the 
best in the township. Since his first pur- 
chase he has added to his possessions, 
and now owns 200 acres of land, eighty 
of which are in a high state of cultivation. 
Mr. Englebert is an excellent farmer, 
careful in his calculations, and conse- 
quently is very successful. Politically, 
formerly he was a Republican, but now 
gives his vote on the side of the Demo- 
cratic party. He was assessor for four- 
teen years, and in the spring of 1894 was 
elected chairman of the township board. 
In religious faith he and his wife and chil- 
dren are members of the Catholic Church. 



WENZEL M. WOCHOS, a popu- 
lar young educator, was born in 
the township of Franklin, Ke- 
waunee Co., Wis., August 16, 
1873, and is a son of Mathias Wochos. 
who was born in Bohemia, June 6, 1844. 
Mathias Wochos was a son of John 



6i4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



W. , who followed him from Europe about 
the year 1866, and who died in the town- 
ship of Montpelier in 1894. Mathias at- 
tended the common schools of his native 
country until twelve years of age, when 
he came to the United States himself, 
landing at Two Creeks, Manitowoc Co., 
Wis., and residing with his uncle, working 
there at making shingles, etc., four years. 
He then went to Mishicot, same county, 
where he worked on a farm and attended 
school about two years. While at Mishi- 
cot, he was drafted, and served about six 
months in tiie Union army, toward the 
close of the Civil war. After this he went 
to Muskegon, Mich., and there worked in 
a sawmill and at logging some two years. 
In 1 866 he came to Franklin township, 
Kewaunee county, and located on the farm 
now occupied by his heirs. This farm he 
cleared, put under cultivation, and con- 
tinued to conduct until his death, Feb- 
ruary 25, 1893. He was a Democrat in 
politics, and at different times was elected 
chairman of Franklin township, super- 
visor, and a member of the board of edu- 
cation. In religion he was a Catholic. 
He was united in marriage, in 1S67, to 
Mary Skornicka, a daughter of Joseph 
and Maggie Skornicka, natives of Bo- 
hemia. Mrs. Wochos was born in Bo- 
hemia in 1848, and died in Franklin 
township November 15, 1893, the mother 
of thirteen children, viz. : Joseph, Mathias, 
Wenzel, Maggie, Albert, Frank, John, 
Jacob, Louis, Fannie, Mary, Charles and 
Stephen, all living with the exception of 
Mary and Charles. 

Wenzel Wochos was reared on the 
home farm and attended the common 
schools until he reached the age of six- 
teen, when he entered the Kewaunee high 
school, and there pursued his studies one 
year. At the age of eighteen he passed 
examination and was granted a certificate, 
which permitted him to teach in the pub- 
lic schools of Kewaunee county, and he 
is now engaged in this vocation, being 
recognized as one the first-class teachers 
of Kewaunee county. He is a strict mem- 



ber of the Catholic Church, and one of 
the most highly respected young men of 
his age in the township. 



HON. GEORGE GRIMMER. This 
gentleman, who is now the only 
settler living in Kewaunee who 
came here in 1853, is prominent 
in the array of leading capitalists in this 
part of Wisconsin, and one of the most 
widely-known, respected and prosperous 
citizens of Kewaunee county. Indeed, 
there is no name that ranks higher than 
that of George Grimmer, in all those 
qualities which constitute good citizen- 
ship; and there is none more deserving 
of an exhaustive biographical record in 
the pages of this volume. 

Mr. Grimmer is a native of New 
Brunswick, Canada, born February 28, 
1827, in the Parish of St. David, Char- 
lotte county, and comes of more imme- 
diate Scotch ancestry, although the name 
indicates German origin. 

The first of the family to immigrate 
to this continent settled in what is now 
the Parish of St. Stephens, Charlotte 
Co., New Brunswick, where they became 
landowners and prosperous agriculturists. 
Thomas Grimmer, grandfather of our 
subject, married Miss Elizabeth Wey, an 
English lady, by whom he had ten chil- 
dren — five sons and five daughters. James 
Grimmer, the third son. was reared to 
agricultural pursuits and lumbering in 
New Brunswick, which latter vocation, 
however, he chiefly followed, the river St. 
Croix being the scene of his operations. 
In 1850 he came to Wisconsin, bringing 
his family, and in Shawano county fol- 
lowed lumbering up to his death, which oc- 
curred in 1865, when he was aged sixty- 
five years. His wife, Hannah (Camp- 
bell), who was the 3'oungest daughter of 
Duncan Campbell, also of New Bruns- 
wick, was a woman of great force of 
character, possessed of sound judgment, 
and surrounded herself with hosts of 





.^^^ 




^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BWGMAPUICAL RECORD. 



617 



friends, especiall}' among her own sex, 
many of whom in time of trouble came 
to her for help and advice, and to them 
she ever proved a true blessing and com- 
forter. She was the mother of ten chil- 
dren, six of whom reached maturity: 
George, Thomas D., Mary Hannah (wife 
of Clark McKay, of Shawano, Wis.), 
James Henry, Alfred W., and Angeline 
(wife of Morris Thomas, of Duluth, Minn.). 
The mother of these departed this life 
September 26, 1865. In Grandfather 
Thomas Grimmer's family there were 
forty-four children and grandchildren born 
before the first death occurred among 
them. 

George Grimmer, the subject proper 
of this sketch, received a common-school 
education in his native parish, his teach- 
er, James McBride, having been an ed- 
ucator in that locality for forty-five years, 
and had Mr. Grimmer's mother for one of 
his pupils. At the age of fourteen our 
subject laid aside his books, and com- 
menced lumbering in the woods on the 
St. Croix river, under his father. In the 
fall of 1850 he moved with the rest of the 
family to Shawano. Wis. , whence at the 
end of a year he went to Neenah, in 1853 
coming to Kewaunee, landing in the then 
village on the 17th of July. Here he fol- 
lowed his old vocation, lumbering, work- 
ing on salary till 1862, when the firm of 
Slauson, Grimmer & Co., was formed. 
For eighteen years he scaled logs on the 
Kewaunee river, and probably no other 
man was as well acquainted with the en- 
tire river as he, and no one was more 
welcome among the settlers, who, one 
and all, honored and respected him for 
his fair and honest dealings. The firm 
dissolved in 1877, and in all those years 
they never had litigation of any kind in 
regard to log contracts, which were in- 
variably of a verbal nature. Since then 
Mr. Grimmer has not been identified with 
any active pursuit, but attends to his real- 
estate interests. He is a director of the 
State Bank of Kewaunee; was chairman 

of the town board of Kewaunee, three 
35 



years, and chairman of the county board 
two years. He has also found time, in 
the midst of his business relations, to give 
his attention to many things tending to 
the welfare of the community, especially 
educational matters in which he has al- 
ways taken a prominent and substantial 
interest. 

In 1876 Mr. Grimmer was induced by 
his friends to offer himself as a candidate 
for the State Senate, to represent the 
First Senatorial District, at that time 
comprising the present counties of Ke- 
waunee, Door, Oconto, Shawano, Lan- 
glade, Forest, Florence and Marinette, an 
area comprising nearly one-seventh of the 
State. His opponent was William Mc- 
Cartnej', of Marinette, a very popular 
Democratic leader, and as Gen. Taylor 
had previously carried the District by one 
thousand Democratic votes, the contest 
appeared to be very unequal; yet the 
friends of Mr. Grimmer in Shawano and 
other places rallied round his banner, and 
so well did they work, and so popular was 
their candidate, that he was triumphantly 
elected by a crushing majority of 1,916, 
the polls at the close standing — " Grim- 
mer, 5,114; McCartney, 3,198." Mr. 
Grimmer was re-elected two years later 
by a majority of about 400, a consider- 
able falling off from his first victory, 
partly due to his having voted against the 
memorial to Congress in the matter of 
providing for the free coinage of silver, 
and the ratio of silver used in the dollar. 
He served on various committees, and 
was chairman of that on corporations; in 
short, he made as good a record as State 
Senator as he has earned in his business 
relations. 

On June 19, i860, Mr. Grimmer was 
married in Kewaunee to Miss Bertha Lo- 
renz, a native of Germany, a lady of re- 
finement and superior education, one who 
advocates and encourages advanced ideas 
regarding the destiny of her sex. Four 
children have been born to this union, 
two of whom died in infancy, and two 
are living, namely: Laura A., wife of 



6iS 



COMMKMORATIVK BIOGRAPEICAL RECORD. 



J. L. Haney, and Walter G.. of Diiluth. 
Minnesota. 

In the history of Kewaunee county, 
where for over four decades he has borne 
the highest reputation as a business man 
and a citizen, Mr. Grimmer is a man of 
mark and leadin;,' character. He is quiet 
and sedate, likes simple ways, abhorring 
ostentation; can converse well and freely, 
but prefers to listen rather than to speak. 
He is a firm and enduring friend, not a 
bitter or vindictive enemy. Few men are 
more free from envy or jealousy, and the 
promotion or advancement of others he 
has always most cordially encouraged and 
aided. In one word, he possesses a clear, 
sound, well-balanced mind, every faculty 
of which is thoroughly practical, and such 
a combination is, in our work-a-day world, 
worth infinitely more than genius. 



CHARLES P. BERG, a representa- 
tive farmer of Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee county, was born Sep- 
tember 22, 1855, in Germany. 
His paternal grandfather was a niiilcr by 
occupation, operating a mill near the 
Rhine, in Prussia. 

Jacob Berg, father of the subject of 
these lines, was born February 2, 1816, 
in Prussia, was reared on a farm, and at- 
tended the common schools, in which he 
received all his literary education. When 
a young man he learned the trade of 
wagon maker, which he followed for a 
number of years. On April 30, 1845, he 
married Miss Caroline Theobald, who 
was born in Germany July 11. 1825, and 
twelve children were the result of this 
union, the names and dates of birth of the 
eight survivors being as follows: Char- 
lotte, January 23, 1846; Caroline, April 
21,1849; Mary, June 18,1853; Charles P., 
September 22, 1855; Christina, July 9, 
1859; Alzina, December25, 1861 ; Julius, 
April 10, 1863; Emma. April 22, 1865, 
the first four named being born in Ger- 
main", the remaining four in Ahnapee, 
Wis. Of this famiiv, Charlotte is the 



wife of Perry Austin, of Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis. ; Caroline is married to Peter Knorr, 
of Prescott, \\'is. ; Mary is a resident of 
St. Paul, Minn.; Charles P., is our sub- 
ject; Christina is the wife of Henry Per- 
onto, of White Fish Bay, Wis. ; Alzina is 
the wife of Robert Mueller, of Marinette, 
Wis. ; Julius is proprietor of a cheese 
factory in Ahnapee, Kewaunee Co., Wis.; 
Emma is the widow of John Utnehmer, 
of Ahnapee, Wis. .\fter his marriage 
Jacob Berg owned and conducted a hotel 
until 1856, in which \ear he came to the 
United States, locating in the village of 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee Co. , Wis., where he 
worked as a common laborer • fcjr two 
years, at the end oi that time purchasing 
a forty-acre tract of timberland in the 
tosvn of Ahnapee, whereon he engaged in 
farming. Being one of the first settlers 
of this section, he shared with the other 
pioneers the hardships and trials of life in 
a sparsely settled region, among other in- 
conveniences being obliged to do without 
flour, and consequent!}- bread, for months. 
After a four-years' residence on his first 
purchase he sold it, and buying another 
farm in the same township continued to 
engage in agricultural pursuits up to his 
death, which occurred December 14, 
1893; Mrs. Berg preceded him to the 
grave August 8, 1890. 

During his earlier years Charles P. 
Berg attended the common schools of 
his neighborhood, and was trained to 
farming on the home place, where he has 
always resided. On December i, 1886, 
he was married to Louisa Mueller, and 
their union has been blessed with four 
children, Arthur, Hilda, Oscar and Helen. 
Mrs. Berg was born February 16, 1 S63, 
in Milwaukee, and is a daughter of Al- 
bert and Amelia (Goger) Mueller. Since 
his marriage Mr. Berg has owned and 
conducted the home farm, and he ranks 
among the successful agriculturists of this 
thriving agricultural community. Politic- 
ally he is independent, casting his ballot 
invariably for the best man. In religious 
faith the faniilv are Lutherans. 



COMMEMORATIVK BIOGRAPmcAL RECORD. 



619 



HA. LARSON, a prominent farm- 
er and stock raiser, residing in 
Section 26, Forestville township, 
Door county, has here made his 
home since 1870, at which time he 
bought an eighty-acre tract of land heav- 
ily covered with timber. No road led 
to the land, and the nearest settler was a 
mile and a half distant. Mr. Larson at 
once began opening up a farm, and in 
course of time the once primitive soil was 
transformed into rich and fertile fields, 
and to the original purchase was added 
another tract of eighty acres, mak- 
ing 160 acres in all. One half of this is 
now under a high state of cultivation, and 
there are good improvements upon the 
place, the little log cabin being no longer 
used, for in 1892 was erected a brick resi- 
dence 18 X 28 feet, one story and a half 
in height, with a one-story L 20 x 24 feet. 
There is also a good brick barn, 30 x 50 
feet, well arranged, while the other out- 
buildings are such as are found upon any 
model farm. In addition to the raising of 
grain, Mr. I^arson makes a specialty of 
the breeding of fine horses, having two 
stallions, one a full-registered Ch'desdale, 
besides some high-grade Percherons. 

Mr. Larson was born in Norway in 
1856, a son of H. and Mary (Monk.son) 
Larson, natives of the same country, 
where the father followed farming until 
1 866. In that year he and his family 
left their old home to try their fortune 
in the New World, taking passage at 
Bergen on a sailing vessel, which after 
seven weeks and five days dropped anchor 
in the harbor of Quebec, whence they 
proceeded by rail to Detroit, Mich., and 
thence by boat to Manitowoc county. 
Wis. In 1870 the father settled on the 
farm which is now the home of om- sub- 
ject. Both parents are yet li\ing, and 
the worthy couple have a family of seven 
children, as follows: Nellie, wife of 
Henry Franzen, of Ahnapee, Wis., Mar}-, 
widow of Ed Urtmann, of Green Bay, 
Wis. ; Henry, who is clerking in Iowa; 
Julia, wife of Ole Nelson, of Polk county, 



Minn. ; Barbo, wife of Peter Peterson, of 
Forestville township; H. A., subject of 
this sketch, and Martin, who is living in 
Claybanks township. Door county, and 
is married to a daughter of Gilbert Ander- 
son. 

H. A. Larson was reared in Mani- 
towoc count}-, \\'is. , from the age of ten 
years, and acquired his education in its 
public schools. He aided in opening up 
the home farm, and since an early age 
has been familiar with all the duties of 
farm life. In 1885 he was married in 
Forestville township to Miss Mary Ander- 
son, daughter of Gilbert Anderson, an 
early pioneer of the township, and to 
them were born four children, two of 
whom are living — Martin and Esther; 
Henry, the eldest child died at the age of 
four \ears, three months and five days, 
and one died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. 
Larson are both members of the Luth- 
eran Church, and are prominent and well- 
known people, whose friends in the com- 
munity are many. In politics, Mr. Lar- 
son is independent, voting for the candi- 
date whom he thinks best qualified for 
the office, regardless of party affiliations. 
He was the f^rst man to settle in his part 
of the township, and has ever been 
recognized as one of the best citizens in 
the community, being public-spirited and 
progressive, and taking an active interest 
in everything calculated to promote the 
general welfare. 



ROBERT LOCKHART, a progres.s- 
ive and prosperous agriculturist,, 
whose fine farm lies in Section 9„ 
Forest\ille township, Door count}-, 
was born in County Armagh, Ireland, io 
1837, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza 
(Aikens) Lockhart, who were also natives 
of County Armagh. 

The father of our subject crossed the 
Atlantic in 1845, to America, locating in 
Essex county, N.Y., where he worked as a 
laborer for a few years, and then purchased 
a farm whereon he passed his remaining 



620 



COMMEMORATIVE BlOGliAPIIICAL RECORD. 



days, his death occurring in i860. His first 
wife died in 1 84 1 , and in i S4G he was joined 
by his children and his second wife, whom 
he had married in Ireland, and who bore 
the maiden name of Margaret Henderson. 
By the first union there were four chil- 
dren, viz.: Anna and Henry, who died in 
Ireland; James, married', and now resid- 
ing in Forestville township; and Robert, 
our subject. By the second marriage 
there were two children: Ellen, wife of 
Da%'id Kerr, of Essex county. New York; 
and Thomas, who died in that county. 

No event of special importance oc- 
curred during the childhood and youth of 
Robert Lockhart. He was nine years old 
when he came to this country, and was 
reared and educated in Esse.x county, 
N. Y., where after attaining proper age 
he began working as a farm hand, also 
engaging in the manufacture of charcoal. 
On leaving the Empire State he came to 
Door county, settling in Forestville town- 
ship. Ere leaving Essex county, N. Y. , 
he was married, in 1862, to Mrs. Mary 
Uougan, who was born on the Emerald 
Isle, daughter of John and Agnes (Lock- 
hart) Moore, natives of County Armagh, 
Ireland ; the father died many years ago, 
and in 1S57 the mother became a resident 
of Essex county, whence, in 1870, she 
came to Door county, and lived in Forest- 
ville township until called to the home 
beyond, in 1888. Of the Moore family 
there were five children, to wit: Will- 
iam, who came to Door county in 1870, 
and was killed by a falling tree in Forest- 
ville township in 1879; Mrs. Lockhart is 
the ne.xt younger; Sarah, wife of John 
Gordon has her home in Forestville 
township; Thomas, who died in Illinois 
in 1868; and John, who removed to 
Crawford county, Iowa, but is now living 
in California. Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart 
have four children, namely: Adelia, now 
the wife of Edward Barrand, a resident 
of Ahnapee township, Kewaunee Co., 
Wis. (they have one child, Robert Ed- 
ward) ; Effie, wife of George Tagg, of For- 
estville township (they have five children: 



Winnie, Elsie, Muriel, Dora and one as 
yet unnamed); Stella, who served as post- 
mistress of Maplewood from 1888 until 
1 89 1, and was married October 10,1894, 
to Max Plettner, of Forestville, Wis. ; 
and Dora, who died in 1879 at the age 
of nine years. 

Mr. Lockhart is an ardent advocate 
of Republican principles, and does all in 
his power to promote the growth and in- 
sure the success of the party, but has 
never been an office-seeker, although for 
some six years he served as school treas- 
urer. He and his wife attend the Epis- 
copal Church, and the family is one of 
prominence in the community, occupying 
a leading position in social circles. Their 
home is a pleasant story-and-a-half resi- 
dence, erected in 1891, the dimensions of 
the building being 30x20 feet, with a one- 
story L, 16x18 feet. Mr. Lockhart first 
erected upon his farm a log barn, 20 x 56 
feet; later he built a frame barn, 36x50 
feet, which, together with considerable hay 
and farm machinery contained therein, 
was destroyed by fire September 15,1 893. 
With characteristic energy he rebuilt in 
1S94, and now has a good barn, 40x80 
feet in size, one of the best in the town- 
ship. His farm, one-half of which is 
under a high state of cultivation, com- 
prises 160 acres, which, at the time of his 
purchase in 1 870, was covered with a 
dense growth of timber and was reached 
onl)^ by a trail, no roads being laid out to 
the place; but in appearance to-day it 
bears little resemblance to the tract of 
which he became owner some twentj'-five 
years ago, for waving fields of grain now 
delight the eye and the accessories of a 
model farm may there be found. 



JOSEPH MACHIA, one of the worthy 
citizens that New York State has 
furnished to Door county, was born 
in St. Lawrence county, in the Em- 
pire State, in 1845, and is a son of Lewis 
and Matilda Machia. 

The father of our subject was born 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and reared in Canada, and in an carl\' 
day removed to St. Lawrence count\', 
N. Y., where he resided until called to 
the home bej'ond, in i86[. Three years 
later his widow came to Forestville town- 
ship, Door Co., Wis., and in 1865 was 
married to James Keogh, one of the first 
settlers of the township, and one of its 
valued citizens until his death in 1890. 
Mr. an.d Mrs. Machia were the parents of 
nine children (six of whom are now liv- 
ing), of whom Lewis, who served one 
year as a member of Company F, Twen- 
tieth Cavalry, is now living in Casco, Ke- 
waunee Co. , Wis. ; John enlisted, in 
1 861, in Company F, Sixtieth N. Y. \'. L, 
and, re-enlisting, served with his regi- 
ment until the close of the war, when, in 
186;, he located in Forestville township, 
dying there in April, 1894; Joseph is the 
subject of these lines; David is living in 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; James resides in 
Egg Harbor, Door county; and Henry 
and George are living in Sturgeon Baj', 
Wisconsin. 

Joseph Machia spent the days of his 
boyhood and j'outh in the county of his 
nativit}', his time being devoted to work 
upon the farm, and to the study of the 
common English branches taught in the 
public schools. In January, 1864, then 
in his nineteenth year, he responded to the 
country's call for troops, by joining Com- 
pany A, Tenth New York Artillery; he 
was assigned to the army of the Cumber- 
land, and did garrison duty in Georgia until 
peace was once more restored, when he was 
honorably discharged. He then returned 
to his home in New York State, and the 
following year came by boat to Ahnapee, 
Wis., and from there on foot to Forest- 
ville, Door county, locating on a farm in 
Forestville township, where he secured 
an eighty-acre tract of land on which not 
a furrow had been turned or an improve- 
ment of any kind made. He at once began 
to clear and develop it, and now has sev- 
enty acres under a high state of cultiva- 
tion. His life has been one of usefulness; 
but though he has worked hard in his own 



interest he has yet found time to devote 
to public affairs, and has ever discharged 
his duties of citizenship with promptness 
and fidelity. 

In 1873, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., Mr. 
Machia was married to Miss Celia Olson, 
a native of Norway and a daughter of 
Thomas Olson, who was born in the 
same country, and who on emigrating to 
America settled in Claybanks township. 
Door county, where he opened up a farm ; 
he now resides in North Dakota, where 
his wife died December 25, 1892. Seven 
children have been born to our subject 
and wife: Ella, Frank, David, Lydia, 
George, Elmer and Lester. In politics 
Mr. Machia is a Republican; socially he 
is affiliated with William A. Nelson Post 
No. 97, G. A. R. , of which he is now 
serving as senior vice-commander. His 
wife belongs to the Lutheran Church, 
and both have many friends in this com- 
munity who hold them in high esteem. 



HERMANN TAUBE, farmer and 
stock raiser of Sturgeon Bay 
township. Door county, is a na- 
tive of Prussia, Germany, born 
February 14, 1842. His parents, John 
and Caroline (Haft) Taube, were born in 
Germany, and there passed their entire 
lives, the father dying in 1868, the mother 
in the autumn of 1871. They reared a 
famil}- of six children, as follows: Her- 
mann, the subject of this sketch; Charles, 
a resident of Berlin, Germany; Hannah, 
living in Germany; Albertina, wife of 
Otto Helmholtz, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. , 
Albert, who came to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 
in 1874, and in 1880 removed to Mil- 
waukee, where he now resides; and 
Augusta, who died in Germany. 

Hermann Taube was reared and edu- 
cated in his native country, and on com- 
mencing life for himself at first followed 
farming, later, for three years, engaging 
in the hotel business. In 1871 he came 
to the United States, arriving in Manito- 
woc countv, ^^■ is. , where he hired out 



622 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



as a farm hand for several months. In 
1872 he came to Door county, and, pur- 
chasing land in Section 33, Sturgeon 
Bay township, commenced farming on 
his own account. His land was in its 
wild state at the time he purchased it, 
and required no small amount of perse- 
verance and industry to convert it to its 
present condition of fertility. He owns 
200 acres, 100 cleared and under culti- 
vation, giving all his attention to general 
farming and stock raising, in which he 
has prospered greatly; numerous improve- 
ments have been added under his direc- 
tion, and in 1S85 a comfortable frame 
dwelling 30.S24, with a wing 28x18, 
and a stor\- and a half in height, and a 
barn 40x60 were erected. 

In 1873 Mr. Taube was married, in 
Door county, to Miss Amelia Zelka, who 
was born in Germany, and came thence 
to Door county. Wis., in 1873. Her 
parents, Daniel and Dora (I\raft) Zelka, 
were also born in Germany, where the 
former died in 1864, and the latter still 
resides: Henrietta Kraft, grandmother of 
Mrs. Taube, has resided in Chicago, 111., 
since 1882. Ten children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Taube, namely: Otto, 
Minnie (who has been a school teacher at 
Forestville for two j'ears), Dora, Emma, 
Augusta, Bertha, Herman, Albert, Ljdia 
and Henry. Mr. Taube has always taken 
a deep interest in the educational in- 
terests of his section, and assisted in the 
organization of his school district, also 
serving as a member of the board. Polit- 
ically he is a Republican, and he and his 
wife are members of the German Meth- 
odist Church at I^av View. 



GUSTAV CARLSON was born in 
Sweden August 29, 1840, and is 
a son of Charles Carlson, a farmer, 
who rented land of those who 
owned large tracts and leased it in small 
portions. His family numbered six chil- 
dren — four sons and two daughters — of 
whom Gustav is the eldest son and second 



child. As his parents were in very lim- 
ited circumstances, the privileges and ad- 
vantages which he received in his jouth 
were somewhat limited, but his training 
to farm labor was bj- no means meager. 
At an early age he began work in the 
fields, and to his father gave the benefit 
of his services until he had attained his 
majority. 

Afthe age of twenty-two Mr. Carlson 
was united in marriage with Sophia An- 
derson, a native of Sweden, and upon a 
rented farm they began their domestic 
life, living in that way until their emigra- 
tion to America. With a hope of better- 
ing their condition Mr. Carlson, alone, in 
June, 1880, crossed the Atlantic to the 
New World, and making his way to Chi- 
cago, there worked hard and lived eco- 
nomically in order to secure the money 
which would pay his wife's and children's 
passage. In the following September he 
was joined by his famil}', and the meeting 
was a very happy one; but a short time 
afterward he was taken ill, and for six 
months was unable to work. Their lot was 
a sad one, indeed, for they had nothing to 
live upon save what the wife and children 
could earn. For three years the\' contin- 
ued their residence in Chicago, and then, 
in 1883. Mr. Carlson, unaccompanied by 
his family, came to Wisconsin in search of 
a suitable location, taking a train to Green 
Bay, then by stage to Bay Settlement, 
whence he walked to Baileys Harbor, 
where he chopped wood for one winter. 
In the spring of 1884 he returned to Chi- 
cago and brought his family to Jackson- 
port township. Door count}', settling in 
Section 20, where he bought forty acres 
of land on which stood a rude shant}' — 
the first home of the family in this local- 
ity. Not a furrow had been turned or an 
improvement made upon the place; but 
inspired with the thought of securing a 
good home for his wife and children Mr. 
Carlson worked hard, and in course of 
time the once wild land was transformed 
into rich and fertile fields, which now 
yield to him a good income. At present 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



623 



he owns 120 acres of good land, sixty-five 
of which have been placed under the 
plow. 

To our subject and his wife have been 
born the following named children: Al- 
fred, Emile, Ellen, Hulda, Herman, John, 
Clara and Emma, all yet living. The 
parents are members of the Lutheran 
Church, and in his political affiliation Mr. 
Carlson is a Republican, but has never 
been an office-seeker. He started out in 
life a poor man, determined to make for 
himself a comfortable home, and has 
steadily worked his way upward from an 
humble position to one of affluence, over- 
coming the difficulties and obstacles in 
his path by industry, perseverance and 
well-directed efforts. He need never 
have occasion to regret his removal to 
America, for he has prospered here, and 
has not onl}' gained a comfortable compe- 
tence, but has also won many warm and 
valued friends. 



CHARLES E. MANN, who owns 
and operates 240 acres of land in 
Baileys Harbor township, Door 
county, is a native of New York 
State, born in Syracuse, June 5, 1853, 
and is the second in the family of eight 
children of James R. and Helen (Rogers) 
Mann, the former of whom is of English 
descent, and by trade is a miller. The 
names of their children are: Willie, 
Charles E., James, Fred, Horatio, Ella, 
Cora and Frank. The children all re- 
mained at home until they had attained 
to years of maturity. 

When twenty-one years of age our 
subject set out for the West, hoping to 
better his financial condition on its broad 
prairies, and locating near Atlantic, la., 
he there engaged in farming for two 
years. Removing at the end of that time 
to Marne, la., he there carried on a 
restaurant for two years, and then went to 
Oakland, same State, where he was en- 
gaged in the meat market business for a 
period of six months. We next find him 



in Harlin, also in Iowa, where he worked 
at the carpenter's trade for ten years, 
earning a good income and saving some 
capital. In 1891 he became a resident 
of Door county. Wis., and settled on his 
present farm of 240 acres which was 
given him by George Bossford, who is 
now a resident of Sevastopol township. 

On May 26, 1876, Mr. Mann was 
united in marriage with Miss Eliza Boss- 
ford, daughter of George and Sarah Boss- 
ford, and their union has been blessed 
with seven children — five sons and two 
daughters — Edward, Cora, George, Clar- 
ence, Bertha, Clayton and Henry, and 
the family circle yet remains unbroken. 
The land which was given to Mr. and 
Mrs. Mann was well cleared and improved 
with good buildings, and is still well kept 
up, its neat appearance indicating the 
enterprise and careful supervision of the 
owner. He now devotes his entire time 
and attention to agricultural pursuits, and 
is meeting with good success. In his 
political views, Mr. Mann is a Republican, 
and keeps well informed on the issues of 
the day, but has never been a politician 
in the sense of office-seeking. Mr. Mann 
holds membership with the Seventh Day 
Adventists Church, and both are well- 
known in the community, highly respect- 
ed by their many friends and acquain- 
tances. 



ANTON MACH, member of the 
Mach & Langer Brewing Co., 
Kewaunee, is a native of Bohe- 
mia, born January 6, 1850. His 
father, John Mach, who was a cloth manu- 
facturer, died in Bohemia in 1862; his 
mother, whose maiden name was Dora 
Fomandel, is still living in that country. 
At the age of sixteen our subject came 
to America, and for two years worked on 
a farm m the town of Franklin, Kewaunee 
county, whence he moved to Michigan, 
where he worked in a sawmill fourteen 
years; then returned to Kewaunee count}', 
and for three vears rented a farm and 



624 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



saloon in the town of Carlton, after which 
he came to Kewaunee villap;e and bought 
a saloon, which he conducted three years 
and six months. In Januarj', 1890, he 
bouf^ht the Pilsen Brewery of Frank 
Wihlencek, but two weeks later sold one- 
half interest to Joseph Langcr, the style 
of the firm being now the Mach & Langer 
Brewing Co., giving employment to three 
men. 

In 1 878 Mr. Mach was married to Miss 
Katie Langcr, and to their union have 
been born three sons and one daughter. 
The family are adherents of the Catholic 
Church. In politics Mr. Mach is not a 
party man, but votes for the nominee 
that he considers to be best suited for the 
position. He has had office thrust upon 
him, however, and is the present super- 
visor of his ward; has also served as alder- 
man, besides in some minor offices. He 
is public-spirited, and is one of the most 
enterprising men of the city, although he 
never had any education outside of the 
public schools of Bohemia, excepting 
what he has himself acquired without the 
aid of instructors. . He is a strong sup- 
porter of our school system, and is always 
ready to lend it a helping hand. 



RICH.ARD M. PERRY, a well- 
known farmer of Door county, 
has, since 1865, resided on his 
farm in Section 29, Forestville 
township. He first purchased 160 acres 
of wild land on which not a furrow had 
been turned qr an improvement made, 
and with characteristic energy began the 
development of a farm, transforming the 
forest into rich and fertile fields, and im- 
proving the place with good buildings. 
He has cleared 245 acres of land, and 
now owns 300 acres, 230 of which are 
under cultivation — a greater amount 
than is owned by anj' other man in the 
township. Mr. Perry has resided in 
Door count)' since 1857, having located 
first on Wolf river, after which he en- 
gaged in lumbering, getting out ties and 



posts, and making shingles by hand. 
He had removed to this State from New 
York, but Ireland is the land of his birth, 
he having been born in County Tippcrary 
in 1840. His parents, John and Susan 
(Minchin) Perry, were also natives of 
Ireland, and died in that country. Four 
of their children became residents of 
Wisconsin, namely: John, who settled in 
Door county at an' early day and after- 
ward went to California; Samuel, who at 
one time followed farming in Door 
county, but is now a merchant of Ahan- 
pee; Matthew and Richard M., leading 
agriculturists of Forestville township. 

Our subject spent the first twelve 
}ears of his life on the Emerald Isle and 
then came alone to America. In New 
York State and in Canada he worked on 
farms as a day laborer until coming to Wis- 
consin in 1856. In 1859 he went to Louisi- 
ana, and for two winters was employed by 
a planter to take charge of a wood-yard 
on the Mississippi. In the summer of 
1 860 he was employed by the government, 
driving teams to Salt Lake City, then 
spent the following winter in Louisiana, 
whence he went to Indiana, where he re- 
mained until the breaking out of the war 
of the Rebellion. 

In 1 86 1 Mr. Perry responded to the 
country's call for troops by joining Com- 
pany E, Fourteenth Wis. V. I., three 
years' service, and when that term ex- 
pired he veteranized and was with his 
regiment until after the close of the war. 
He was with the army of the Tennessee, 
and took part in the battles of Shiloh, 
luka, Corinth, Raymond, Champion Hills, 
Black River Bridge, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Atlanta, Ezra Church, Lovejoy Station 
and Bentonville, besides in many minor 
engagements. He then took part in the 
Grand Review in Washington, D. C, 
after which he went to Mobile, Ala., 
where he did provost duty until honorably 
discharged, October 9, 1865. At once 
returning to his home in Door county, 
he has since been engaged in general farm- 
ing and in the raising of Holstein cattle 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



625 



and Berkshire hogs; he is also interested 
in dairy farming. 

In 1867, in Door count}', Mr. Perry 
married Miss Anna Konopp, a native of 
Penns3lvania and a daughter of Peter and 
Gertrude (Bretz) Konopp, who were born 
in Germany and about the year 1865 be- 
came residents of Ahnapee, Wis., where 
the father carried on farming until his 
removal to Door county. His death 
occurred in 1883; his widow is still liv- 
ing in Ahnapee. Mr. and Mrs. Perry 
have six children — Richard M., a commis- 
sion merchant of Milwaukee; Susan, wife 
of Julius Sehute, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; 
Anna, Edward, Henry and Elizabeth, all 
yet at home. Mr. Perry aided in cutting 
the first road to Sturgeon Bay, and has 
generally assisted in opening up and de- 
veloping Door county, in the progress of 
which he still manifests a commendable 
interest. He is a stalwart adherent of 
the Republican party and its principles, 
and has been called upon to fill a num- 
ber of positions of public trust, having 
been postmaster at Forestville for eleven 
years, while in 1 890 he was census enu- 
merator. He also served as assessor and 
supervisor, and in all these offices has dis- 
charged his duties with a promptness and 
fidelity which have won him marked com- 
mendation. Mr. Perry belongs to William 
A. Nelson Post, No. 97, G. A. R. , is now 
serving as adjutant, and was the honored 
commander of the Post for some years. 

Matthew Perry was born in County 
Tipperary, Ireland, in 1838, also a son 
of John and Susan (Minchin) Perry. 
There he was reared and educated, and 
in 1856, having emigrated to America, he 
settled in Door county, where he worked 
at various occupations, including shingle 
making until 1861, when, prompted by a 
spirit of patriotism, he enlisted in Com- 
pany E, Fourteenth Wis. V. I., and with 
the army of the Tennessee took part in 
the engagements enumerated in the 
sketch of his brother, Richard M., and 
took part in the Grand Review at Wash- 
ington. He had re-enlisted in the win- 



ter of 1863-64, and after leaving Wash- 
ington went to Pittsburg, thence to New 
Orleans and on to Mobile, where he did 
provost duty until honorably discharged, 
in October, 1S65. 

On his return to Wisconsin, Mr. 
Perry began farming in Forestville town- 
ship. Door county, having secured 160 
acres of timber land, to which he has 
added until he now has iSo acres, 140 
being well cultivated and improved. He 
also raises a good grade of stock, a branch 
of his business that yields him a good in- 
come. His life has been a busy and use- 
ful one, yet he has found time to devote 
to public interests, and has always borne 
his part in advancing worthy enterprises. 
Among the pioneer settlers of the county 
he is numbered, and as such well deserves 
mention in this volume. 

In 1865 Matthew Perry was married 
to Miss Adaline McChenzie, who was 
born in Germany, a daughter of one of 
the pioneers of Kewaunee county, Wis., 
John McChenzie, who died in 1889; her 
mother is still living on the same old 
homestead in that county. Mr. and Mrs. 
Perry have si.\ children: Samuel, Mat- 
thew, Hattie, Edward, Lizzie and one 
whose name is not given. They lost two 
children: Thomas, who died at the age 
of fourteen years; and William, who 
died in infancy. Mr. Perry votes with 
the Republican party and takes quite an 
active interest in politics, while socially 
he is connected with William A. Nelson 
Post, No. 397, G. A. R,, of Forestville, 
in which he has served as sergeant-major. 



GEORGE D. ROBERTS, who 
holds a prominent place among 
the prosperous agriculturists and 
landowners of Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee count}', is a native of ^^'ales, 
born January 2, 1853, in Llangollen. 
His ancestors were farming people in that 
country. 

Godfrey William Roberts, father of 



630 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



our subject, was born in Wales, and was 
t educated in the Welsh language. He 
married Elizabeth Jones, a native of the 
same country, whose family were promi- 
nent and wealthy people in the neighbor- 
hood in which they lived, man\- of the 
members thereof being government offi- 
cials and well-known in the Navy depart- 
ment. To Godfrey W. and Elizabeth 
(Jones) Roberts, were born twelve chil- 
dren, two of whom died in Wales. Of 
the others, Evan is now a resident of 
Birnamwood, Shawano Co., Wis.; John 
is living in Menominee, Mich. ; Mary Jane 
is the wife of John Sullivan, of Milwau- 
kee, Wis.; Joseph lives in Birnamwood; 
David comes ne.xt in order; George D. is 
the subject of this biographical sketch; 
Elizabeth is married to John Bach, of 
Chicago: Sarah is the wife of Charles 
Kugler, of Milwaukee; Almira is the wife 
of Perry Fay, of Chicago; Godfrey is a 
resident of Birnamwood. In 1858 Mr. 
Roberts came with his family to the 
United States, locating first at Racine, 
Wis., where he followed blacksmithing 
for one year, and then removed to Ah- 
napee, Kewaunee county, here purchas- 
ing the farm our subject now owns and 
occupies. The land being still in its 
primitive condition, he commenced at 
once to clear away the timber and pre- 
pare the soil for cultivation, following 
general agriculture on the place until his 
death, which occurred in i860. When 
he arrived in the United States he was a 
poor man, but he was a man of consider- 
able energj' and perseverance, and by 
good business management and steady 
industry had accumulated considerable 
property, and gained for himself an en- 
viable reputation for honesty and open- 
hearted generositj-. I5cing one of the 
early settlers of the township, he experi- 
enced many of the hardships incident to 
pioneer life; but he lived to see the re- 
gion developed from a wilderness to a 
prosperous farming community. In jiolit- 
ical faith he was a member of the Repub- 
licen part}', and in religious connection a 



member of the Church of England, as 
was also his wife. Mrs. Roberts was a 
lady of considerable education and re- 
finement; she was a sister of John Jones, 
a millionaire and prominent man of Lon- 
don, England; he is a manufacturer of 
watches, also holds large interests in rail- 
roads, and now owns the farm once 
owned by the mother of Henry VII, of 
England. 

George D. Roberts came with his par- 
ents to Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, in the 
common schools of which locality he was 
educated, at the same time receiving a 
thorough agricultural training on the home 
farm. When a young man he learned the 
blacksmith's trade, which he followed 
more or less for a number of years. In 
1879 he was united in marriage with 
Elizabeth Frank, daughter of Capt. J. D. 
Frank, and of German e.xtraction. She 
died one year and ten days after her mar- 
riage, at the early age of twenty-three, 
and is buried at Ahnapee. On April 2, 
1884, Mr. Roberts was again married, 
this time to Pauline Braasch, a native of 
Mishicot, Manitowoc Co., Wis., born 
May 5, 1854, the eighth in the family of 
nine children born to Frederick and 
Sophia (Hanson) Braasch, the former of 
whom was a native of Saxony, Germany, 
the latter of Danish ancestry. Mr. 
Braasch was a man of thorough educa- 
tion, having graduated from two uni\ersi- 
ties, and possessed considerable natural 
ability; his wife had also received a care- 
ful literary training, and was well edu- 
cated, both in German and French. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. Braasch are now deceased, 
he having died in 1884, she in 1892, con- 
sistent members of the Lutheran Church. 
They were among the early settlers of 
Mishicot, Wis., of which place Mr. 
Braasch, who was a veterinary surgeon by 
occupation, became a citizen of much 
prominence. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have been 
born five children, as follows: Gladys, 
October 12, 1885; Luella, August 2, 
1887; George E., May 28, 1889; David J., 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



62"; 



November 15, 1890, and Bessie B., Sep- 
tember 5, 1892. Since his marriage Mr. 
Roberts has been engaged in agricultural 
pursuits, now owning the home farm, 
consisting of 200 acres of good land, and 
is one of the substantial agriculturists of 
the township. Politically, he is a Repub- 
lican. The family attend the M. E. 
Church, Mrs. Roberts, however, being a 
member of the Baptist Church. In 1884 
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts visited relatives in 
England, and had a most enjoyable trip, 
of which they recall many pleasant inci- 
dents. 



JOSEPH ULLSPERGER is one of 
the leading and influential citizens of 
Door county, and is now serving as 
town clerk of Forestville township, 
which position he has filled for six years. 
He is also an enterprising general mer- 
chant of the town of Forestville, and 
proprietor of a cheese factory, has made 
his home in this locality since 1878, and 
has been a resident of the State since 
1868. 

Mr. Ullsperger was born in Bohemia 
in 1854, and is a son of Wenzel and 
Frances fDeofler) Ullsperger, also natives 
of that land, who in 1868, having crossed 
the Atlantic to the New World, located 
in Pierce township, Kewaunee Co., Wis., 
where they are still living. They had a 
family of ten children, namely. Joseph; 
John, who was killed by a failing tree in 
Clay Banks township. Door count}', in 
1874; Wenzel, who is interested in a 
cheese factory in Ahnapee, Wis. ; George, 
who is living in Marinette, Wis. ; Theresa, 
wife of John Hundseder, of Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis. ; Rudolph, who makes his home with 
his parents; Anton, who died in Bohemia 
at the age of three years; Anna, wife of 
Robert Bufflot, of Kewaunee county. Wis. ; 
Frank, who is engaged in tailoring in 
Wausaukee, Wis., and John, who died at 
the age of ten months. Our subject spent 
the first twelve years of his life in Bohemia, 



then accompanied his parents to America, 
and with his grandfather, Frederic Doefier, 
went to Cook county. 111., locating on a 
farm where an uncle lived. In 1867 the 
grandfather came to Kewaunee county. 
Wis. , and in 1 869 returned to Bohemia, 
where he died in 1 876. Joseph Ullsperger 
acquired the greater part of his education 
in his native land, and after coming to 
this country he attended school in Cook 
county. 111., for two terms, learning to 
read and write the English language. 
During the earlier years of his manhood 
he followed farming, continuing in that 
occupation until he turned his attention 
to commercial pursuits. In 1872 he came 
to Door county, and in 1878 located on 
Section 7, Forestville township, there 
securing about eighty acres of land covered 
with timber, which he at once began to 
clear. On coming to Forestville he sold 
that property, and in 1883 established a 
factory in Forestville for the manufacture 
of full cream cheese, in addition to which 
he, in 1887, opened a general mercantile 
store. These two lines of business he has 
since followed with good success, work- 
ing up an excellent trade, from which he 
derives a good income. 

Mr. Ullsperger was married in Pierce 
township, Kewaunee Co., Wis., in 1879, 
to Miss Mary D. Peters, who was born in 
Milwaukee, a daughter of Mathias and 
Barbara (Williams) Peters, natives of 
Prussia, who, crossing the briny deep in 
an early day, became residents of Mil- 
waukee, and about 1866 removed to 
Pierce township, Kewaunee county, where 
the father opened up a farm; his death 
occurred in 1874; his wife died in 1891. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Ullsperger were born 
eight children, five of whom are yet liv- 
ing: Mary D., Anna, Helen, Joseph and 
George; John died at the age of ten 
months, and two died in infancy. In 
politics our subject is a stanch Democrat, 
has frequently served as delegate to the 
County Convention of his party, and on 
the Democratic ticket has six times been 
elected to his present position of town 



628 



COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



clerk of Forestville township, which he 
has all along creditably and acceptably 
tilled. He and his wife are members of 
thr Roman Catholic Church, and he be- 
lonjjs to the Catholic Knights. During 
his residence in Door county, Mr. Ulls- 
perger has witnessed many changes, has 
taken an active part in the development 
and upbuilding of his town and township, 
and has manifested a commendable in- 
terest in ever_\thing pertaining to the wel- 
fare of the community. 



ALBERT WOBSER, who owns a 
fine farm of 200 acres in Section 
36, Nasewaupee township, Door 
county, was born in Germany in 
1S41. His parents, John and Caroline 
(Kuhter) Wobser, were natives of the 
Province of Pomerania, Prussia, where 
the father was a shoemaker. He died in 
i860, and his widow came to America in 
1 86 1, and to Door county. Wis., in 1871, 
making her home in Forestville township. 
She was a strong healthy woman, and a 
very hard worker; her death occurred in 
September, 1891, when she was aged 
seventy-eight years. She had but one 
child, Albert. 

Our subject attended the public schools 
of German}', and at a suitable age learned 
his father's trade, that of shoemaking. 
In 1861 he emigrated to America, for 
some time residing in Canada, where, in 
Toronto, Ontario, he worked at his trade 
and at the butcher business. He next 
went to Chicago, 111., and subsequently 
to Milwaukee where he engaged in the 
shoe business. In January, 1865, he en- 
listed in Company F, Forty-fifth Regi- 
ment, Wis. V. I., and was a member of 
the detachment of the army of the Cum- 
berland which was stationed at Nashville, 
Tenn., on picket duty and guarding the 
trains. He was honorably discharged as 
sergeant in 1865 at Nashville, and re- 
turned to Milwaukee where he continued 
in business until 1869, when he sold out 



and removed to Forestville, Door county, 
and here bought 320 acres of land. 
Later he sold 160 acres, and improved 
the remainder; then bought eighty acres 
more. W'hen he came to Forestville he 
exchanged forty acres to a man for forty 
daj's' work, in order to have a neighbor 
nearer than two miles away. In 1873 he 
sold his whole farm here and recom- 
menced the shoe business in Milwau- 
kee; but ere the expiry of two years he 
abandoned the busmess and returned to 
Door countj', where he took up a home- 
stead of 160 acres in Section 36, Nase- 
waupee township, which at that time was 
all woods, at once commencing the diffi- 
cult task of clearing and preparing the 
ground for cultivation. He added forty 
acres to his farm, and now has 200 acres, 
of which sixty acres are cleared and grow- 
ing very fine crops. About five years ago 
he went into gardening and fruit raising. 
While li\ing in Milwaukee Mr. Wobser 
was married, in 1866, to Miss Charlotta. 
daughter of Karl Dommer. of Germany, 
where she was born. She is the mother 
of seven children, as follows: Hans, who 
operates a cheese factory; and Hugo, 
Hermann, Henry, Herbert, Helena and 
Hedwig, residing at home. Mr. Wobser 
votes with the Republican party, and 
while living in Forestville township was 
town clerk, but he resigned before the end 
of his term and left the town for Milwau- 
kee. He assisted in organizing the school 
district in which he resided, and was a 
school officer for twelve years; was also 
town chairman of Nasewaupee in 1 880. 
Although his army experience was very 
brief, he thoroughly enjoys the soldiers' 
reunions, and is an enthusiastic member 
of the William A. Nelson Post, Number 
97. Mr. Wobser has a much better edu- 
cation than the majority of men who do 
manual labor; in addition to the common 
course of study in Germany, he studied 
law for two 3'ears, but abandoned that 
profession to come to the United States. 
Mr. W^obser traveled considerably when 
he was young; he was in five States on 



COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



629 



the other side of the Atlantic and in 
twelve States on this side, but everything 
considered he likes Door county, Wis., 
the best. 



ALEXANDER LAWSON, Jr., has 
since 1878 resided upon his fine 
farm in Section 2, Forestville 
township, Door county, but the 
iiighly cultivated tract of to-day bears lit- 
tle resemblance to the crude land which 
he purchased. He became owner of 
eighty acres, forty of which he has under 
cultivation, the rich and fertile fields 
yielding to him a golden tribute in return 
for the care and labor he bestows upon 
them. 

Mr. Lawson was born in Essex coun- 
ty, N. Y, in 1850, but was reared in Clin- 
ton county, and acquired his education in 
the public schools of Clintonville, after 
which he started out to make his own way 
in the world, earning his livelihood by 
mining and teaming, hauling charcoal and 
iron ore. Thus his time was passed 
until his emigration westward, after which 
he worked for one year on the home farm, 
and then sought employment in the mills 
and in the lumber woods, devoting his 
energies to these occupations until 1878, 
when he began operating his present farm. 
On January i, 1877, in Forestville town- 
ship, Door count}', he married Miss 
Katie Eiermann, who 
towoc county, Wis. , 
Eiermann, a native 
came to this country, and in pioneer days 
took up his residence in Manitowoc coun- 
ty upon a wooded farm ; he there died on 
the old homestead in 1888, where his 
widow is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Law- 
son have three children: William John, 
Edith and Frank. 

Our subject has witnessed much of the 
growth and development of Door county, 
and has aided in its progress and ad- 
vancement by giving his support to every 
enterprise calculated to prove of public 
benefit. He is recognized as a progressive 



was born in Mani- 
daughter of Joseph 
of Germany, who 



citizen, and in the history of his adopted 
county well deserves representation. He 
votes with the Republican party, and has 
served as constable of his township. The 
sketch of his father we give below. 

Alexander Lawson, Sr. , has since 
1870 resided in Section 10, Forestville 
township, Door county, where he first 
purchased forty acres of land, beginning 
at once to clear it of the heavy growth of 
timber. His first home was a log cabin 
18 X 14 feet, which was replaced by a 
blockhouse, 26 x 20 feet, one story and a 
half in height, with a one-story L, 14 x 18 
feet. This was destroyed by fire in 1893, 
and in October of the same year he 
erected his present residence, 20 x 20 
feet, with an L, 20x18 feet. As his 
financial resources have increased, he has 
also extended the boundaries of his farm, 
and now owns i 50 acres of good land, of 
which fifty acres have been placed under 
the plow, and now yield to the owner 
good crops as the reward for his care and 
labor. 

Mr. Lawson was born in Glasgow, 
Scotland, in 1825, and is a son cf Alex- 
ander and Sarah (Stewart) Lawson, the 
former also born in Glasgow, and the 
latter in Dundee, Scotland. The father, 
who was a butcher by trade, in 1827 re- 
moved to Bainbridge, and thence to Rath- 
fryland. County Down, Ireland, where he 
followed his trade and made his home un- 
til 1879, when, at the advanced age of 
one hundred add two years, six months, 
he passed away. His wife died in 1869. 
They were the parents of ten children, 
namely: James, who emigrated to Essex 
county, N. Y. , in 1862, and died in 1872; 
John and Ann, both of whom died in 
Ireland; Jane, who became the wife of 
John McCrum, and died in the Emerald 
Isle; Eliza, wife of James Brown, of 
Rathfryland, Ireland; William, who emi- 
grated to Philadelphia in 1847, and 
the following year became an Indiana 
farmer, his death occurring in Prince- 
ton, Ind., in 1887; David, who is mar- 
ried and follows farming in Essex county, 



630 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



N. Y., where he located in 1850; Alex- 
ander, subject of this sketch; and Mary 
and Stewart, who died in Ireland. The 
grandparents of this family. William and 
Sallie (Harbison) Lawson, were also na- 
tives of Scotland, and throughout his life 
the grandfather followed butcherinji in 
Cila.sf^ow. 

Aie.xander Lawson, Sr. , was reared 
on a farm in County Down, Ireland, and 
attended its public schools until he began 
work for himself as a farm hand. In 
1847 he determined to seek a home in 
the New World, hoping thereby to benefit 
his financial condition, and sailed from 
W'arrens Point Island, on the brig " Sea 
Bird," which was commanded by Capt. 
John ^^'ray, and which, after a voyage of 
si.Nty-two days, dropped anchor in the 
harbor of New Vork. From there Mr. 
Lawson proceeded to Philadelphia, where 
he engaged in wea\ ing for nearly three 
years, and then removed to Esse.x county, 
N. v., and here purchased a farm of fifty 
acres; but for nearly eighteen years there- 
after he was in the employ of the Iron 
Company as overseer, severing his con- 
nection with the firm on his remo\al to 
Wisconsin. Mr. Lawson was married in 
County Down. Ireland, in 1846, to Miss 
Ellen McMahon, who was born in that 
county, as were also her parents, James 
and Jane (Robinson) McMahon, who 
passed their entire lives in the Emerald 
Isle. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson became the 
parents of eight children, as follows: 
Sarah died at the age of fourteen months; 
Alexander, Jr., is fully spoken of above; 
Ellen is the wife of A. K. Liut^, a banker, 
of (ladott. Wis. ; William is married and 
lives near his father; Anna is the wife of 
J. E. Spal.sbnry, of Clay Banks township. 
Door county; Eliza is the wife of Joseph 
Schneider, of Forestville; Frances is the 
wife of Albert Mitts, of Clay Banks town- 
ship; Sarah died in New \'ork. 

In politics, Mr. Lawson is a Republi- 
can, keeps well informed on the issues of 
the daj', and is deeply interested in the 
leading questions. He has served as clerk 



of Forestville township, was also assessor, 
has been a member of the town board, 
and for about eighteen years has been 
justice of the peace, a fact which indicates 
his fidelity to duty and the trust reposed 
in him. He was one of the prime movers 
in the organization of the school district, 
has always been a friend to education, 
and has withheld his support from no en- 
terprise calculated to promote the general 
welfare and advance the county's best 
interests. 



HON. MICHAEL C. HANEY, of 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, wide- 
1)' and favorably known in business 
circles throughout northern W'is- 
consin, is a native of New York State, born 
December i, 1855, in Alexander, Genesee 
count}'. 

Thomas Haney, father of Hon. Mich- 
ael C. Haney, was born near Sligo, Ire- 
land, was reared to farming, and received 
all his education in his native country, be 
coming well read in historical matters, 
and especially conversant with the history 
of Great Britain. In early manhood he 
emigrated to the United States, locating 
first in Genesee county, N. Y. . where he 
followed farming, and where he was mar- 
ried to Miss Margaret Clancy, a native 
of Clare, Ireland. In 1859 they removed 
to Wisconsin, residing one year in She- 
boygan, and thence coming to Ellisville, 
Kewaunee county, where they lived a 
number of years, Mr. Haney becoming 
one of ths most successful farmers of the 
county. In 1880 he retired from active 
life, removing into the city of Manitowoc, 
where he and his wife and daughter yet 
make their home. Thomas Haney is a 
man of strong convictions and great force 
of character, and was a leader in town- 
ship andcounty affairs, taking an independ- 
ent stand in political matters, and giving 
his vote and support to the l)est man re- 
gardless of party connection. There are 
three children in his family: Michael C, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



631 



John L. (of Kewaunee) and Mary A. (of 
Manitowoc). 

Michael C. Haney received the bene- 
fit of the common schools of Kewaunee 
county, and also attended Green Bay 
Business College, where he took a full 
commercial course. For five years he 
successfully taught school in Brown and 
Kewaunee counties, and then remo\'ed to 
Kewaunee, where he engaged in the agri- 
cultural implement business in partner- 
ship with his brother, and so successful 
were they that after one year they re- 
moved to Ahnapee, establishing them- 
selves in the same line here. The firm is 
known as Haney Bros. , and they handle 
everything in the way of farm implements! 
also wagons and carriages, carrying as 
complete a stock as can be found in 
Kewaunee and Door counties. They have 
another store in Sturgeon Bay, from 
which they supply Door county, and their 
trade, in the implement line, is unques- 
tionably the largest in the State north of 
Milwaukee. Mr. Haney's business meth- 
ods have been strictly honest, his good 
name and good will being second to none 
in the State. It takes time to build up a 
good business, and more time to build up 
a good character, but he has succeeded in 
doing so in a comparatively short period. 
Since 1880 Mr. Haney has been identified 
with Ahnapee, and has taken an active 
part in its growth and development, 
proving himself a useful citizen and a 
champion of every good enterprise. 
Politically he is a Democrat, and in the 
fall of 1 886 was nominated and elected by 
the party for member of the Assembly, 
holding the office two years, during which 
he served on the conmiittee of Incorpcjra- 
tions and made a creditable record as a 
legislator. 

In addition to his implement business, 
above mentioned, Mr. Haney is also con- 
nected with the Ahnapee & Western rail- 
road, of which he is vice-president; is a 
stockholder and director in the Ahnapee 
Veneer & Seating Co., and stockholder 
and director in the Ahnapee Furniture 



Co., all of which he helped and protected 
in their infancy. His influence among 
his fellow citizens is widespread, and a 
strong moral character and high sense of 
integrit}' directs that infiuence to the 
furtherance of every project that promises 
to be useful and beneficial to himself and 
his fellow men. Oneof the most substantial 
men in the county, he is at the same 
time one of the most quiet and unobtru- 
sive, showing, however, when occasion 
demands it, a reserve force and a strength 
of will that are as powerful as une.\- 
pected. 



IVl 



ELVIN HAINES, a prosperous 
farmer of Nasevvaupee town- 
ship. Door county, is well 
known throughout the county 
as a successful and public-spirited busi- 
ness man. He is a native of Ozaukee 
county. Wis., and was born in 1850. 
His parents, Tellack and Ellen (Halver- 
son) Haines, came originally . from Nor- 
way and settled in Canada in 1848, 
where thej' remained two years, then re- 
moved to Ozaukee county. Wis., where 
they purchased the farm on which our 
subject was born. When Melvin was six 
years of age his parents removed to 
Door count}' where the}' bought a tract 
of timber land, on which, after clearing, 
they made their home. As the surround- 
ing country was wholly undeveloped at 
that time, in consequence of which the 
educational advantages were very limited, 
the children or Mr. and Mrs. Tellack 
Haines received but a meager amount of 
schooling. The mother died in Nasevvau- 
pee township in 1878. 

In 1868 Melvin Haines, our subject, 
went to Central City, also to Idaho 
Springs, Colo., and at the latter place 
spent four years working in the mines. 
Later he learned photography, and opened 
a gallery in Golden City (Colo.). The 
patronage not being up to his e.xpectations 
he tried Denver with a like result, and in 
1872 returned to Wisconsin, where, with 



6y. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his brother Tellif as a partner, he engaged 
in the mercantile business, their house be- 
ing the first of that kind in Bay View, 
where they had located. One year later 
our subject went to Nasewaupee town- 
ship. Door Co., where he bought a farm. 
Since that time he has added to his 
original purchase until at the present 
time he owns 300 acres of land, delight- 
fully situated on the shores of Green Bay 
and Sturgeon Bay, and extending to 
Idlewild. This place possesses unex- 
ceptional ad\antages for a summer resort. 
Politically Mr. Haines is an ardent 
Republican, and has served his towns- 
people well as supervisor, town clerk and 
member of school board; in fact he or- 
ganized the school district in which he 
lives. He is a member of Peninsula Lodge 
No. 320 I. O. O, F. In iS72hewas 
married, in Door county, to Miss Mary 
Sorenson, a native of Germany and a 
daughter of John Sorenson, an early 
pioneer of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., who now 
resides in Bay View, same State. Mr. 
and Mrs. Haines have had six children 
born to them, of whom Oliver, Ida and 
Oscar died when quite young; Arthur, 
Frank and Lizzie live at home. In 1885 
the mother died, and two years later the 
father married Miss Amelia Thoreson, 
daughter of Lewis Thoreson, who came 
to Nasewaupee township in 1873. Mr. 
and Mrs. Haines are respected members 
of the Lutheran Church, in which society 
they are active workers. 



REV. FATHER ALPHONS M. 
BROENS, pastor of St. Joseph's 
Church, Sturgeon Bay, Door 
county, is a citizen of whom any 
community might be proud, a clergyman 
whose presence would benefit any localit}-, 
and whose name would reflect honor upon 
any office or station. 

He is a native of Holland, born in 
the city of Weert May i , 1 864, a son of 
Arnold Broens, of the same nativity, born 
in July, 1827, a son of Leonard Broens, 



born in Holland in 1800, whose father 
was a German by birth. As far back as 
can be traced the male members of the 
family were men of business, for the 
most part merchants. On February 28, 
1853, Arnold Broens married Miss Anna 
Beckx, also a native of Holland, a rela- 
tive of the late Father Peter Beckx, who 
for many years was superior-general of 
the Jesuits. To this marriage were born 
twelve children, namely : Bertha, Mary, 
Catherine, Leo, Alphons M., Lambert J., 
and Anna, living, and live that died in 
infancy. The three sons are all priests — 
Leo, at Bay City, Mich.; Alphons M., at 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; and Lambert J., at 
Martinsville, Kewaunee Co., Wis. The 
mother died in December, 1887 ; the 
father, who is a retired merchant, is still 
living in Holland with his daughter Mary. 
The subject of these lines attended 
the public schools of his native place up 
to the age of twelve years, when he en- 
tered college at Weert, from which insti- 
tution he graduated in 1881, directly 
afterward setting out for America. Com- 
ing westward from the port of debarca- 
tion to Indiana, he entered Notre Dame 
University, in that State, where he studied 
philosophy until September, 1882, at 
which time he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
and there for twelve months was profes- 
sor of Latin in St. Joseph's College, also 
teaching mathematics. In September, 
1 883, he entered St. Francis Seminary, near 
Milwaukee, and there continued and, in 

1886, completed his theological studies, 
fully qualifying himself to enter the priest- 
hood. In the latter year he came to Green 
Bay, and after spending sometime at the 
Bishop's home was appointed assistant 
pastor of the Catholic Church at Marinette, 
same State, taking charge thereof October 
21,1 886, and retiring from it September 8, 

1887, the date of his coming to Sturgeon 
Bay, having been appointed pastor of St. 
Joseph's Church in that city, an incum- 
bency he has since filled with true Chris- 
tian zeal and fidelity. Since his coming 
to take the responsibility of this charge, 




/^Q^/. ^^^-^--^^^2:^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



635 



many improvements have been effected in 
the status of the parish through Father 
Broens' efforts: The old frame church 
building that was standing when he came 
to it has been replaced by the present 
substantial brick edifice; in 188S was 
erected the elegant brick schoolhouse, 
which was opened October i , same year, 
with III pupils and three teachers; to- 
day there are 235 pupils and four teach- 
ers. The foundation stone of the new 
church was laid in 18S8, and the building 
was completed and dedicated October i, 
1889, by Bishop Katzer. In 1890 was 
built a residence for the Sisters, and at 
the same time the priest's residence was 
enlarged. Father Broens now claims a 
congregation of 200 families made up of 
no less than si.x nationalities, to whom he 
preaches in three languages — English, 
German and French. In social affilia- 
tions he is an active member of the Catho- 
lic Knights and the Catholic Order of 
Foresters. 



WILLIAM ST. PETERS, of West 
Kewaunee township, Kewaunee 
county, was born in Carlton 
township, Kewaunee Co., Wis., 
November 14, 1854, and is a son of An- 
ton A. D. St. Peters. 

Anton A. D. St. Peters was born at 
Wolf River, Canada, March 10, 1826, 
and is a son of Joseph and Julia St. 
Peters, also natives of that country. 
Until he was twelve years old, Anton 
lived on a farm, and then went with his 
parents to New Brunswick, where he was 
employed in the cod fisheries until he 
reached the age of twenty-three, at which 
time he came to the United States, land- 
ing at Sheboygan, Wis., whence, in 1850 
he moved to Two Rivers, same State, 
and located on a farm in Carlton town- 
ship, Kewaunee county. Here he was 
engaged in making shingles, following that 
occupation five years, when he bought 
320 acres of good farming land near Mena- 
sha, and commenced tilling the soil. In 

36 



this he continued until 1883, then sold his 
farm, removed to Kewaunee, and invested 
to some extent in city property. In Au- 
gust, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, 
Twenty-seventh Wis. V. I., and served 
nearly two j'ears under Capt. Cunning- 
ham. Mr. St. Peters is now a member 
of the G. A. R., John M. Read Post, of 
Kewaunee, and is also an Odd Fellow; 
politically he is a Republican. Anton St. 
Peters was married, in 1849, to Mary 
Rogers, who was born in 1831, daughter 
of Charles and Katharine Rogers, and to 
this union have come twelve children, 
viz. : Katharine, George, Eliza, William, 
Idel, Charles, Matilda, Nellie, Margaret, 
Eugene, Rachel and Emma, all of whom 
are living with the exception of Margaret, 
who died when an infant, and William, 
who was accidentall}' killed since this 
sketch was prepared. 

William St. Peters, the subject proper 
of this sketch, was reared on his father's 
farm, and received a good common-school 
education. The country being new and 
he young, his farm labors were quite oner- 
ous, and during the two years his father 
was in the army his toil and responsibility 
were considerably increased. Mr. St. 
Peters early affiliated with the Republi- 
can party, and was active in its behalf. 
For three years he was clerk of the board 
of education, and treasurer of School 
District No. 2. On September 21, 1872, 
he was united in marriage with Janet 
Dalziel, who was born in Scotland July 
3, 1855, a daughter of Robert and Janet 
Dalziel, the former of whom was born in 
Hurlford, Scotland, in December, 1823. 
This union has been blessed with four 
children, their names and dates of birth 
being as follows: William Robert. May 5, 
1874; Reginald I., July 3, 1877; Jeanette 
Beatrice, June 19, 1881, and Blanche, 
November 28, 1884. 

Mr. William St. Peters was accident- 
ally killed by the discharge of a gun on 
his premises in West Kewaunee April 17, 
1895. He started out in the afternoon 
to go into the woods to work, and, as was 



636 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



customary, took his gun alonj:; with him. 
At seven in the evening, his body was 
found by his sons in the path near a rail 
fence, which he had evidently attempted 
to climb with tiic gun, ami which had in 
some manner caught upon a knot and dis- 
charged itself into his body, causing in- 
stant death. His funeral was one of the 
largest ever witnessed in the community. 
He was one of the most progressive and 
industrious farmers. 



c 



H.\RLE.S LEWIS FELLOWS, 
who for the past several years has 
been engaged in general agricul- 
ture and stock raising in Clay- 
banks township, Door county, is one of 
the most prominent citizens of this section 
of the State, having been intimately as- 
sociated with its interests and progress 
for almost the past forty years. 

The I'ellows famil\- is of English and 
Irish origin, and the earliest ancestors of 
whom we have record took an active 
part in the Reformation. The\' came to 
this country from Ireland in 1630, settling 
in Connecticut, and Nathaniel Fellows, 
the first of the family in this country of 
whom anything definite is known, was a 
soldier in the Colonial army during the 
Pequod, King Philip and other wars in 
early New England days. 

Isaac Fellows, the great-grandfather of 
our sul)ject, was a descendant of Nathan- 
iel l-'ellows. .-^ copy of an Act of the As- 
-sombly of the Colony of Connecticut 
reads as follows: " This Assembly do es- 
tablish Isaac Fellows to be Lieutenant of 
horse, in the Nineteenth regiment in this 
Colony. Enacted May 17, 1775, by 
General Assembly of the English Colony 
of Connecticut. Jonathan Trumbull, 
Governor." He died in October. 1777, 
while fighting for liberty and independ- 
ence with the Continental ariny, in which 
two of his sons also served — Jason, who 
was killed in the army, and John, who 
was afterward promoted to the rank of 
general, and served until the triumphant 



end of the struggle. He then located in 
the city of New York, where he died in 
1808. Adolphus Fellows (son of Isaac 
Fellows, and grandfather of our subject) 
was a native <jf Connecticut, where he 
was born in 1 764. and died November 
29, 1849, at Racine, Wis. He married 
Lucy Tucker, a native of Massachusetts, 
who was born in 1773, and died in Will- 
iamstown. State of \'ermont, in 1841. 
The Tuckers were prominent during the 
early settlement of New England, and 
during the Revolutionarj' war, serving 
principally in the infant navy of that 
period. Commodore Tucker being the 
most prominent naval officer of the war. 
After the close of the Revolutionary war 
some of them removed to \'ermont (then 
known as the New Hampshire grant). 

George D. Fellows, father of Charles 
L. Fellows, born June 2, 181 2, in Ver- 
mont, was reared on a farm, and was 
educated in the common schools of the 
Green Mountain State. In 1835 he 
found employment on a sloop on the 
Hudson river, plying between Albany and 
New York, and the ne.\t year (1836) 
walked from Williainstown,\'t., to Racine, 
Wis., where he engaged in cutting tim- 
ber, and soon began contracting on his 
own account, doing a jobbing business. 
He also bought and sold claims, and con- 
tinued this until 1839, when he went back 
to Vermont, in 1841 returning to Wis- 
consin with his family and locating in the 
city of Racine, where he again established 
himself in the jobbing business, and car- 
rying it on until his death, which took 
place February 26, 1857. He also owned 
several vessels, which were used princi- 
pally in the lumber and wood trade be- 
tween Michigan and Chicago. Though 
an active business man up to the time of 
his death, Mr. Fellows took a leading 
part in the organization and general ad- 
vancement of the city of Racine, as well 
as the development of its business re- 
sources, and was one of its best known and 
most honored residents. He became a 
member of the first council of Racine after 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



637 



its organi;?ation as a city, and served in 
various other positons of trust, holding a 
high place in the esteem of his towns- 
people and fellow citizens generally. Po- 
litically he was originally a Whig, joining 
the Republican party on its organization, 
his last Presidential vote being cast for 
John C. Fremont, the first Republican 
nominee. Socially he was a member of 
the I. O. O. F. until his death. He 
married Louisa Olds, a native of Ver- 
mont, who died April 10, 1859, aged 
forty-seven years and seven months, the 
mother of four children, viz. : Charles 
Lewis, whose name opens this sketch; 
William, of Chicago; Harrison, who died 
April I, 1887, at Racine, aged forty-six 
years and nine months (at the time of his 
death he was a large coal dealer and ves- 
sel owner in that city); and a daughter 
that died in infancy. Mrs. Fellows was 

the daughter of Joel and fKidderj 

Olds, natives of New England. She was 
a member of the M. E. Church. 

Charles Lewis Fellows, the subject 
proper of this sketch, was born August i i , 
1834, in Williamstown, Orange Co., Vt., 
and when but seven years of age came 
with his parents to Racine, where he re- 
ceived his early education, completing his 
studies at Bell's Commercial College, 
Chicago, whence he graduated in the 
spring of 1856. Prior to this he had 
sailed on the lakes for a number of years, 
when but eighteen becoming captain and 
part owner of the schooner "Julia Ann." 
which was the first vessel that ever sailed 
into the Ahnapee river; he was also cap- 
tain and o\\-ner of the " Whirlwind," the 
first vessel that ever loaded at the bridge 
pier in Ahnapee. In 1856 Mr. Fellows 
came to Ahnapee, and embarking in the 
mercantile marine business continued to 
follow it successfully imtil 1887. He re- 
moved to his present farm in Claybanks 
township. Door county, in 1871, and has 
since given his time and attention jirinci- 
pally to general agriculture and stock 
raising, making a specialty of O.xford- 
Down sheep. The ability and energy 



which have characterized him in all his 
business pursuits have been recognized as 
the secret of his success, and his fellow 
citizens have given many evidences of 
their confidence in him, selecting him to 
fill numerous position of responsibility, 
the duties of which he has invariably dis- 
charged in a conscientious faithful man- 
ner, giving universal satisfaction. For 
twenty-three years he served as post- 
master at Foscoro, and is at the present 
time chairman of Claybanks township, 
an oi^ce to which he has been elected for 
the past eight years, and he never fails to 
give his influence and support to any en- 
terprise for the general welfare of the 
section, especially its agricultural develop- 
ment. He was appointed a member of 
the Advisory Council of the World's Con- 
gress Auxiliary on Farm Culture and 
Cereal Industry, and during the World's 
Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in 1 893, 
was a member of the World's Agricul- 
tural Congress. He is Republican in 
politics, casting his first Presidential vote 
for John C. Fremont in 1856. 

Mr. Fellows was married, in 1857, to 
Mary Frances Yates, who is a native of 
Wisconsin, born December 29, 1839, at 
Pleasant Prairie, daughter of John L. V. 
Yates, and to this union have come seven 
children as follows: George Decatur, a 
resident of Racine; Fred Wild, of Goge- 
bic, Mich. ; John Lewis, of Foscora,Door 
Co., Wis.; Edith I., now Mrs. William 
White, of Ahnapee; Frank Edward, who 
died July 11, 1893, aged twenty years, 
six months and eleven days; William 
Harrison, of Jeffris, Wis., and a son 
who died in infancy in 1871. In relig- 
ious connection Mrs. Fellows is a mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Fel- 
lows is a member of the Sons of the 
American Revolution. 

John L. V. Yates (father of Mrs. 
Charles L. Fellows) was born July 19, 
1809, at Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N. 
Y., of Dutch extraction, and died April- 
12, 1890, in Foscoro, Wis. His parents, 
Thomas and Florinda f Lewis) Yates, also 



638 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



reached advanced ages, the father dying 
March 24, 1854, at Kenosha, Wis., aged 
seventj'-three years and five months, and 
the mother passing away January i, 1861, 
at Chicago, aged eighty-three years. 
John L. V. Yates married Jane Ames, 
who was born May 19, 1817, in Onon- 
daga county, N. Y., daughter of Silas and 
Eliza (Johnston) Ames. Silas Ames was 
a man of considerable education and abil- 
ity, and from 1835 to 1838 held the posi- 
tion of collector of tolls on the Erie 
canal. He and his wife both passed 
their threescore years and ten, spending 
their last daj'S at Kenosha, Wis., where 
Mr. Ames died December 9, 1870, aged 
seventy-nine years and eight months, pre- 
ceded to the grave by his wife, who passed 
from earth May 27, 1869, aged seventy- 
six years and seven months. They reared 
a family of twelve children. The John- 
ston family, of which Mrs. Ames was a 
member, were people of education and 
refinement, and were quite prominent in 
the community where they resided. To 
John L. V. and Jane (Ames) Yates were 
born six children, namely: Irene, now 
Mrs. Frank Deniing, of Chicago; Mary 
Frances, Mrs. Charles L. Fellows; Char- 
lotte F., Mrs. William H. Seymour, of 
Elgin; Katharine, Mrs. G. W. Young, of 
Ahnapee; and Susan and Thomas, who 
died before reaching maturity. The 
mother of this family died April 6, 1891. 
Before his removal to Wisconsin, Mr. 
Yates was a well-known resident of Syra- 
cuse, N. Y., and was postmaster at that 
city in 1837. 



LBERT BUSCHMANN, one of 



the leading pioneer citizens of 



A 

I ^ Brussels township, Door county, 
was born September 27, 1834, in 
Prussia, Germany, the third son of Martin 
Buschmann, a cooper by trade, who had a 
family of seven children, five of them 
being sons. The parents both died in 
Germany. 

The subject of these lines attended 



the public schools of his native country 
until fourteen years of age, and then 
commenced learning the cooper's trade 
under his father's supervision, serving an 
apprenticeship of seven years. At the 
age of twenty-one he commenced to think 
about turning his trade to account, and 
for the next three 3ears earned no little 
money in so doing. He was exempt from 
army service in Germany on account of 
being under the regulation height. Being 
of an ambitious turn of mind he conclud- 
ed to emigrate to the United States, 
where he hoped to command higher 
wages, as he was a very competent work- 
man, and to this end he procured money 
from kind friends, wherewith to defray 
his passage. About March i, 1858, he 
left Hamburg on a sailing vessel for 
Quebec, arriving at the latter place in 
safet}' after a voyage of six weeks, and 
from there journeyed to Milwaukee, Wis. 
Not being able to find work immediately 
in that city, he went into the country 
south of Milwaukee, where he was em- 
ployed by a farmer, and for four months 
he was obliged to take farm products as 
compensation for his work. Later he se- 
cured work at his trade in Milwaukee; 
but money was very scarce that year, and 
he could scarcelj' make his expenses. 
Learning that coopers were desired in 
Baraboo, Sauk county, he immediately 
went there, and for the next seven years 
secured steady employment at his trade. 
In 1859 Mr. Buschmann was married 
at Baraboo to Miss Minnie Fritz, also a 
native of Germany, a former schoolmate 
and neighbor of his, and who came to this 
country on the same ship with him. They 
had six children as follows: Julius, who 
is engineer for the Goodrich line of ves- 
sels and lives at Manitowoc; Henry, who 
died when thirteen years old; Albert, Jr., 
of Milwaukee; William, a practicing phy- 
sician of Two Rivers, Wis. ; Edward, a 
machinist of Ahnapee, and Emma, a 
teacher in Milwaukee. In December, 
1873, the mother of these died and was 
buried in Manitowoc, and soon thereafter 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



639 



Mr. Buschmann started a coopering busi- 
ness in Manitowoc, which for twenty 
years he has operated successfully. It 
was here that he was married June 24, 
1875, to Mrs. Mary A. Bertolit, widow of 
John Bertolit, by whom she had one 
daughter, Minnie, now Mrs. Edward 
Buschmann, of Brussels township. Mrs. 
Buschmann is a native of Kossuth, Mani- 
towoc Co., Wis., born February 7, 1851, 
a daughter of Ludwig Ahlswede. Of this 
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Buschmann have 
two children living: Charles and Hugo, 
both at home; Ida and Louis died in 
infancy. 

Mr. Buschmann lived in Manitowoc un- 
til April, 1883, when he disposed of his 
interests there and came to Brussels 
township, Door county, where in Section 
25 he bought 160 acres of timber land. 
At that time this particular part of the 
country was wholly undeveloped, and in 
many respects resembled a wilderness; 
but in due time, by unremitting toil and 
perseverance, he succeeded in clearing a 
large portion of his land, and has made 
additions to the original number of acres 
he purchased until at the present writing 
he has 400 acres, which places him as 
the largest individual land owner in Brus- 
sels township. In politics he is a stanch 
Republican, but does not aspire to office. 
His entire family, including himself, are 
members of the Baptist Church. The 
marvelous success which has attended 
Mr. Buschmann's later-year efforts is at- 
tributable entirely to his natural sagacity, 
combined with good practical business 
methods. 



AUGUST GOSIN comes from a land 
that has furnished to Kewaunee 
county a number of her best citi- 
zens, the Kingdom of Belgium, 
where he was born August 7, 1852, a son 
of Donnie Gosin, a farmer of that coun- 
try, who married Amelia Ramoisey, and 
by her had a family of five children: 



Frank, Amelia, August, Virginia and John 
B., all yet living. 

When our subject was about live years 
of age his parents bade adieu to home 
and friends, and with their family sailed 
for the New World, landing in New York 
after a voyage of thirty-eight days. They 
did not tarry long in the eastern metropo- 
lis, but came west at once to Green Bay, 
Wis., and after two weeks removed to 
Lincoln township, Kewaunee county, 
where the father purchased a quarter sec- 
tion of land, all covered with hardwood 
timber. A log house was constructed 24 
.X 28 feet, and in it they began life on the 
frontier in true pioneer style, suffering the 
hardships and trials which come to those 
who make homes in a frontier region. 
The arduous task of clearing and develop- 
ing the land was at once begun, and the 
work was performed with an axe and grub 
hoe until a space was cleared large enough 
to plant a crop of corn, wheat, peas and 
potatoes. From two bushels of wheat 
sown, sixty-two bushels were harvested. 
The children were deprived of early edu- 
cational privileges, owing to the distance 
from the nearest school house, but our 
subject afterward attended business col- 
lege, and was thus fitted for the practical 
duties of life. Their provisions were 
shipped to Uyckesville, and carried from 
there to their home, a distance of seven 
miles. 

The subject of our sketch frequently 
worked for neighboring farmers, but 
made his home with his parents as long 
as they lived, and cared for them in their 
later years. He was married December 
10, 1876, to Anna, daughter of Edward 
and Jane (Davies) Davies, which worthy 
couple had a family of thirteen children, 
as follows: Sarah, Samuel, William, 
Edward, John, Jennie, Mary, Margaret, 
James, David, Anna, Alexander and 
Susan. Mrs. Gosin was born in High- 
land, Iowa county. Wis., July 7, 1853, 
and was of English descent, her ancestors 
having emigrated to America in an early 
day in the history of this country. She 



640 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



is a lady of culture and refinement, and 
was teaching school in Luxemburg town- 
ship at the time of her marriage. Mr. 
and Mrs. Gosin have become the parents 
of seven children, their names and dates of 
birth being as follows: Salena, September 
2S, 1877; Clara, September 2, 1879; Ed- 
ward, October 15, 1881; Donnie, May 
31, 1884; Susie May. September 11, 
1886; Berna, March 12, 1888, and 
Fabian, September 11, 1890. In No- 
\ember, 1874, Mr. Gosin came to Lu.x- 
emburg township, and purchased eighty- 
five acres of land in Section 17, which 
constitutes his present home. He de- 
votes his time and energies to general 
farming, also to dealing in general merch- 
andise and farm implements, and is a 
man of good business and e.xecutive 
ability, whose capable management and 
careful attention to all details have 
brought him success. His life has been 
well spent, and throughout the com- 
munity he is held in high esteem. In 
politics he is a supporter of the Republi- 
can party, and has served as supervisor 
of his township, while in religious belief 
his wife and children are connected with 
the Roman Catholic Church. 



HH. FULLER, of Forestville. 
Door county, is numbered among 
Wisconsin's native sons, his birth 
having occurred inYorkville town- 
ship, Racine county, in 1852. He comes 
of an old New England family, his grand- 
parents, Samuel and Chloe (Walker) 
Fuller, having been natives of Connecti- 
cut, whence they removed about 18 14 to 
New York. They later settled in Jeffer- 
son county, that State, where Mr. Fuller 
spent his remaining days, his death oc- 
curring in 1843; his widow afterward 
came to Wisconsin, where she died in 
1847. Her father. Nelson Walker, located 
in Racine, Wis., in 1843, and there pub- 
lished a paper until his removal to Wau- 
kegan, 111., whence he went to Chicago, 



where he edited a paper; he died at Stur- 
geon Bay, Wis., about the year 1883. 

Elijah S. Fuller, father of our sub- 
ject, was born in Chenango county, N. Y. , 
in 181 5, but was reared, educated and 
taught the cooper's trade in Jefferson 
county, N. Y. He married Betsy C. 
Clarke, a native of Jefferson countj', and 
with family emigrated, in 1844, to Racine 
county, Wis., where he improved a farm, 
making his home thereon until 1855. In 
that year he went to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 
where he engaged in the lumber business 
for five years, and ran the first ferry across 
the bay. For three years he was owner 
of a ferry, and then turned his attention 
to fishing and burning lime, which pur- 
suits he followed until 1892, when he 
came to Forestville, where he died Janu- 
ary 8, 1895. In their family were eight 
children, of whom Byron, the eldest, died 
in childhood; Amelia became the wife of 
Abel Whittaker, and died in 1885, her 
husband dying in Bay View, Wis., in 
1891 (their children were Olive, Arthur 
and Otisj; Cornelia first married Sandy 
Templeton, b\- whom she had five chil- 
dren, three of whom are yet living — 
Carrie, wife of John Jewett, of Menomo- 
nee; Allen and Sandy; (for her second 
husband Cornelia wedded Jake Hermann, 
and four of their children are living — 
Willie, Nellie, Henry and Gertie; the 
mother died in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in 
1887); Emma, the ne.xt in the family, died 
in 1872; H. H. is the fifth in order of 
birth; William died in childhood; Inez is 
the wife of E. W. Brewster, of Bay 
View, and thej^ have three children, 
Nellie, Ray and Edna; Louis died in 
Neenah, Wis., in September, 1893, at 
the age of twenty-nine years, and his 
widow now resides in Sheboygan. 

H. H. Fuller, our subject, was reared 
in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and received the 
educational privileges afforded in its 
public schools. He began farming near 
Ba)' View, and later had charge of the 
business of the Washington Ice Co., for 
five and a half years, during which time 



COMMEMORATIVE BlOGliAPUWAL REOOBD. 



641 



he established an agricultural implement 
store in Bay View, which he yet carries 
on, doing a good business along that line. 
In 1 89 1 he embarked in the hotel and 
saloon business in Forestville, but retired 
from the same in 1893. In 1880 he 
was united in marriage, in Bay View, 
with Miss Sarah Noble, who was reared 
in Manitowoc county, and was a daughter 
of William and Susan Noble, natives of 
St. Lawrence county, N. Y. , who located 
in Manitowoc county in an early day. 
Mrs. Fuller died in Bay View in 1885, 
and in 1887 Mr. Fuller wedded, in Manito- 
woc county, Ella Andrews, a native of 
Wisconsin. Socially our subject is a 
member of the Royal Arcanum Lodge of 
Sturgeon Bay, and in politics he is a 
Republican. 



JOHN B. VAN DENHOUTEN.— 
Belgium has furnished to W^isconsin 
a number of citizens who have al- 
ways borne their part in the work of 
public advancement and improvement, 
and among these is well worthy of men- 
tion our subject, who is a resident of 
Lu.xemburg township, Kewaunee county. 
He was born in Belgium in February, 
1840, a son of William and Petronell 
(Vander Veekan) Van Denhouten, the 
former of whom was a barber and weaver. 
They reared a family of .six children, 
namely: Frank, Elizabeth, John B., 
Johanna, Theresa and Jennie. 

Our subject attended the common 
schools of his native country until fifteen 
years of age, when he accompanied his 
parents on a forty-seven days' voyage to 
America, landing at New York, whence 
the following day they started for Green 
Bay, Wis., traveling mostly by boat; 
thence they came to Lu.xemburg town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, which at that 
time was a part of Casco township. Here 
the father purchased forty acres of total- 
ly unimproved land; a log cabin was erect- 
ed, 17x17 feet, to which the following 
year an addition was made of about equal 



size, in all making a comfortable home. 
With an axe and grub hoe the work of 
clearing the land was begun, and although 
the labor was very arduous, yet it was 
continued uninterruptedly, in course of 
time bringing rich returns. Potatoes and 
wheat were planted by hand — their first 
crops — and the latter was harvested with 
a sickle brought from the old country. 
There was no road within three miles of 
their home, and everything had to be car- 
ried to the cabin for that distance. They 
afterward bought and cleared an addition- 
al tract of forty acres, and the once wild 
land was transformed into one of the val- 
uable farms of Kewaunee county. The 
other children left home, but our sub- 
ject remained with his parents, and 
retained possession of the old home- 
stead which he yet owns and occupies. 
He has added a quarter section of land to 
this, and now has 320 acres, 220 of which 
are cleared and under a high state of cul- 
tivation. The well-tilled fields, substan- 
tial improvements and neat appearance of 
the place all indicate the practical and 
progressive spirit of the owner. 

In May, 1864, John B. Van Den- 
houten was married to Victoria Jacque. 
His father died one year previous to that 
time, but his mother lived with them for 
three years, when she married Philip 
Bredael, and they then lived on his own 
farm. Since the death of her second 
husband, seven years later, she has re- 
sided with her daughter, Elizabeth, now 
the wife of Frank Bredael, on the same 
place. T oour subject and wife have 
been born eight children — one daughter 
and seven sons — Josephine, Joseph, Eli, 
Eugene, Frank, Louis, George and Ben- 
jamin. Politically, Mr. Van Denhouten 
supported the Republican party until 
1 890, when he joined the ranks of the 
Democrats, with whom he has since been 
identified. For three years, from 1890 
to 1893, he served as supervisor; from 
1893 to 1894, as assessor; has been jus- 
tice of the peace since 1892; and school 
district clerk since April, 18S7, his pres- 



643 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



ent term beirifj his third one. In his 
official positions, as in all relations of life, 
he has been found faithful and true to 
the trusts reposed in him. Both he and 
his wife hold membership in the Catholic 
Church, and in the community where 
they live they are held in high regard, 
and have many warm friehds. 



HENRY STARR is a native of Fin- 
land, Russia, born March 10, 
1862, and is the sixth in the fam- 
ily of nine children born to John 
and Catherina (Hanson) Starr, viz. : John; 
Johanna and Peter, both deceased; An- 
drew; Henry, deceased; Henry, of this 
sketch; Jacob, who has also passed away; 
Johanna, and August. The father made 
farming his life work, and was quite suc- 
cessful in his undertakings. 

Our subject received but few advan- 
tages in his youth, educational or other- 
wise, for at the early age of nine years he 
began work on his father's farm, and aided 
in the cultivation of the fields until eight- 
een years of age, when he turned his at- 
tention to commercial pursuits. He was 
then for a year engaged in clerking in a 
store, after which he returned home and 
remained there for a year. He next went 
to Helsingfors, Finland, where he worked 
at the carpenter's trade, which he had 
learned ere leaving home. Two years 
later he sailed for America, having de- 
termined to try his fortune in the New 
World, and after a voyage of eleven days 
landed at New York July 11. From 
there proceeding to Camden, N. J., he 
there spent two weeks in working as a 
carpenter, but believing that the west 
furnished better opportunities to j'oung 
men, he came to Baileys Harbor, \\' is. , 
making the journey partly by boat and 
partly by rail. Here he began to earn 
his livelihood by chopping wood, and was 
thus employed for a year, after which he 
purchased 120 acres of land and com- 
menced farming; but not wishing to make 
that his life work, he sold his land to his 



brother-in-law after two years, then 
rented a farm upon which he lived two 
years. On his removal to Baileys Har- 
bor, he worked at various occupations 
until purchasing the saloon which he has 
since conducted with good success except 
for about one year, which he passed in 
Utah, engaged in mining. 

On August 15, 1885, Mr." Starr was 
united in marriage with Miss Maria Brann, 
daughter of Jacob and Anna Maria 
(Grandroot) Brann, and by her has three 
children: Ellen M., May and John Will- 
iam. They also lost two sons — John 
William and Harry — who were the eldest 
in the family. In his political views Mr. 
Starr is a stalwart Democrat, having ad- 
vocated the principles of that party since 
coming to the United States. He is now 
serving as school director, but has never 
been an office seeker, preferring to give 
his time and energies to his business in- 
terests. He need never have occasion to 
regret his emigration to .America, for here 
he has secured a comfortable competence 
and won many friends. 



BF. OTIS, farmer. Sturgeon Bay 
township. Door county, is a na- 
tive of Maine, born January 3, 
1858, in Fairfield, son of John P. 
and Hannah (Tibbets) Otis, farming peo- 
ple. 

Our subject attended the common 
schools, obtaining a good practical edu- 
cation, and was reared to agricultural 
pursuits, continuing to follow same in 
his native State until 1869, when he 
came to Wisconsin, borrowing fifty dol- 
lars from his grandmother for that pur- 
pose. Journeying by rail to Green Bay, 
thence by stage to Sturgeon Bay, he ar- 
rived at the home of his brother-in-law, 
in Door county, who had offered him 
thirty dollars a month to drive oxen, and 
he was thus engaged until spring. He 
then entered the employ of A. W. Law- 
rence, for whom he worked in the lumber 
regions and in mills, and afterward was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



64s 



engaged in the lumber camps for seven 
winters under various employers, remain- 
ing in Wisconsin nine years befor3 he re- 
visited his early home. In 1885 Mr. 
Otis bought from Albert Jacobs eighty 
acres of wild land in Sevastopol town- 
ship, at that time totally unimproved, and 
by unremitting industry he has succeeded 
in clearing over twenty acres of this tract 
for cultivation. He has gained an en- 
viable reputation for strict honesty and 
reliability, and has prospered well, ac- 
cumulating his property solely by his own 
exertions, for he arrived in Door county 
ninety dollars in debt, and has placed 
himself in his present comfortable cir- 
cumstances by hard work. He gives all 
his time to his farm, taking no active part 
in public affairs, and is non-partisan in 
politics, voting for the candidate he be- 
heves best fitted for office. 

On March 30, 1887, Mr. Otis was 
married to Miss Emily J. Kimber, a na- 
tive of Sturgeon Bay, and daughter of 
Buck Kimber, who came here from New 
York State. In religious faith Mrs. Otis 
is a member of the Episcopal Church. 



UDOLPH ZETTEL, a progress- 



ive, well-to-do agriculturist of Se- 



R 

I V vastopol township. Door county, 
where he is the owner of eighty 
acres of land in Section 16 and forty 
acres in Section 2, is a native of Switzer- 
land, born August 20, 1845, in the town 
of Gross Dietvyl, Canton of Lucerne. 
His father, Joseph Zettel, was highly 
educated, speaking several languages, 
and a man of no little prominence, hold- 
ing official positions; he died in Switzer- 
land at the age of fifty-three years; the 
mother of Rudolph died when he was 
four or five years old. 

The subject of this writing secured a 
fair education, and remained at home 
until he was seventeen, at which time he 
left the parental roof, as did also his 
brothers, Albert, Joseph, Alfred, Casper, 
Conrad and Julius, all eventually coming 



to the United States, and all remaining 
in this country except Julius, who re- 
turned to his native land. Accompanied 
by Casper and Conrad, and also John 
Kaufman, Rudolph Zettel sailed from 
Havre, France, on the good ship " Quis- 
nel," arriving, after a voyage of forty- 
nine days, at New York, whence he came 
westward to Wisconsin, where his brother 
Joseph was living, landing in Door 
county June 23, 1863. Here, in Little 
Sturgeon, he worked in a sawmill for a 
time, after which he went to Chicago 
where he found employment in a linseed- 
oil factory, in the railroad shops, and in 
other lines of work. Returning to Door 
county he worked some four or five years 
in the sawmill in Sturgeon Bay under the 
management of A. W. Lawrence and 
Fred. I. Schuyler. Some time before 
going to Chicago he had purchased the 
farm whereon he now resides, but on 
moving to that city he sold it, and when 
he again came to Door county he re- 
purchased the property, paying an ad- 
vance of $400 on the former price, by 
way of compensation for a few improve- 
ments that had been made thereon in the 
meantime. During the greater part of 
the time since then he has carried on 
general farming. Forty acres of the 
land are under a high state of cultivation, 
the fields are well tilled, fences kept in 
good repair, and all the improvements of 
a model farm are to be found. In 1893 
a fine residence was erected; while the 
other buildings are in keeping with the 
house, all indicating the careful supervis- 
ion of the owner himself, who is justly 
numbered among the leading farmers of 
his township. 

On April 25, 1870, in Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis., Mr. Zettel wedded Mary Gertrude 
Berens, who was born in Germany, Au- 
gust 19, 1845, daughter of Joseph Berens. 
She came to the United States in 1864, 
and was visiting in Door county at the 
time of her marriage. The young couple 
began their domestic life in a rude 
shanty, which was burned down in the 



644 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



middle of February, while the husband was 
absent at work in the lumber woods. The 
home was blessed with seven children, but 
Frank J. and August died in early child- 
hood, and Mary G. died at the age of three 
years; those still living are Mary Chris- 
tina, Amelia E., Mary E. J., and Elida 
G. Traisia. Mr. Zettel is a stanch advo- 
cate of the principles of the Republican 
party, and takes a deep interest in every- 
thing pertaining to its growth and success. 
His fellow citizens, appreciating his worth 
and ability, have frequently tendered 
him office, but he has steadily refused, 
preferring to give his undivided attention 
to his business interests. He is a mem- 
ber of the Catholic Church at Sevasto- 
pol. He is an honest, kindhearted man, 
one that has made the golden rule 
his motto, and his well-spent life and 
sterling worth have gained him many 
friends. 



AUGUSTUS GENESEE is one of 
\\'isconsin's native sons, having 
been born in Humboldt township, 
Brown county. May i6, 1859, a 
son of Clem and Frances (Kaye) Genesse, 
who both emigrated from Belgium to 
America in early life, and were married in 
this country. 

The father of our subject was a farmer 
and lumberman, and after his marriage 
located in Humboldt township, where he 
became the owner of a forty-acre tract of 
timber land, upon which not a furrow had 
been turned or an improvement made; 
but soon the noble trees of the forest fell 
before his sturdy strokes; with axe 
and grub hoe he cleared the land, and in 
time had rich and well-tilled fields which 
began to yield to him a golden tribute in 
return for the care and labor he bestowed 
upon them. He and his neighbors had no 
teams, and the first stove which he had, 
purchased in Green Baj', was taken apart 
and carried home by nine men. Previous 
to that time their bread had been baked 
in an iron kettle, buried in the coals of 



the fire-place. The house, 14x14 feet, 
was the home of three families for one 
winter; but such a life promotes socia- 
bility, and furnishes pleasures such as are 
unknown to the present generation. The 
father cut most of his pine lumber into 
shingles, and thus earned a living for his 
family in those early days. In 1864 he 
entered the army, and there contracted a 
fever which disabled him for further farm 
labor. 

Selling his land, he took up his resi- 
dence in Green Bay, and in connection 
with Charles Massey, established a store 
which he carried on for one year. He 
then removed to Union township. Door 
county, purchased land and established a 
store in the town of Union: but after a 
year the building and its entire contents 
were destroyed bj- fire. The partnership 
was then dissolved. Mr. Genesse contin- 
ued on his farm two years, and next pur- 
chased eighty acres of land on Section 28, 
Union township, once more undertaking 
the task of clearing away the pine tim- 
ber. This arduous task was completed 
within fifteen years, and where once stood 
the native forest were ultimately seen 
billowy fields of grain. When he located 
upon this place he built a large house, 
and for six years conducted a hotel or 
tavern, prospering in the business, and to 
his farm he from time to time added, as 
his financial resources increased, until 
within its boundaries were comprised 208 
acres of rich land. Mr. Genesse, whose 
worth and ability were widely recognized, 
served for fifteen years as postmaster of 
Namur; was town clerk for a similar 
length of time; was town treasurer one 
year and justice of the peace fifteen years. 
In addition to his other labors he engaged 
in fishing for sixteen jears, which proved 
a successful business. On February 23, 
1890, he went to Green Bay with a load 
of fish; but on returning lost his way, and, 
owing to the intensely cold weather, was 
partly frozen. He lingered on for twenty- 
one days, when death released him. In 
the family were children as follows: 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



645 



Augustus, Victor (who died at the age 
of twenty-three), Josie, Adel, Alphonse, 
Charlie, Mary, Fannie and Joseph. 

Being the eldest of the family, Au- 
gustus Genesse received but limited 
educational privileges, for his services 
were needed on the home farm. His 
training along this line was not meager, 
for early in life he became familiar with 
all the duties of the agriculturist. For 
some years he remained at home caring 
for his mother who is now living in Green 
Bay, Wis., but on the 19th of May, 
1 89 1, he made preparation for a home of 
his own by his marriage with Victory, 
daughter of Joseph and Theresa Mohi- 
mont. They lived with her parents for 
two years in Green Bay township, Brown 
county, and in January, 1893, came to 
their present home in Union township. 
Door count}'. Their union has been 
blessed with two interesting children; Ida 
B., born July 7, 1892; and Benjamin, 
born March 17, 1894. 

Mr. Genesse has followed in the po- 
litical footsteps of his father, and is a 
stanch adherent of Republican principles, 
having supported that party since attain- 
ing his majority. Both he and his wife 
are members of the Catholic Church, and 
are highly respected citizens of the com- 
munity. Wisconsin has reason to be 
proud of her children if they are all like 
Mr. Genesse, who is an enterprising 
farmer, a faithful friend and a valued citi- 
zen, one who gives his support to all 
worthy enterprises calculated to benefit 
the community at large. 



JOSEPH OURADNIK, who for some 
forty years has been prominently 
connected with the mercantile and 
official interests of Casco township, 
I\ewaunee county, is a native of Bohemia, 
born September 28, 1843. He is a son 
of Frank and Annie Ouradnik, also na- 
tives of Bohemia, where the father was a 
farmer and grain buyer, and a prominent 
man in the locality in which he made his 



home. In 1857, accompanied by his 
family, he emigrated to America and took 
up his residence in Casco township, Ke- 
waunee Co. , Wis. , where he purchased a 
section of timber land which he at once 
began to clear and improve, carrying on 
agricultural pursuits the greater part of his 
life. He and his wife were members of 
the Catholic Church, and both lived to 
advanced age. 

The educational privileges which our 
subject received were those afforded by 
the common schools of his native land, in 
which he pursued his studies until twelve 
years of age. About that time, in 1855, 
he came with his brother-in-law to the 
United States, and with him located in 
Manitowoc, Wis., but after a short time 
he removed to Casco township, Kewau- 
nee county, where he was joined by his 
parents in the year 1857. Here he form- 
ed a partnership with his brother-in-law, 
John Stika, purchased land, and after 
clearing the timber from the same began 
farming, becoming one of the first settlers 
in that locality. He came to this country 
a poor boy without any knowledge of the 
English language, but has steadily worked 
his way upward from a humble position 
to one of affluence, is now the owner of 
125 acres of valuable land, the greater 
part under cultivation, and is numbered 
among the representative men of his 
township. He is also doing a profitable 
business as a merchant and saloon keeper 
in Slovan, and owns and operates a 
cheese factory, which also adds materi- 
ally to his income. 

In i860, Mr. Ouradnik was joined in 
wedlock to Miss Katherina Marsicek, who 
was born in Bohemia, October 31, 1845, 
and their union has been blessed with 
thirteen children, namely: Mary, Annie, 
Joseph, Lydia, Christina, Lewis, Frank, 
Rosa, Theresa, Frances, Agnes, Emma 
and Katie. In politics Mr. Ouradnik 
affiliates with the Democratic party, and 
has served as supervisor and chairman of 
the town board for many j'ears. He has 
also long served as township treasurer, is 



646 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



still filling that position, and in 1886 was 
elected treasurer of Kewaunee county, 
serving for three terms of two j-ears each. 
At this writing he is candidate for county 
sheriff. He has also held the office of 
school treasurer for si.xteen years, and in 
these various positions has ever been 
found true and faithful, discharging his 
duties with credit to himself and satisfac- 
tion to his constituents. During President 
Hayes' administration he was appointed 
postmaster at Slovan, and is still filling 
■that office. He is a member of the Cath- 
olic Church, and it was largely through 
his instrumentality that the Holy Trinity 
church of Slovan was erected; is also a 
member of the Catholic Knights of Wis- 
consin. Our subject is truly one of the 
most prominent men of his township, and 
well deserves representation in the history 
of his adopted county. 



HANS JOHNSON has been an im- 
jiortant factor in the growth and 
upbuilding of Liberty Grove town- 
ship. Door county, and in the 
history of this section of Wisconsin well 
deserves representation. A native of 
Denmark, he was born May 3, 1846, and 
is a son of Johan and Karen (Clausen) 
Larson, who were parents of seven chil- 
dren, namely: Nels, Laurena, Klausena, 
Hans, Theodore, Laurena (deceased), and 
Hans (deceased). The father of this 
family, who was a farmer by occupation, 
died when the son Hans was only five years 
of age. 

Our subject received a good educa- 
tion in the public schools of his native 
land, and remained at home until he was 
nineteen years of age when he bade adieu 
to friends and family and set out for the 
New World, taking passage on a vessel 
bound from London, England, for New 
York, whence he proceeded to Milwau- 
kee, Wis., at which city he arrived No- 
vember 2, 1865, and then went to Man- 
istee, Mich., where he worked in the 
pineries during the succeeding winter. 



In the spring of 1866 he returned to 
Milwaukee, and secured work as a farm 
hand; but after being employed in that 
way two months, again went to Man- 
istee, Mich., where he was employed two 
years, receiving as a compensation for 
his services $30 per month. His next 
place of residence was in Racine, ^^'is. , 
where he made his home for a year, and 
in I 87 1 he came to Door county, settling 
at Rowleys Bay, where he engaged in pre- 
paring cordwood for the market. His 
labors in that direction were interrupted 
by an accident, he cutting his foot so 
badly that he was disabled for work 
some four months. When he had re- 
covered he was employed as a teamster 
by the firm of Osborn, Coxwell & Co. , re- 
maining with them a year and a half, at 
the expiration of which time he re- 
moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., where he 
worked on the canal. When the summer 
was over he returned to Rowleys Bay and 
was again employed by Osborn, Coxwell 
& Co. eight months; was then made fore- 
man of the men engaged in woodcutting, 
serving in that capacity a year and a half, 
when he bought out his employers and 
took a contract to get out i , 500 cords of 
wood. This task was completed within 
a year, and, with the capital he thereby 
acquired, he purchased 320 acres of land 
in Libert}' Grove township, on which 
farm he lived until 1879. The following 
year he went back to New Port, where he 
purchased about 200 acres of timber land, 
built a dock and established a general 
merchandise store which he carried on 
with good success, receiving from the pub- 
lic a liberal and well-deserved patronage. 
In 1882, he secured the establishment of 
a postoffice at that place, and served as 
postmaster for seven years when he re- 
signed. He was engaged in the real- 
estate and the wood business, besides at- 
tending to his mercantile interests, and is 
now in business at Charlevoix, Michigan. 
On January 20, 1872, Mr. Johnson 
married Miss Anna Zink, daughter of 
Klause and Mary Zink, who are now liv- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



647 



ing at Fish Creek, Wis. In 1886 Mr. 
Johnson was called upon to mourn the 
death of his wife, who passed away Janu- 
ary 13, that 3'ear, lamented by many 
friends. Mr. Johnson has been honored 
with various political offices, having 
served as justice of the peace one year; 
chairman of the town board of supervis- 
ors three years; as county assemblyman 
for two years; and as school treasurer. 
He established the schoolhouse at New 
Port, and was instrumental in promoting 
the leading enterprises and interests of 
Liberty Grove township, his name being 
inseparably connected with the history of 
its growth and upbuilding. 



ANDREW NELSON, whose name 
is inseparably connected with the 
official history of Liberty Grove 
township, Door county, is a na- 
tive of Denmark, born May 30, 185 1. 
His parents, Nels and Elsie (Oleson) So- 
renson, were of the same nativity, the 
father born April 27, 1817, the mother 
Februar}' 4, 1820. They are farming 
people, and still live on the old homestead 
in Denmark, which is carried on by their 
youngest son, Ole Nelson. The other 
children in the family are Elsie, Soren, 
Andrew, Kjestina, Anna and Meta. 

Our subject received such educational 
privileges as were afforded by the common 
schools, and secured a good practical 
knowledge. Most of the children left 
home when about fourteen years of age, 
but Andrew remained with his parents 
until he was twenty. At that time, hav- 
ing heard much of the advantages and 
privileges offered in the New World to 
young men, he resolved to test the truth 
of these reports by trying his fortune in 
the United States, and accordingly sailed 
from Copenhagen in 1872, landing in New 
York on the ist of April, that year. From 
there he traveled to Chicago and to Pat- 
.ton. 111., where he received work as a farm 
hand at $20 per month, and after being 
thus employed for about two and a halt 



months he removed to Menominee, 
Mich., where he was employed in the 
lumber woods for about ten months at 
$28 per month. Later he returned to 
Chicago, there spending about one month; 
then took up his residence in Marinette, 
Wis. , and here was employed in a saw- 
mill two months. About that time his 
brother Soren received a very severe 
wound in the hand, and as soon as he re- 
covered they went to Marquette, but not 
long afterward returned to Marinette. Our 
subject began working on the North West- 
ern railroad between Menominee and 
Escanaba, Wis., and often received as 
high as six dollars per day, in which way 
he managed to save some money; but be- 
coming ill it was all expended for doctor 
bills, so that when he came to Liberty 
Grove he was without any capital. He 
then began cutting cordwood for Kirch 
Brothers at $1.25 per cord, and continued 
in their employ for one winter, after 
which he purchased 120 acres of land 
from Peter Anderson, one of the early 
settlers of Door county. This land was 
partially cleared, and he and his brother 
at once commenced its further develop- 
ment, continuing its cultivation for three 
years, when they dissolved partnership. 

At that time Andrew Nelson went to 
Rowleys Bay, where he purchased eighty 
acres of wood land, and cutting the 
timber disposed of it as cordwood. Three 
years later he sold that property and re- 
moved to Garrett Bay, and purchased 
partially from the Fox River Company 
600 acres of land, which he yet owns. 
He began cutting the timber, built two 
docks for shipping purposes, established 
a store and in five years also opened a 
stone quarry. He has now for thirteen 
years been engaged in the wood and 
stone business, shipping an average of 
3,000 cords of wood each year. 

On the 26th of January, 1877, Mr. 
Nelson was united in marriage with Miss 
Mary Christenson, daughter of Thomas 
and Mary Ann (Madson) Christenson, and 
to them were born nine children, named 



648 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



respectively: Louis, Adolph, Alma, Will- 
iam, Ella, Edwin, Otto, Harry and 
Chester. Mrs. Nelson is a member of 
the Moravian church, and is an estimable 
lady, one who has p;ained many warm 
friends in the conmiunity in which she 
now makes her home. In his political 
views Mr. Nelson is a Republican, and 
has been called upon to fill \arious 
positions of honor and trust. He served 
for five years as ^a member of the town 
board of supervisors; has been treasurer 
of school district No. 5 for seven years, 
is now serving as justice of the peace, a 
position he has filled for fi\e years, and 
in 1895 was elected chairman of the 
town. He discharges his duties in a 
capable and acceptable manner, being 
ever true to the trust reposed in him, 
and in Liberty Grove township he is re- 
garded as a man of sterling worth and 
strict integrity — a valued and progressive 
citizen. 



JOSEPH MAHLBEKG, one of the 
most intelligent young farmers of 
West Kewaunee township, Kewaunee 
county, was born in the town of 
Kewaunee February 26, 1865. 

Henry Mahlberg, his father, was born 
July 2, 1832, at Eschen, Germany, was 
educated at the conimoii schools, and 
later worked at farming until 1848, when 
he volunteered in the German army and 
served three years, receiving at the end of 
that time an honorable discharge. In 
April, 1852, he landed in New York City, 
whence he came to Milwaukee, Wis., 
from that point prospecting in various 
parts of the country, and finally, in 1861, 
purchasing the farm in West Kewaunee 
township, which his family now occupy, 
and where he died December 16, 1891. 
Soon after reaching the United States he 
declared his intention of becoming a citi- 
zen, and at once affiliated with the Dem- 
ocratic party, and was elected assessor of 
West Kewaunee township. In religion 
he was a. Catholic. His marriage took 



place June 23, 1862, to Mary Hauer, who 
was born in Schleswig, (icrmany, Sep- 
tember 22, 1844, a daughter of Hans P. 
and Mary Hauer, and by this union there 
were five children, viz. : Henry, Joseph, 
William, Eilward and Emma, of whom 
Joseph and Emma are still living. 

The subject proper of these lines was 
reared on the home farm, and educated in 
the public schools of Kewaunee and in 
the high school. In the spring of 1880 
he successfully piassed the board of ex- 
aminers, \\as granted a teacher's certifi- 
cate, and at once engaged in that pro- 
fession, which he followed until 18S5, 
when he returned to the farm. In poli- 
tics he is an ardent Democrat. He served 
as township clerk in 1892-3, was elected 
justice of the peace in 1893, and in April, 
1894, was elected chairman of the town- 
ship by nearly 100 majority. 

Mr. Mahlberg was married November 
26, 1890, to Annie Zeman, a daughter of 
Frank and Annie Zeman, natives of Bo- 
hemia. She was born November 24, 
I 869, in Pierce township, Kewaunee Co. , 
Wis., and has borne her husband two 
children: .\unie, born July 26, 1S91, and 
who dietl July 29, following; and Elroy, 
born October 24, 1892. Mr. Mahlberg, 
aside from being popular with his party, 
is highly respected by the community at 
large, and is looked upon as one of the 
most progressive young farmers of his 
township. 



GEORGE KING was born De- 
cember 6, 1850, in Cooperstown, 
Manitowoc Co., Wis., and is a 
son of Clifford King, who was 
born in Canada, of French descent, and 
who became a farmer and hotel keeper. 
He married Lucy Goodchild, a native of 
Canada, b}' whom he had seven children — 
five sons and two daughters. 

Our subject, who is the third son, 
spent his boyhood days upon his father's 
farm, and remained at the old home in 
Manitowoc county until he was si.xteen 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



649. 



years of age, when he went to Neshoto, 
in the same county, where for about ten 
years he was employed as a laborer. At 
the end of that decade he changed his 
place of residence to Manitowoc Rapids, 
and entered the employ of Mrs. Walker, 
now Mrs. Decker, serving as overseer on 
her farm for about a year, at the end of 
which time he came to Casco township, 
and has acted as overseer on the farm of 
Ed. Decker since that time. He now has 
charge of all Mr. Decker's landed inter- 
ests, also of the sawmill, in fact, is gen- 
eral superintendent of all Mr. Decker's 
business affairs. He receives a salary for 
his services, and in addition has an inter- 
est in the business, and is one of Mr. 
Decker's most confidential employes, re- 
ceiving his unlimited trust which he well 
merits. During the time he has had 
charge of affairs the business has in- 
creased in volume and in profit, and his 
management of the sawmill, especially, 
has made that a paying investment. 

On May i, 1875, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. King with Miss Emma 
Doretha De Pons, who was born March 
31, 1857, in Manitowoc count}-. Wis., 
daughter of Henry and Doretha (Ahrnes) 
De Pons, who were of French extraction. 
Mr. and Mrs. King have one child, George 
Roy, born November 19, 1889. Our 
subject is a member of Vigilant Lodge, 
No. 20, K. P., and is a highly respected 
citizen. 



CHARI^ES O. FRANKLIN, gar- 
dener and small-fruit grower of 
Sturgeon Bay township. Door 
county, is a native of Wisconsin, 
born October 12, 1842, in Burlington, 
I^acine county, youngest in the family of 
Oliver Franklin, who had three sons and 
one daughter. Oliver Franklin came west- 
ward from New York State, becoming an 
early settler of Racine county. 

Up to the age of fifteen years our sub- 
ject remained at home, attending school 
irregularly and helping with the work on 



the home farm. After commencing life 
for himself he was engaged for se\-eral 
_\earB in fishing, along Lake Michigan 
from Kenosha to Death's Door, and was 
occupied at various kinds of labor, such 
as fishing, lumbering, etc., until thirty 
years of age, when he went west to 
Nebraska and took up a homestead in 
Boone county. But he found the grass- 
hoppers so destructive to crops that after 
three years he gave up his claim and re- 
turned to Wisconsin; next spent a winter 
with a brother in northern Michigan, and 
then came to Fish Creek, Door Co., 
Wis. , taking up a farm in the woods. On 
that place he remained seven years, dur- 
ing which time he engaged in agriculture 
and fishing, and then, the home being 
broken up by the death of his wife, he 
went to Marinette, Wis., where for three 
years he was employed in the artificial 
stone works. About this time a tract of 
land in Ontonagon county, Mich., was 
opened up to settlers, and Mr. F"ranklin, 
taking up a claim there, lived thereon 
four years, at the end of which time he 
sold his right for $6,000, having found 
great difficulty in establishing his title. 
Coming again to Door county. Wis. , and 
to Sturgeon Bay, he here, in August, 
1 89 1, purchased a twenty-acre tract of 
land from A. W. Lawrence, and made a 
snug home, his aged mother living with 
him for a time. The land has been greatly 
improved under his care, and is in the 
highest state of cultivation, being devoted 
entirely to gardening and the raising of 
small fruits, Mr. Franklin having the 
most extensive business of the kind in 
Sturgeon Bay township. 

In Boone county, Neb., Mr. Franklin 
was married December 25, 1875, to Myra 
E. Bristol, a native of Belvidere, 111., 
who died at Fish Creek, Door Co. , Wis. , 
October 15, 1893, leaving three children, 
namely: Charles H., of California; Mabel, 
of Hay Springs, Neb., and Melva, of 
Marinette, Wis. On April 3, 1894, at 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis., our subject was 
married, for the second time, to Mrs. 



650 



COMMEMORATirS BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Minnie Laebbe, a native of German}'. 
Mr. Franklin takes no active part in 
public affairs, and is generally non-part- 
isan in politics, though he has a prefer- 
ence for the principles of the Republican 
party. 



ANTON LANGENKAMP, the fa- 
mous brewer of Carlton, Kewau- 
nee county, is a native of West- 
phalia, German}', born October 
28, 1843, in the village of Rinkenrod. 
His father, Henry Langenkamp, was born 
in Germany in 1804, and died at his na- 
tive place in 1857. 

Our subject, who is the seventh in 
a family of eight children, attended the 
common schools, receiving a good educa- 
tion, and worked at intervals on a farm 
until seventeen }'ears of age, when he en- 
tered upon an apprenticeship to the brew- 
ing business, finishing his "time" at 
the age of twenty-two. He then started 
out on his travels, as was and is still the 
custom, and hence the term "journey- 
man," to gain further instruction in his 
business, his indentures entitling him to 
full pay as a journeyman wherever he 
might find employment or choose to 
work. After visiting many places in 
Europe, he, in 1865, set out for America, 
coming direct to Kewaunee, Wis. , where 
he remained about four years, first work- 
ing in a sawmill, then on a farm, and 
finally in the Kewaunee brewery. He 
then went to Ahnapee, where he worked 
at his trade about two years, then two 
years at Francis Creek, after which 
he was two and one-half years employed 
at the branch in Manitowoc county, then 
returned to Ahnapee, and a year later 
purchased the brewery at Tisch Mills. 
Here he is in partnership with his brother, 
and together they have, since they be- 
gan operations, rebuilt or enlarged the 
brewery and so improved the quality of 
the product that it is recognized as the 
best in this section of the country, the re- 
sult being an extensive and lucrative trade. 



Mr. Langenkamp is altogether a man of 
energy and business push, and in addition 
to his brewery interest has stock in the 
flouring and sawmill at Carlton. Socially, 
he is a member of the F. & A. M. , I. O. 
O. F. , Sons of Hermann, S. M. H., 
American Legion of Honor, and C. S. 
P. S. In politics he is a Democrat, ever 
active in securing the success of the 
party in his township and county, and he 
is now a member of the county board of 
Kewaunee county. In 1892 he was the 
candidate of his party for the General 
Assembly, but was not elected; on ac- 
count, however, of irregularities in the 
election proceedings, he contested the 
seat in the Assembly, and though a mem- 
ber of the Democratic party, he was not 
allowed the seat by them when they were 
in office, yet he was vindicated in his 
course by the Republicans when they 
came into power, as they promptly reim- 
bursed him for the expenses incurred by 
him in the contest. 

Mr. Langenkamp is recognized as one 
of the most substantial citizens in his sec- 
tion, as well as one of the most influen- 
tial in public affairs, possessing a social 
and genial nature which wins him uni- 
versal popularity among his fellow citizens. 
He lives in a fine residence adjoining the 
brewery property, which he has admir- 
ably equipped with modern improvements 
and surrounded by fine fruit-bearing trees, 
all planted by him since his residence 
here, the beautiful and well-kept property 
giving ample evidence of his taste, he dis- 
playing the same interest in that as in 
everything else with which he is con- 
nected. 



JURGEN REHDER, an industrious, 
prosperous farmer of Egg Harbor 
township. Door county, is a native 
of the Fatherland, born March 10, 
1859, in Holstein, third child in the 
family of Claus Rehder, who was the 
father of nine children — seven sons (of 





n 








W""^^ 








fl^^^^^^^^^^H 


mP 




^ 


■ ■'■^"•■'>*!isWW'f;''"' 


i^^HI 


HLx.' 




COMMEMORATIVE BIOOEAPHICAL RECORD. 



653 



whom Jurgeii is the eldest) and two 
daughters. 

Up to the age of fourteen years our 
subject attended school; also assisting his 
father and mother at home, and after 
that time commenced working for 
strangers, giving his wages to his parents. 
In the fall of 1883, at the age of twentj'- 
four years, he left his native land, on 
September 29, sailing from Amsterdam 
on the steamer "Shidam," which landed 
at New York October 14. One of his 
brothers having settled in Iowa, our sub- 
ject set out for that State, but on arriving 
at Chicago, 111., he found himself without 
money, without friends, and unable to 
speak the English language. He man- 
aged to secure employment, however, 
and in a few weeks came by boat to 
Door county. Wis., landing at Sturgeon 
Bay November 3. In Section 14, Egg 
Harbor township, he found work cutting 
wood, receiving one-half of the wood for 
his labor, continuing at that through the 
winter, after which he hired out as a farm 
hand on the place where he now lives, in 
Section 14, and which now consists of 
220 acres, over one hundred of which have 
been cleared by honest industry. 

On March 8, 1888, Mr. Rehder was 
married, in Egg Harbor, to Mrs. Dora 
(Perls) Forey, widow of George Fore}', 
and to this union were born three children: 
Charles, John and Catherine. In politi- 
cal affiliation Mr. Rehder was originally a 
Democrat, but he now votes according to 
the dictates of his own conscience, re- 
gardless of party lines. In religious con- 
nection he and his wife are members of 
the Lutheran Church. 



CHARLES PLINSKE follows farm- 
ing on Section 15, Forestville 
township, Door county, where he 
owns and operates 175 acres of 
valuable land, which farm he located 
upon in 1875 and commenced clearing, 
for it was then covered with a heavy 

growth of timber. 
37 



He now has eighty 



acres under a high state of cultiva- 
tion, improved with good buildings and 
the other accessories and convenien- 
ces of a model farm. His home is 
a comfortable and substantial brick 
residence, 28 x 29 feet with an L 1 1 x 28 
feet, and has two large barns, one 40 x ^6 
feet, the other 28 x 56 feet. He makes a 
specialty of the breeding of Holstein cat- 
tle and Berkshire and Poland-China hogs, 
and also does dairy farming, keeping on 
hand from ten to fifteen cows for that 
purpose. 

Our subject was born in Germany 
November 29, 1844, and his parents, 
Charles and Charlotte (Rebein) Plinske, 
were natives of the same locality. In 
1868 they emigrated to America, and the 
family settled on a farm in Manitowoc 
county. Wis. , while the father worked at 
farm labor in order to provide for their 
support. Later he opened up his own 
farm, and continued its cultivation during 
the greater part of his life; but in his later 
years he laid aside active business cares 
and retired to the city of Manitowoc, 
where he spent his last days, his death oc- 
curring in 1887, his wife dying there in 
1893. They were the parents of five 
children, namely: Caroline, who became 
the wife of John Gnadt, and died in Mani- 
towoc county in 1872; Minnie, widow of 
William Albracht, of Manitowoc county; 
Charles; Ferdinand, who is living in the 
city of Manitowoc, and Albertine, who 
died when fourteen years of age. Charles, 
our subject, was reared and educated in 
his native land, and served in the German 
army for nearly three years, doing duty in 
Austria in 1 866, three months, in the war 
with that country, the rest of the time in 
Berlin, Germany. He afterward worked 
as a farm hand in his native land and also 
in this country until he was able to begin 
farming for his own account. He was also 
foreman of a gang of men engaged in rail- 
road grading in Illinois and Michigan, 
later spending two years in Kansas, Min- 
nesota and Missouri, working at various 
kinds of labor; was also employed in a 



654 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



brick yard in Chicajjo for two summers — 
1872 and 1873 — working by the piece, 
and making from five to eight dollars per 
day. He has worked in nine States of 
the Union, and has always been found 
busy, for idleness is uttcrh' foreign to his 
nature. 

Mr. Plinske was married in Manitowoc 
county May 19, 1874, to Miss Gusta 
Aestreig, a native of Germany, and daugh- 
ter of Henry and Augusta Aestreig, who 
were born in the same country, and in 
i860 emigrated to Manitowoc county. 
Wis., where the father opened up a farm 
on which he still makes his home; he was 
called upon to mourn the death of his 
wife in 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Plinske have 
eight children: Clara, Richard, Laura, 
Ella, Arthur, Elsie, Hugo and ^^atikle. 
Our subject takes a warm interest in poli- 
tics, and supports the Republican party, 
by whom he has been elected to several 
local positions of honor and trust, such 
as town supervisor, school director and 
town treasurer, which latter position he 
has filled eleven years, and is present in- 
cumbent. His duties are promptly and 
faithfully performed, and the community 
recognizes in him a valued citizen, one 
who gives his support to all worthy en- 
terprises, and bears his part in the up- 
building of town and county. He and his 
estimable wife hold membership with the 
Lutheran Church, in which he is serving 
as deacon, and take quite an active 
interest in Churcli and Sunday-school 
work. 



CHRIST DEMMIN, one of the 
prosperous and substantial farm- 
ers of Egg Harbor township. 
Door county, was born in Prussia, 
Germany, October 28, 1835, and is the 
youngest son in a family of six sons and 
two daughters. His father, John Dem- 
min, was engaged in the livery business in 
a small German village. 

Our subject attended the common 
schools, and remained at home until his 



marriage to Miss Dora Rhode. On Oc- 
tober I, 1862, Mr. Demmin, with his wife 
and two children, took passage at Ham- 
burg on the sailing vessel "Helena," 
which after a \oyage of ten weeks and 
two days arrived at Xew York. In the 
Empire State he remained two and a 
half jears, working as a farm hand near 
Poughkeepsie, and in the spring of 1865 
he removed to Chicago, where he made 
his home some nine years, engaged in un- 
loading vessels and in other service yield- 
ing him an honest living. I'nr five years 
he was in a carriage factory, operating 
the machinery, and, while thus employed, 
by his prudence, industry and economy 
he sa\ed quite a little sum of monv and 
then started out in search of land. Visit- 
ing Door county, he purchased a fortj'- 
acre tract of timber land in Section 32, 
Egg Harbor township, to which he re- 
moved with his family the foUcjwing j'ear. 
There were no improvements in this lo- 
cality, no road was cut to the farm, and 
not a furrow had been turned upon the 
place; but with characteristic energy he 
began to clear it, and in 1 874 he raised 
his first crop, consisting of potatoes and 
corn. Each \ear saw a larger amount of 
land cleared and placed under cultivation, 
bountiful harvests were gathered and the 
farm at length became a paying invest- 
ment, making its owner one of the sub- 
stantial citizens of the communitj'. As 
his financial resources have increased, he 
has extended the boundaries of his farm 
until he now has 240 acres, one hundred 
of which are cleared and improved. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Demmin were born 
the following children: \\"illiam and Min- 
nie, who were born in the Fatherland, 
and died in New York shortly after the 
arrival of the family in this countr\'; 
Louisa, now the wife of Charles Juergens, 
residing in Minnesota; Charles and Theo- 
dore, who died in childhood, while in 
Chicago; John, Louis and August, all at 
home, the last named having been born 
at Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Mr. Dem- 
min votes with the Republican party, and 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



655 



believes strongly in its principles, yet is not 
an intolerant partisan. He has served as 
township supervisor four years, and is 
now enjoying his seventh term as town 
treasurer, a fact which indicates his effi- 
ciency and the confidence and trust re- 
posed in him by his fellow townsmen. 
He is a believer in the doctrines of the 
Moravian Church, assisted in building the 
house of worship, is one of the leading 
members of the congregation, and has 
served as one of the officers since its or- 
ganization. He is a typical self-made 
man, for he started out in life empty- 
handed, and for some years after coming 
to this country had to work as a common 
laborer; but he scorned no employment 
which would yield him an honest living, 
and as the result of his industry, perse- 
verance and ec(inomy he has steadily 
worked his way upward and acquired for 
himself and family a pleasant home and 
comfortable competence. He certainly 
deserves great credit for his success in 
life, and his example is one well worth}' of 
emulation. 



JOHN B. DELWICHE. Belgium 
has furnished many worthy citizens 
to Wisconsin, among whom is the 
subject of this brief review — a well- 
known farmer of Door county. His par- 
ents, William and Mary (Duper) Del- 
wiche, now live with him, and in their 
family were seven children, who in the 
order of birth are as follows: Catherine, 
Felicity, John B., \'irginia, Lucy, Joseph 
and Frank. 

Our subject was born in Belgium in 
1847, and in that country spent the first 
nine years of his life, after which he came 
with his parents to .America, the family 
locating in Union township. Door Co., 
Wis., where the father made purchase of 
forty acres of land — the farm on which 
he yet resides. A log cabin was built, 
16x16 feet, and as they had no team the 
logs were carried by the men; the work 
of improvement was at once begun, and 



with a.\e, grub hoe and plow the once 
wild timber-land was transformed into 
rich and fertile fields, which in course of 
time began to yield abundant harvests. 
As the years passed the boundaries of the 
farm were extended until it comprised 137 
acres. The mother of our subject died 
here July 6, 1S77. Since coming to 
America John B. Delwiche has resided 
upon this farm, and in the work of de- 
\elopment and ciilti\ation he has ever 
borne his part, while in the experiences 
of frontier life he has also had his share. 
On June i, i.'^7.i, he was married to Miss 
Mary Cauquet, and their union has been 
blessed with ten children, namely: Jau- 
quet, Moise, Heloise, Lizzie, Celine, 
Joseph Arthm", Frank, William, John and 
Fred, of whom William is dead. 

Mr. Delwiche and his family are mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, and in the 
community where they reside they are 
highly respected people who have many 
warm friends. By his ballot our subject 
supports the I'vepublicau party, and has 
several times been called to positions of 
honor and trust, having served for one 
year as chairman of the town board, for 
three years as town treasurer and for two 
years as town clerk. In all of these 
ofifices he has discharged his duties with 
a promptness and fidelity that has won 
him high connnendation, and in all re- 
spects he is recognized as a valued citizen. 



ANDREW KONOP, an industrious 
and thriving farmer of Franklin 
township, Kewaunee county, was 
born in Bohemia, May 24, 1842, 
and is the second in the family of six 
children of Mathias and Annie Konop. 
also natives of Bohemia. 

Our subject attended the public schools 
of his native land (the Bohemian, in con- 
tradistinction to the German) until four- 
teen years of age, in the meantime learn- 
ing the weaver's trade. He then wended 
his way to Vienna, Austria, where he 
plied his trade until he was twenty years 



656 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 



old, then returned home and lived four 
years with his mother, his father having 
in the meantime died. In 1867, along 
with his mother, brothers and sisters, he 
emigrated to the United States, coming 
directly to the town of Franklin, Wis., 
where he worked in a sawmill about three 
years and then bought the farm he now 
operates and resides on, and set to work 
at the usual task of clearing off the tim- 
ber and reducing the soil to a fit state for 
cultivation. He has continued to add to 
his possessions, has erected good sub- 
stantial buildings, and he is now a model 
farmer with a model farm. 

The marriage of Andrew Konop took 
place May 24, 1865, to Miss \Iaggie 
Cilar, daughter of Joseph and Mary Cilar, 
natives of Bohemia, where Mrs. Konop 
was born December 25, 1844, and the 
children born to this marriage, four in 
number, are named Mary, Annie, Fannie 
and Joseph. The family are Catholic in 
their religious faith, and Mr. Konop is a 
member of the C. S. P. S. of Kewaunee 
county. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and he has been eight times elected treas- 
urer of the township of Franklin; in 1893 
he was elected chairman of the board of 
supervisors, and re-elected in 1894 bj^ a 
large majority — a significant fact, indicat- 
ing that he has filled the office with credit 
and to the full satisfaction of all con- 
cerned. The social standing of the fam- 
ily is all that could be desired. 



I 



GEORGE HARBERS, who carries 
on a successful business as a vet- 
erinary surgeon at Baileys Har- 
bor. Door county, was born in 
Oldenburg, Germany, May 3, 1849, ^"d 
is a son of Antone C. Harbers, who car- 
ried on agricultural pursuits, becoming 
prosperous, and who married Margaret 
Lange. They became the parents of five 
children: Anna, Catherine, Freda, An- 
tone and George. 

Our subject received good educational 
privileges, completing a high-school course. 



and remained under the parental roof un- 
til fourteen years of age, when he left 
home to earn his own livelihood, and be- 
gan work upon a farm. In that manner 
he was employed some five years, when 
he entered the army, serving one year. 
He then left the service for about a year, 
but again returned, and during the six- 
teen months of his second service he par- 
ticipated in the Franco-Prussian war. 
Returning to his home, he there passed 
one year, after which he was united in 
marriage, December i, 1872, with Miss 
Matilda, daughter of Edward and Helena 
f Peters) Buzing; but in 1874 she died, 
leaving two children: Helene and Ed- 
ward, the latter of whom is now emplo3'ed 
as a salesman in Brooklyn, N. Y. In 
the same year Mr. Harbers bade adieu to 
home and friends in the Fatherland, to 
seek a home bejond the water, and after 
a voyage of eleven days landed in New 
York, whence he came direct to Baileys 
Harbor, Wis., arriving on the 24th of 
June. Here he secured employment in 
the store of Fred Wohlmann, with whom 
he remained seven years — a trusted as- 
sistant. In I S76 he returned to Germany 
on a visit to his parents, and in 1878 he 
was a second time married, the lady of 
his choice being Miss Anna Lungohr, 
daughter of Herman and Theresa 
(Schwartz) Lungohr. They have two 
children — Augusta, born December 23, 
1879; and Lydia, born May 5, 1881. 

Upon his second marriage Mr. Har- 
bers bought 340 acres of land, the pur- 
chase price being $2200, and he and fam- 
ily moved into a little log cabin which 
was their home for two years, when a 
more modern structure was erected. Of 
the farm only thirty acres had been 
cleared, and he at once began to improve 
the place, selling the timber as cordwood, 
for some of which he received as high as 
$5 per cord. After cultivating that farm 
for si.x 3'ears he sold out for $4, 700, and 
purchased his present home in Baileys 
Harbor township. He embarked in the 
meat business, but as it did not prove 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 



657 



very profitable he sold out to Gustaf 
Pfeifer in 1885, and has since engaged in 
the practice of veterinary surger}', in 
which he has met with most excellent 
success. Since becoming an American 
citizen he has supported the men and 
measures of the Republican party, and is 
now serving as constable, a position which 
he has filled for eight years in an exem- 
plary manner. Both he and his wife hold 
membership with the Lutheran Church, 
and are highly respected citizens, their 
friends throughout the community being 
many. 



HERMANN BOETTCHER was 
born September 6, 1863, on the 
farm where he now resides, in 
Lincoln township, Kewaunee 
county, Wis., and is a son of Friedrich 
Boettcher, a native of Pommern, Ger- 
many, born March 6, 1826. 

The father was educated in the com- 
mon schools of his native land, and 
worked as a common laborer until his 
marriage to Sophia Wagner, also a native 
of Germany, born March 15, 1831. They 
had seven children — four sons and three 
daughters. In 1857 they emigrated to 
America and located in Manitowoc, Wis., 
residing there two years, removing thence 
to Ivewaunee county, where, in Lincoln 
township, the father purchased 160 
acres of timber land, which he at once 
began to clear and improve, transforming 
the wild tract into rich and fertile fields. 
He has since carried on agricultural pur- 
suits, and is one of the representative 
farmers of the township. His wife 
died October 19, 1885, in the faith of 
the Lutheran Church, to which she be- 
longed. The children of the family yet 
living are Hermann; William, of Hart, 
Minn. ; and Annie, wife of John B. Meu- 
nier, of Marinette, Wisconsin. 

The public schools of the neighbor- 
hood of his boyhood home afforded our 
subject his educational privileges, and he 
was reared in the usual manner of farmer 



lads, working for his father until after he 
had attained his majority. In 1889 he 
took charge of the home farm which he 
still manages, and is now widely recog- 
nized as one of the wide-awake and en- 
terprising \oung farmers of Lincoln town- 
ship. 

On July I, 1886, he was married to 
Miss Hulda Kersten, who was born in 
Cooperstown, Manitowoc Co., Wis., De- 
cember 31, 1869, and they have two 
children: Emma B., born August 3, 
1891; and Berhnerd, born April 7, 1894. 
In his political views Mr. Boettcher is a 
Democrat, and has filled the offices of 
pathmaster and constable in a creditable 
and acceptable manner. He holds mem- 
bership with the Lutheran Church, and 
his entire life has been passed in Kewau- 
nee county, where he is widely and favor- 
ably known, and where he is held in high 
regard as a man of sterling worth and 
strict integrity. 



GEORGE BREY, who has been a 
resident of Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee county, for the past 
twenty-five years, is a native of 
Bohemia, born April 22, 1836, in Chu- 
diwa. He is a son of Joseph and Mary 
(Simmat) Brey, also natives of Bohemia, 
the former of whom was a farmer and 
saloon-keeper. They had a family of six- 
teen children (four of whom are now de- 
ceased), George being the fifth in order 
of birth. 

Our subject was educated in the com- 
mon schools of his native country, re- 
ceiving his instruction in the German lan- 
guage, and was reared on a farm up to 
the age of thirteen years, when he was 
apprenticed to learn the harness-maker's 
trade, completing his apprenticeship at 
the age of sixteen years. .After follow- 
ing his trade for eight years he became a 
cavalryman, and served nearly eleven years 
in the army, participating in the war with 
Prussia, after which he acted as private 
help for noted families of Austria some six 



65S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



years, and then entered a wholesale house 
in Pras^iie, which had a lar^e export trade 
in Bohemia. Remaining there some two 
years, he returned home, and shortly 
afterward, on April 25, 1869, embarked 
on the steamer "Germany," bound for 
the United States, landing at New York 
May 16, a short time thereafter locating 
at La Porte, Ind., whence he soon after- 
ward removed to Wisconsin, settling in 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, where he 
was engaged as a laborer for a few weeks. 
On August 2, 1869, he was united in 
marriage with Mrs. Mary (Merrit) Gettin- 
ger, a widow, who was born in Bohemia 
in 1845, ^"d is the mother of two chil- 
dren by her first marriage: Annie, now 
Mrs. Frank Gressel, of Ahnapee, and 
Mary, Mrs. William Amstein, of Chicago. 
To her second marriage were born ten 
children: George, Joseph, Frances, 
Clara, Peter, Katharine, John, Ivy and 
Adam, living, and Theresa, deceased. 
After his marriage Mr. Brey located upon 
the farm he still conducts, and engaged 
in agricultural pursuits, which have ever 
since been his principal occupation. Mr. 
and Mrs. Brey are members of the Catho- 
lic Church, and politically he is a Demo- 
crat; socially, he is a member of the 
Wenzlaus Society, a Bohemian organ- 
ization. 



ANDREAS ERICHSEN, a well- 
known farmer of Carlton town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was born 
in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, 
German), March 31, 1831. 

His parents, Erick and Mattie Erich- 
sen, came to the United States in 1857. 
Mrs. Erichsen died in Kewaunee in 1874, 
and in 1S75 Mr. Erichsen passed from 
earth in Milwaukee, and the remains of 
both are interred in Kewaunee. Andreas, 
the subject of this sketch, who was the 
fifth in a family of nine children, was ed- 
ucated in the public schools of Schleswig- 
Holstein, and later worked on a farm. In 
1854 he and a brother came to America, 



where, after wandering as far west as 
Chicago, they found themselves without 
money. They consequently worked at 
whatever they could find to do in that 
city, also at La Porte. Ind., and in a 
short time reached Mishicot, Manitowoc 
Co., W'is. , where the same program was 
followed for a \ear. when Andreas came 
to the township of Carlton, Kewaunee 
county, and located on the farm he still 
owns and occupies. The farm at that 
time was in a dense forest, and the bring- 
ing of it to its present state of productive- 
ness necessitated industry and a con- 
stancy of purpose that would have dis- 
couraged any person possessed of less 
tenacity of purpose than that which char- 
acterized Mr. Erichsen. However, he 
has met his reward, and now is possessed 
of one of the neatest and best-improved 
farms in Carlton township. 

Mr. Erichsen was united in marriage, 
July 18, 1863, with Annie Wilhelmina 
Klopke, who was born at Eutin, Ger- 
many, April 9, 1S42, daughter of Claus 
and Dorothea Klopke. This union has 
been blessed with the birth of five chil- 
dren, viz. : Robert B., Henry R., George, 
Mattie A., and Lewis E., of whom Rob- 
ert B., died in 1868. Mr. Erichsen has 
afforded his children the advantages of a 
good education, and he is himself con- 
sidered to be one of the most enterpris- 
ing citizens of the township, and well 
worth}' of taking charge of the township's 
interests, but he has never aspired to 
official cares of distinction. He is re- 
spected as one of the county's foremost 
and best farmers, and his upright walk 
through life has greatly added to this re- 
spect, which is extended to all the mem- 
bers of his family. 



ALBERT ,ICKE. who for many 
years sailed the lakes, is now a 
worthy representative of the mer- 
cantile interests of Ellison Bay, 
Door county. He was born March 15, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



659 



1839, in Inzel Ruger, Germany, and is a 
son of Joachin Icke, a fisherman by oc- 
cupation, wlio lived and died in the 
Fatherland. The mother of our subject 
bore the maiden name of Maria Org, and 
and in the family of this worthy couple 
were nine children — Fred, Mar}-, August, 
Alvina, Malta and Albert (twins), Matilda, 
Sophia and Minnie. 

The school privileges which our sub- 
ject received were very meager, as he had 
to begin to earn his own livelihood when 
yet young. At the earl}- age of seven 
years he began working in the summer, 
and in the winter season, as opportunity 
afforded, he attended school. When a 
youth of only fourteen years, he went to 
sea, taking passage on the ship "Au- 
gusta," his first trip being to a Norwegian 
port, after which he sailed to Russia, 
then to England.and thence home. During 
the remainder of the year he was em- 
ployed on a trading vessel which sailed 
between Germany and England, and sub- 
sequently became a member of the crew 
of the •■ Helmene," which sailed to En- 
gland and Porticabella, and then to the 
Gulf of Me.xico, where they suffered 
shipwreck. For fifteen days and a half 
Mr. Icke, with other members of the 
crew, was in a small boat tossing about 
on the waves, being for three days and a 
half without food. The\- finally landed 
on a small island, and five days later 
reached New Orleans, whence Mr. Icke 
returned to Hamburg, Germany. After 
being emplo}-ed on a government boat for 
about si.x months, he again joined the 
crew of a ship plying between Germany 
and England, and was a salt-water sailor 
about four years longer. Returning to 
his own home, he in i860 came to the 
United States, and began sailing the lakes, 
being thus emplo}'ed until the fall of 
1893. For twenty }-ears he sailed one 
vessel for a Milwaukee firm, and after 
that time commanded vessels of his own. 
Two of his vessels were wrecked, and 
as there was no insurance on them the 
loss proved very heavy to him. 



On May 18, 1865, Mr. Icke was 
united in marriage with Miss Rosetta 
Klug, daughter of John and Elenora 
(Fisher) Klug, and by her has had a family 
of seven children, as follows: Francisco, 
Alvina, Albert, Ale.xis, Hattie, Rudolph, 
and Frank, three of whom are now mar- 
ried — the eldest being the wife of John 
Anclam, a resident of Baile}-s Harbor, 
Wis. ; Alvina, the wife of Michael Ander- 
son, of Milwaukee, and Albert, who re- 
sides in Milwaukee. The mother of this 
family died of heart disease April 7, 1894, 
and man}- friends mourn her decease, for 
she was a most estimable lady. In 1882 
Mr. Icke came to Ellison Bay, and estab- 
lished the store in which he is still inter- 
ested. He also owns 280 acres of good 
land, of which 160 acres are cleared, 
while 60 are under the plow. In 1893 he 
was appointed postmaster of Ellison Bay, 
and still fills that position; though he 
was appointed under a Democratic admin- 
istration, he does not affiliate with that 
party, supporting by his ballot men and 
measures of the Republican party. His 
life has certainly not been an uneventful 
one, for his long experience on the seas 
brought to him many interesting and 
ofttimes thrilling adventures. His school 
privileges were limited, but during his long 
\-oyages, and through his contact with the 
world, he has gained a wide and varied 
knowledge, and can relate many entertain- 
ing episodes. 



JOHN DAUL was born August i, 
1869, in the town of Casco, Kewau- 
nee county, a son of Lawrence and 
Catherine (Salentine) Daul, the for- 
mer of whom, who was a native of Ger- 
many, and a farmer by occupation, in 
1854 crossed the Atlantic to America, 
settling in Washington county. Wis., 
where he worked as a day laborer. After 
six years there passed, he removed to 
Kewaunee county and purchased eighty 
acres of land in Luxemburg township, 
from which he at once began to clear the 



66o 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



heavy growth of timber. In 1859 he 
married the daughter of Gregory and 
Anna (Wahl) Salentine, and in a little log 
cabin the young couple began their domes- 
tic Ife, living in true pioneer style. At 
that time there were few roads cut in the 
county, and the forests were still the 
haunts of deer and other wild game, as 
well as of bears and wolves. They owned 
a team of o.xen which were used in develop- 
ing the farm, and which they also drove 
to market at Green Bay and De Pere, it 
taking three days to make the trip. Mr. 
Daul worked hard clearing his land, his 
busy and useful life being at length re- 
warded with a handsome competence, 
and he added to his farm until his landed 
possessions aggregated 1040 acres. He 
also did an e.xtensive lumber business, 
and was a successful financier, his e,\- 
ecutive ability,systematic business methods 
and sagacity winning for him quite a for- 
tune. The family numbered eight chil- 
dren, namely: Lena, Mary, John, Alber- 
tine, Lawrence, Ludwig, Frances and 
Annie. The father died of lung fever 
November 28, 1886. He was a Catholic 
in religious belief, a Democrat in politics, 
and for three years served as chairman of 
the town board. 

We now take up the personal history 
of John Daul, who spent the days of his 
boyhood and youth in his parents' home, 
and to his father gave the benefit of his 
services until his marriage, which interest- 
ing event was celebrated November 15, 
1893, with Miss Barbara Filz, daughter of 
Joseph and Anna (Lanser) Filz. They 
removed to a farm of eighty acres, which 
Mr. Daul had inherited from his father's 
estate, and the young couple, who are 
widely and favorably known in the com- 
munity, and have many warm friends, are 
there living at their pleasant home. Mr. 
Daul votes with the Democratic party, 
and throughout Kewaunee county he is 
recognized as a wide-awake and enter- 
prising young farmer of known business 
ability, and his friends have no fears in 
predicting for him a successful future. 



August 
ily of 



PETER PEOT, a well-to-do farmer 
of Kewaunee county, and one of 
the honored pioneer settlers, was 
born in Washington county, \Vis. , 
2, 1850, the youngest in the fam- 
seven children of Nicholas and 
Catherine (Moos) Peot. The children 
were Barbara, Michael, Catherine, Ange- 
line, John, Nicholas and Peter. With 
the exception of our subject, all were 
born in Prussia, Germany, as were also 
the parents, and, in 1845, the family emi- 
grated to America, landing in New York 
after a voyage of nine weeks. From 
there they came west to Milwaukee, Wis. , 
and the father secured a homestead claim 
of forty acres, whereon he lived nine years, 
after which he came to Lu.xemburg town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, and entered a 
claim of 160 acres. There were no roads 
cut through, and it required six days to 
make the trip to Green Bay with an 
ox-team. At New Franken, Wis., they 
were delayed five days until a road was 
completed over which they could travel. 
Mr. Peot and his sons at once began to 
clear the land, and among the stumps 
planted wheat, in harvest time gathering 
a crop of ninety bushels from five bushels 
which had been sowed. Upon three- 
fourths of an acre potatoes were planted, 
and the yield thereof was three hundred 
bushels. The work of clearing the farm 
was steadily contained until the greater 
part of it was placed under a high state 
of cultivation. 

Our subject experienced all the hard- 
ships incident to frontier life in the days 
when this was a frontier settlement, in 
which Indians were frequently seen, while 
bears and wolves yet roamed the for- 
ests. Mr. Peot remained at home until 
he was twenty-two years of age, for his 
father dying when Peter was a lad of 
thirteen, the care of the farm devolved 
upon the four sons. At the age of twen- 
ty-two our subject married Anna Shaut, 
and having each received eighty acres of 
land from their fathers, they began their 
domestic life upon their farm, Mr. Peot 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



66 1 



erecting buildings and clearing the land, 
which in course of time he transformed 
into rich and fertile fields. He has added 
to his farm an additional tract of eighty 
acres, and his success in life has all been 
due to his own industrious efforts, and 
honest dealing. The first bushel of wheat 
that was ever taken to Kewaunee was 
drawn there by Michael Peot, then shipped 
to Racine, ground into flour and returned 
to Mr. Peot, that he might eat the first 
bread made from wheat raised in Kewau- 
nee county. The history of frontier life 
is very familiar to our subject and he well 
deserves mention among the pioneers of 
the county. 

Nine children have been born to Peter 
and Anna Peot, as follows: Catherine, 
Peter, Gertrude, Elizabeth, Antone, Hen- 
ry, Dillia, Anna and Joseph. The par- 
ents hold membership with the Catholic 
Church, and in his political views our 
subject is a Democrat, but takes no 
prominent part in public affairs, although 
he never fails to faithfully perform his 
duties of citizenship. 



LOUIS REICHEL, a wide-awake, 
industrious and progressive young 
business man of Sturgeon Bay, 
Door county, is a native of Wis- 
consin, born in Boscobel, Grant county, 
in May, 1864. 

His father, also named Louis, was a 
native of Germany, whence when a young 
man he came to America, settling in 
Grant county, where for many years he 
followed his trade, that of merchant tailor, 
which he had learned in the Fatherland. 
In Wisconsin he was married to Miss 
Maggie Webber, also a German by birth, 
and five children were born to them, 
namely: Maggie, Katie, Lizzie, Louis, 
and Daniel, the last named dying at the 
age of fourteen years. The parents at 
the present time are living at Boscobel, 
Grant Co., Wisconsin. 

Louis Reichel, our subject, received a 
liberal education at the common schools 



of his place of birth, and at the age of 
fifteen went to Dubuque, Iowa, there to 
learn the trade of jeweler, and, after com- 
pleting his apprenticeship, worked as a 
journeyman at various places. In 1885 he 
came to Sturgeon Bay, where for three 
years he continued his trade as journey- 
man, and then established his present 
jewelry and drug business, in which 
venture he has met with well-merited suc- 
cess, his stock in trade being complete in 
both lines. In 1886 he was united in 
marriage with Miss Lizzie Weston, also a 
native of Wisconsin, born at Necedah, 
Juneau county, a daughter of Thomas 
and Elizabeth (Dawes) Weston, who 
while young came from their native State, 
Maine, to Wisconsia, where they married 
and had a family of eight children, of 
whom the following named five are yet 
living: Laura, Lizzie, Emma, May and 
Helen. The father of these, who was a 
lumberman of no little prominence, died 
in 1889; his widow now resides at 
Necedah, Wis. To our subject and wife 
have been born four children: Louis, 
Daniel, Hattie and Inez. Mr. Reichel 
in his social affiliations is a member of the 
F. & A. M., I. O. O. F. and Modern 
Woodmen. Politically he is a Republican, 
on which ticket he served as alderman 
one term, in 1893 was elected mayor of 
Sturgeon Bay without opposition, and is 
the present city clerk, chosen by the 
council. 



CHARLES PETERSEN, United 
States Lighthouse Keeper, at Ke- 
waunee, was born in Norway 
February 8, 1866. His father, 
Lars August Petersen, was an architect 
and master mason by occupation, was 
born in Christiania, the capital city of 
Norway; the mother bore the maiden 
name of Maren Ostensen, and her father, 
who had been a soldier all his life, re- 
ceived a silver cup from the king for gal- 
lantry in the war between Norway and 
Sweden, and later was assigned to the 



662 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



charge of the powder magazines on an 
island near Christiania. Mrs. Petersen 
was born at Christiania in 1825, and be- 
came the mother of five sons and four 
daughters, of whom four sons are still 
living. The father died when Charles 
was quite \oung; the mother is still living 
in Arendal, Norway. 

Our subject graduated from the high 
school, and at the age of twelve com- 
menced to study English, later some of 
the higher branches, preparatory to enter- 
ing the navy, A course of study in the 
Naval Academy was necessary for ap- 
pointment to this branch of the service, 
and one year's actual experience at sea 
was necessary to an entrance into the 
academy; accordingly, at the age of six- 
teen, he shipped on board a merchantman 
in order to tit himself for admission. But 
he changed his intention and remained in 
the mercantile marine service three years, 
\isiting Sweden, England, France, Africa, 
South America, the West Indies, New- 
York, in fact, nearly the whole world. 
At the age of nineteen he became a resi- 
dent of the United States, and for five 
years sailed the lakes, a part of the 
time being in the United States Life- 
Saving Service at Milwaukee. In 1890 
he entered the United States Lighthouse 
service at ' Milwaukee, as assistant, and 
remained two years, at the end of which 
time he received his appointment as light- 
house keeper at Kewaunee. 

Peter Julius Petersen, eldest brother 
of subject, entered the Norway mercan- 
tile marine service when fourteen or fif- 
teen 3-ears old. following the ocean for 
thirteen years, and becoming first officer 
of several of the largest vessels in the 
service; he was at one time presented 
with a gold medal, by the Oueen of Eng- 
land, for saving the lives of eight British 
seamen while in this employ. He afterward 
sailed the lakes ten years, as master of 
different vessels, and is now lighthouse 
keeper at Winds Point, near Racine. 
Lars Petersen, another brother, served 
in the Norwegian navy until disabled. 



and is now agent for a steamboat com- 
pany. Johan, the youngest brother, has 
been at sea, is a graduate from a marine 
school, and is now fitting himself at home 
for the position of officer. 

Charles Petersen was married, in 1887, 
to Miss Ida Goodletson, daughter of 
Goodlet Goodletson, a native of Norway, 
who came to America at the age of seven 
years, ^^^len seventeen he enlisted in 
the Seventeenth United States Regulars, 
and served throughout the Civil war. 
He is a vessel master, and lives on Wash- 
ington Island, where his daughter Ida was 
born. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
Petersen were born two children: One 
son, Ralph, being with his father; one 
daughter died in infancy in Milwaukee; 
where Mrs. Petersen also passed awa\' in 
1891. Charles Petersen is a thorough- 
going American, and has done much 
toward advocating the floating of the 
stars and stripes over lighthouses on cer- 
tain national holidays, and has succeeded 
in carrying out this idea at Kewaunee by 
private outlay. The newspapers have 
paid him many compliments for this act, 
and are urging upon the government^the 
propriety of adopting the sj'Stem through- 
out the Union. Mr. Petersen has on sev- 
eral occasions been the means of saving 
lives, among them that of a young lady 
from drowning at Milwaukee, at other 
times giving aid to vessels in distress. 



FREDERICK KRUEGER, farmer. 
Sturgeon Bay township. Door 
county, was born September i , 
1826, in Nuthagen in Coslin, Ger- 
many, son of Michael and Henrietta 
(Bearg) Krueger, natives of the same prov- 
ince. The father, who was a farmer, 
died in Germany in 1865, the mother in 
1853. Of their family of five children, 
Fredericka is the \\ife of \\^illiam Karn- 
itz, and lives in Germany; Ernestine, who 
married John Bartz, died in Germany in 
1S91; Minnie married Gottfried Bearg, 
and died in Germanx' in 1888; Caroline is 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



663 



the wife of William Groins, of Germany; 
Frederick is the subject of this sketch. 

Our subject was reared in Germany, 
receiving a good education in the com- 
mon schools, and in 1844 entered the 
army, serving continuously for two years 
at Stettin, after which he was granted a 
furlough. Later he again entered the 
service, being stationed at Berlin for nine 
months, and on leaving the army he en- 
tered the service of a baron, as coachman, 
remaining in his employ for two years, or 
until 1854, when he came to America. 
Embarking at Hamburg he landed at 
New York after a voyage of four weeks, 
coming thence to Milwaukee, Wis., where 
he found employment and remained un- 
til 1856, in which jear he removed to 
Ahnapee, at which place he worked in 
the mill for Afr. Hall. In 1868 he settled 
in Sturgeon Bay township, and purchas- 
ing an eighty-acre tract of timberland in 
Section 19, of which but five acres had 
been cleared, set to work on this place, 
devoting the summer season to clearing 
and improving his farm, and during the 
winter time worked for A. W. Lawrence. 
Later he purchased i 20 acres more, mak- 
ing 200 acres, half of which he sold to 
his eldest son, now retaining 100 acres 
for himself, of which sixty are in tillable 
condition. Mr. Krueger first built a log 
house, which in 1888 was replaced by a 
comfortable two-story brick residence, 
38x38 feet. 

In 1858 Mr. Krueger was married, in 
Ahnapee, to Miss Mary Buske, daughter 
of Fred and Henrietta Buske, all natives 
of Germany, who came to America in 
1854, locating in Ahnapee, Kewaunee 
Co., Wis.; Mrs. Buske died in 1886 at 
Chippewa Falls, Wis., where Mr. Buske 
and his son still reside. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Krueger have been born eight children, as 
follows: Fred, married, and residing on 
the farm adjoining his father's (he has 
one son, Marvin); Frank, who taught 
school in Door county for ten years, and 
now operates a cheese factory and has an 
interest in C. Wulf & Go's, hardware 



business, at Sawyer, Wis. ; Ida, wife of 
Joseph Rafenstein, of Sawyer, has two 
children, Elsie and Esther (she was also a 
teacher in Door county); Louisa, wife of 
Ferdinand Bartz, of Kensal, North Da- 
kota; Rosa, who has taught school, and 
is now attending the Oshkosh State Nor- 
mal School; Amalia, a!s(5 a teacher in 
Door county; Lydia, and Ella. Mr. and 
Mrs. Krueger are members of the M. E. 
Church, taking an active part in all Church 
work, and Mr. I\rueger is at present serv- 
ing as trustee, and teaching in the Sun- 
day-school. He has done his share in 
opening up and improving this section, 
and is always ready to give his support to 
any movement for the general good, or 
the advancement of any of its interests. 

In October, 1864, Mr. Krueger en- 
listed for one year at Ahnapee, in Com- 
pany E, Seventeenth Wis. Y. I., and 
was with Sherman's army in the cele- 
brated march to the sea. Later he was 
stationed at Fort Beaufort, S. C, where 
he was in hospital for some time, was 
subsequently sent to Prairie du Chien, 
Wis., and was there discharged in 1S65. 
He is a member of Henry A. Schuyler 
Post No. 226, G. A. R. , of Sturgeon Bay. 
In political sentiment he is a Republican. 



FRED ANSCHUTZ was born Sep- 
tember 12, 1856, in New Franken, 
Brown Co. ,Wis. , of German line- 
age, his father having been born in 
Germany. He received but a common- 
school education, and at an early age 
started out in life for himself, working in 
sawmills and in the lumber woods. In 
the fall of 1879 he and his brother Henry 
left their home in Preble township. Brown 
Co., Wis., walked to Door county, and 
in Jacksonport township secured work as 
wood choppers. Together they worked 
as partners for some time, but at length 
our subject made a purchase of land, be- 
coming owner of 1 60 acres on Section 9, 
Jacksonport township. The greater part 
of it was still in its primitive condition, 



664 



COMifEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



and none of it had been placed under the 
plow, so that its cultivation and improve- 
ment is due entirely to the labor of its 
owner, who is recognized as a thrifty and 
enterprising man. For two years he 
lived in a camp, and then built the first 
house upon the farm. 

Mr. Anschutz was in very limited cir- 
cumstances on coming to Door county, 
but possessed a young man's bright hope 
of the future and a determination to suc- 
ceed, while his courage and ambition, 
combined with perseverance and industrj', 
have secured for him a pleasant home, and 
he has prospered in his undertakings. At 
the same time that he has won success, 
he has gained the confidence and respect 
of all with whom he has been brought in 
contact, and by his straightforward deal- 
ing. He now has a good farm, equipped 
with all modern conveniences and acces- 
sories, together with the latest improved 
machinery, and in addition to the culti- 
vation of grain keeps on hand a good 
grade of stock. 

On June 6, 1884, in Denmark town- 
ship. Brown Co., Wis., was celebrated 
the marriage of Fred Anschutz and Miss 
Mina Tiedkee, a native of Germany, and 
they began their domestic life upon a 
farm which has since been their home, 
and which had been his place of residence 
for five years previous. The farm com- 
prises 200 acres of land, si.xty acres of 
which have been worked. The home 
has been blessed with of two interesting 
children, Caroline and Arthur, the elder 
being now (1895) five years of age. 

Mr. Anschutz exercises his right of 
franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Republican party, has 
been honored with several local offices, 
and has several times refused to accept 
official preferment. In religious belief he 
and his wife are Lutherans, belonging to 
the church of that denomination in Jack- 
sonport, of which he has been treasurer 
for seven years. While the house of 
worship was being erected he served as a 
member of the building committee, and 



by his time and money aided greatly the 
enterprise. His life has been well and 
worthily passed, throu<rhout the commu- 
nity he has many warm friends, and in 
the history of his adopted county he well 
deserves representation. 



NICHOLAS PELNAR, a genial 
hotel-keeper, merchant and a 
skillful farmer of the town of 
Carlton, Kewaunee county, was 
born in Bohemia, November 18, 1844, a 
son of Simon and Katie Pelnar. The 
father was born March 30, 1805, and in 
1835 was united in marriage with Katie 
Votruba, who was born May 25, 1806. 
The couple emigrated to the United States 
in 1855. coming directly to Carlton town- 
ship, Kewaunee Co., ^^'is. , where Simon 
Pelnar entered a claim. Being one of the 
earliest settlers, he experienced all the 
hardships of pioneer life. Here his wife 
died August 20, 1888, and he passed 
from earth April 12, 1889. 

Our subject, who was the eldest son 
in a family of nine children, was a 
schoolboy in the old country until he 
reached the age of twelve, when he came 
to this country with his parents. Here 
he supplemented his early education by 
an attendance of two terms of three 
months each at the district school, then 
passed an examination, secured a teach- 
er's certificate, and taught eleven terms 
at inter\als. He assisted his father on 
the home farm until he had reached the 
age of twenty-seven, when he located on 
the farm he now occupies and has since 
tilled. On this farm he has erected the 
"Carlton House," and in connection with 
this hotel conducts a general mercantile 
business and a saloon. Politically Mr. 
Pelnar is a Democrat, and he has been 
honored with the offices of township clerk, 
assessor, and supervisor, and for many 
years has served as justice of the peace; 
he has also been clerk of the board of ed- 
ucation since 1869, and during Grant's 
administration was appointed postmaster 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPIIICAL RECORD. 



665 



at Noi man, which office he filled with credit 
for a great number of years. He has 
also held the office of notary public ever 
since the administration of Governor 
Rusk in the State of Wisconsin. He is a 
member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church 
at Norman, and of the Bohemian Catho- 
lic Central Union of the United States of 
America. He was united in marriage, 
May 28, 1869, with Miss Annie Melichar, 
a native of Bohemia, born May i, 1S49, 
a daughter of Joseph and Mary Melichar. 
To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Pelnar were 
born the following children: Emma, 
Julia, Bertha, Annie, Fannie, Pauline 
and Gerard, still living, and Joseph and 
Nicholas now deceased. Socially the 
family standing is deservedly very high. 
All the rest of Mr. Pelnar's father's fam- 
ily, except one brother, deceased, are in 
good health and fare well. The family 
relationship is one of the most extensive 
in the State, indeed of the whole of the 
United States, and members thereof are 
scattered over the entire world. 



JOHN BRANN, who for some years 
has been connected with the agricul- 
tural interests, of Dcior county, well 
deserves representation among the 
leading farmers of Baileys Harbor town- 
ship. The record of his life is as fol- 
lows: A native of Finland, Russia, he 
was born September 7, 1849, and is one 
of a family of eight children, as follows: 
John, Andrew, Johanna, Hannah, Maria, 
August, William, and Matilda; of whom, 
Johanna and Matilda are deceased. The 
father, Jacob Brann, made farming his 
life work, and was quite prosperous, se- 
curing a comfortable competence. His 
wife, Anna Maria (Granroot), who, like 
her husband, was a native of Finland, 
born April 24, 1824, died June 11, 1894. 
The early life of our subject was one 
of labor, intermixed with few advantages, 
educational or otherwise, for when a lad 
of only eleven summers he left home and 
began working in a sawmill, where he was 



employed five years. He then shipped 
before the mast, and for twelve years fol- 
lowed the sea, as did also his brother 
Andrew. In 1876, they both became 
American citizens, emigrating to the 
United States and settling at Baileys Har- 
bor, Wis., where they secured employ- 
ment with Andrew Jacobson as wood- 
choppers for one winter. In the following 
spring they purchased forty acres of land, 
ten of which had been cleared, and 
to this they added from time to time 
until they became the owners of eighty 
acres, and bought out their old employer. 
Their financial resources increased, as the 
result of their earnest and untiring labor, 
and at last they found themselves possess- 
ors of 400 acres, and giving employment to 
their two brothers, August and William, 
who in the meantime had come to the 
United States, The partnership between 
John and Andrew was continued for eight 
years, when by mutual consent it was 
dissolved, our subject retaining possession 
of the eighty acres of land, which he yet 
owns, and where he makes his home. He 
also at that time bought a lake vessel, 
sailing same five years, and on disposing 
of that he bought another, which he com- 
manded two years, at the end of which 
time, in 1893, he sold out. 

Mr. Brann was married, 1876, to Miss 
Ellen Short, who was born in Albany, 
N. Y., of Irish descent, a daughter of 
Felix and Rose (Price) Short. Mr. and 
Mrs. Brann have had twelve children, 
named respectively: Bridget, John, Ed- 
ward, Elizabeth, Michael, William, Ro- 
sanna, J. Aaron, Anna M., Victoria, Alice 
and Andrew Jacob. Of this family Michael, 
born August 3, 187S, died November 19, 
1889; William, born September 25, 1880, 
died October 28, 1889; Rosanna, born 
August 27, 1882, died November 9, 1889; 
J. Aaron, born October i, 1887, died 
October 2, 1889; Andrew Jacob, born 
September 14, 1893, died September 5, 
1894. Mrs. Brann is a member of the 
Catholic Church, while Mr. Brann is a 
Protestant. Politically, he is a Demo- 



666 



COMMEMOKATiyK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



crat, and is deeply interested in the affairs 
of his party, doinj; all in his power to in- 
sure its success and promote its f,T(jwth. 
In 1890 he embarked in the furniture 
business at I^aileys Harbor, where he 
has since conducted a first-class store, 
and is enjoying a good trade, his honest 
dealing and earnest desire to please his 
customers winning him a liberal patron- 
age. His success in life is well deserved, 
and while securing prosperity he has also 
gained the confidence, good will and high 
regard of those with whom he has been 
broutrht in contact. 



JOSEPH C. DALEMONT, one of 
the representati\'e farmers of Door 
county, belongs to that class of men 
to whom the progress, prosperity 
and advancement of a county is due, and in 
the history of this section of Wisconsin he 
well deserves mention. 

He was born I^'ebruary 35, 1854, in 
W'alhain, in the Province of Brabant, 
Belgium. The ancestry of the family 
can be traced back thrcjugh several gene- 
rations to Charlie Dalemont, who was a 
blacksmith. The next in the line of direct 
descent also bore the name of Charlie, 
and followed the same trade. His son, 
John B. Dalemont, married Justine Fitch- 
fette and they became the parents of 
eleven children, namely: Mrs. Mary 
Joseph, John B., Justine, Louie, Artance 
(deceased), Alfred, Artance, Frank, Joseph 
(also deceased), Adelaide and Joseph. 
The second in this family became the 
father of our subject. 

John B. Dalemont, Jr. , was born De- 
cember 5, 1820, in the Province of Na- 
mur, Belgium, in the town of Sombreffe, 
and on arriving at man's estate he wedded 
Frances Grandhenry. His early educa- 
tion was ac<]uired at the common schools, 
such as that day and age afforded, and 
when he was fourteen years old he began 
learning the blacksmith's trade with his 
father, working at the same four years ere 
he was pronounced a master of the busi- 



ness. It will thus be seen that his train- 
ing along that line was very thorough. 
When the four years had passed he trav- 
eled over much of the European conti- 
nent, working at his trade in various 
places until his emigration to America in 
1856. In the meantime, November 5, 
1850, Mr. Dalemont was married, and six 
years later, accompanied by his family, 
he took a sailing vessel at Antwerp for 
the New World, and after a passage of 
forty-six days they landed at New York 
whence they at once proceeded to Green 
Bay, Wis., the journey being made partly 
by rail and partly by water. The suc- 
ceeding winter was passed in what is now 
Luxemburg, Kewaunee Co. , Wis. , and 
in the following spring Mr. Dalemont re- 
moved with his family to Lincoln town- 
ship, where his father had located about 
a year previous, and where he had pur- 
chased a small farm. In i 858 hechanged 
his place of residence to what was then 
Brussels, now Gardner, township, and pur- 
chased forty acres of land. He then went 
to Pensaukee, and secured employment as 
a blacksmith with F. B. Gardner, work- 
ing at his trade until the fall of 1858. 
The family experienced all the hardships 
incident to life on the frontier. Mr. 
Dalemont walked from Lincoln to Gard- 
ner, and his wife and children afterward 
accomplished the same journey on foot, 
going to the latter place where the father 
had purchased eighty acres of land. Dur- 
ing the succeeding five _\ears he was em- 
ployed as a blacksmith between Little Stur- 
geon and Pensaukee, Wis., subsequently 
continuing his labors at Little Sturgeon. 
For twenty-two years he remained in the 
employ of Mr. Gardner, a fact which in- 
dicates the extremely pleasant relations 
existing between the two gentlemen — a 
respected employer on the one hand, and 
a trusted, efficient and faithful employe 
on the other. While he thus carried on 
blacksmithing, his father, John B. Dale- 
mont, Sr., and his children cleared the 
land, developed the farm, and to his pos- 
sessions he added from time to time until. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



667 



when he abandoned his trade, he had 240 
acres — a vahiable tract, the merited re- 
ward of honest labor. 

To John and Frances Dalemont were 
born eight children — Louise, Joseph G., 
Charlotte, Jule, Jennie, Leona, Mary and 
Adelaide. This family of Dalemonts were 
among the first residents of Gardner town- 
ship, and when they located here the 
woods were full of game, no roads were 
cut, and the only paths which they might 
follow were the Indian trails. There 
were only about twenty families in the lo- 
cality, all of whom had located in the 
neighborhood within a few months of the 
arrival of the Dalemont family. 

Joseph G. Dalemont, whose name in- 
troduces this review, has always remained 
at home with his parents. He was only 
about two years old when he was brought 
by them to America, and his entire life 
has been passed in Wisconsin. His edu- 
cational privileges were meager, he at- 
tending the district schools to a limited 
extent, and spending four months in an 
academy at Madison, Wis., but his cher- 
ished plan of pursuing a collegiate course 
had to be abandoned as he was an only 
son, and his services were needed on the 
farm. Like the other members of the 
family, he is connected with the Spiritual- 
ist Church, and his political views are in 
harmony with the principles of the Re- 
publican party. He has served as school 
clerk, was postmaster at Little Sturgeon 
ten years, and has been chairman of the 
town board of supervisors twelve years, 
his long continued service in these vari- 
ous positions indicating a marked fidelity 
to duty and an unwavering faithfulness to 
the trust reposed in him. 



FRANK HAMACHEK, a prominent 
citizen of Kewaunee, is a native 
of Austria, born March 31, 1853, 
the eldest in the family of eight 
children born to Anna and John Hama- 
chek. His father came to America in 
1866, and located on a farm about four 



miles southwest of Kewaunee city, where 
the mother died in 1888, and where the 
father remained until 1893, since when 
he has resided in the city of Kewaunee. 
Although sixty-seven years of age, he is 
still an active man and enjoys excellent 
health. 

Our subject, at the age of eleven years 
and six months, began to learn the cabi- 
nent maker's trade in Reichenberg, Aus- 
tria, at which he served two years, chiefly 
working on pianos, organs and other fine 
work. The family then came to America, 
and here Frank worked on his father's 
farm for about three and half years, and 
then for two years as a carpenter, after 
which he learned the trade of millwright, 
which, indeed, are but coarser grades of 
the trade he had learned in the old coun- 
try. For two years he was foreman for 
E. P. Ellis in Milwaukee, in which city 
he acquired his literary education after he 
had attained his twenty-first year, by at- 
tending evening school under a private 
tutor. In 1877 he bought an interest in 
his present business of foundry and ma- 
chine shop in Kewaunee, of a Mr. Davis, 
with whom he continued in partnership 
about a \ear and a half, when he bought 
his partner out. In 1878 his establish- 
ment was entirely consumed by lire, but 
with indomitable energy he set to work to 
construct his present shops, foundry, 
machine shop and planing-mill, in which 
he emploj'S at least twenty-five men all 
the year round. Besides operating this 
large plant, his attention is also given to 
the handling of agricultural implements, 
which fact not only materially adds to his 
income, but proves to be of considerable 
accommodation to his mill patrons. In 
addition to his share in the furniture 
factory and The Kewaunee Brewing 
Company, Mr. Hamachek is a stock- 
holder in the two newspaper companies 
of Kewaunee, and takes a lively interest 
in every enterprise inaugurated in the 
city. 

In politics Mr. Hamachek is a Repub- 
lican, and has always been a favorite with 



668 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



that party, having bj- it been elected 
several times a member of the board of 
aldermen, as civil engineer, and to several 
minor local offices, and as its candidate 
for mayor of the city came within three 
votes of being elected over his opponent 
in this Democratic stronghold — a fact 
that gives evidence that he is not onlj' 
popular with his party but with the public 
at large. 

On October i6, 1880, Mr. Hamachek 
was married to Miss Annie F. Shimmel, 
daughter of Wensel Shimmel, a resident 
of Sturgeon Bay. Mrs. Hamachek was 
born in Kewaunee county in 1862, and is 
a member of one of its first families. 
She has borne her husband a family of 
five interesting children, named, respect- 
ively, Ella, Olga, Vopta, Frank and Silva, 
whose presence sheds a lustre as that of 
sunshine on the Hamachek household. 
Mr. Hamachek is a member of the Royal 
Arcanum and of the C. S. P. S., and 
although he has no church connection 
is very liberal in his donations to the 
cause of Christianity, as well as to school 
purposes. He is regarded as one of the 
most substantial citizens of Kewaunee, 
as being devoted to its material progress 
and as being ever ready to do all in his 
power to promote the happiness of its 
citizens, and to soothe the toils, cares and 
asperities in the lives of the poor. Few 
men enjoy a higher position in the esteem 
of their neighbors, and few are as unos- 
tentatious in their acts of disinterested 
benevolence. 



FRANK LONG, proprietor and edi- 
itor of the Sturgeon 'Hay Advo- 
firh-, owes his iniiuential position 
in the affairs of Door county 
solely to his own efforts. He was bcrn 
in the village of Entrup, Province of 
Westphalia, Prussia, December 31, 1847, 
the son of John and Minnie (Thresa) 
Lange (a name since Americanized to 
Long). For manj' generations the an- 
cestors of the family had been landown- 



ers, farmers and shoemakers, jointly, in 
this sequestered spot of the Fatherland; 
but the father of our subject, John, broke 
the traditions of time by starting, in 
1853, with his wife and two children, 
Frank and Thresa, for the ' ' land of lib- 
erty. " Sailing from Bremen in the good 
ship " Grosse Herman," they landed at 
New York in August, after a si.x-weeks' 
passage, and proceeded at once by a variety 
of transportations to the West, first by 
the newly-constructed railroad to Buffalo, 
thence b}' a little lake steamer to Toledo, 
and thence by the Wabash canal to Fort 
Wayne, Ind. Here the dread plague 
cholera raged, and the mother and sister 
fell victims. The father remarried, and 
in 1856 removed to Green Bay, Wis. 
Misfortunes had seriously impaired his 
little capital. Leaving the old country 
with $1700 in gold, sickness and ex- 
change to the "wild-cat" currency then 
in circulation drained his resources, and 
he reached Green Bay almost impover- 
ished. Leaving his family here, the de- 
termined shoemaker-emigrant started out 
in search of employment, finding it at 
Sturgeon Bay with E. S. Yates, the first 
shoemaker at that little city. Si.x months 
later the family removed by sailing vessel 
to Sturgeon Bay city, arriving October 
22, 1856. The father from that time on 
conducted the boot and shoe business on 
his own account until he retired, in 1872. 
He still resides at Sturgeon Bay, an hon- 
ored pioneer citizen. Republican in poli- 
tics, a devout Roman Catholic in religion. 
Frank Long received his early educa- 
tional training at the parochial school of 
Fort Wayne, Ind. , and subsequently at- 
tended the public schools of Sturgeon 
Bay; but at the age of fourteen he began 
his newspaper career at the foot of the 
ladder, as "devil" in the office of the 
Sturgeon Bay Advocate. It was a month 
before the first issue appeared, and by 
that time Frank had learned quite a little 
about "slinging" type, at which he as- 
sisted on the first paper issued. Si.x 
months later the mechanical work of is- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPIIICAL RECORD. 



669 



suing the paper fell wholly upon his young 
shoulders, but he proved equal to the 
emergency and remained in charge until 
1864, when he varied his experience by 
going to Oconto and assisting in establish- 
ing the Oconto Lumbcnnan. A year later 
he returned to Sturgeon Bay and resumed 
his old place on the Adz'ocatc, remaining 
in the composing room until 1875, when 
by purchase from the Messrs. Harris he 
became sole proprietor of the paper, 
which as editor and publisher he has con- 
ducted up to the present time. It is a 
valuable property. Stalwart Republican 
in tone, it has grown from a five-column 
folio to a six-column eight-page paper. 
It has a circulation of 2,000, and is the 
most important and influential paper in 
Door county. Mr. Long built and owns 
the home of the Advocate, a neat brick 
building 25 x 50 feet. The office is fitted 
with steam power and other modern ap- 
pliances. With its three cylinder presses 
it is prepared to expeditiously do printing 
of all kinds. There are no plates or 
patent sheets in the Advocate. Every- 
thing is homemade, and the success of 
the paper is due to the untiring efforts and 
ability of its editor and publisher. Though 
active and influential in politics, Mr. 
Long has never sought official position 
through the power of the Press, but he 
has built up a paper that enjoys the pa- 
tronage and confidence of a large and 
growing clientage. Mr. Long is a mem- 
ber of the F. & A. M., Henry S. Beard 
Lodge No. 216, at Sturgeon Bay, also of 
the Sons of Hermann Lodge of that city. 
He was married October 20, 1869, at 
Sturgeon Bay, to Miss Agnes M. Dam- 
koehler, a native of Walworth county. 
Her father, a native of Brunswick, Ger- 
many, served under Napoleon in the Al- 
gerian campaign; during the Civil war in 
this country he enlisted in Company H, 
Twenty-sixth Wis. V. I., and while tak- 
ing part in a sortie was wounded and cap- 
tured. He was confined in the "infa- 
mous Andersonville prison," and there 
died of starvation and neglect. Mr. and 

38 



Mrs. Long have a familj' of six children: 
Frank E., born October 21, 1870, a 
blacksmith at Sturgeon Bay; Ernest W. , 
born April 7, 1872, compositor and as- 
sistant in the Advocate office; Clarence 
E., born October6, 1873, assistant editor, 
bookkeeper and confidential secretary in 
his father's office; Amy B,, born May 28, 
1875; Dudley S., born September 12, 
1879, and Agnes M., born February i, 
1882. The home of the Advocate ediior 
is a modern and handsome residence, one 
of the finest in Sturgeon Baj'. It is sit- 
uated on Garland street, and was erected 
by Mr. Long in 1886, at an expense of 
six thousand dollars. Here he is sur- 
rounded by those comforts that make life 
worth living, and here he enjoys the fruits 
of a successful and prosperous business 
career. 



WILLIAM ARTHUR HAYES, 
principal of the Ahnapee High 
School, and one of the most 
enterprising young men of the 
county, was born June 2, 1867, in Eden, 
Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin. 

His paternal grandfather, whose par- 
ents were people of eastern Ireland, grew 
to manhood in Toronto, Canada, and in 
his younger days learned the trade of ma- 
chinist which he followed throughout his 
entire life. He had three sons, to wit: 
John, who went to Texas, and has never 
been heard from since the commence- 
ment of the war of the Rebellion; one 
(name not given) who died in Toronto, 
Canada, about the year 1891 ; and Henry, 
father of the subject of these lines. 

Henry Hayes was born in Toronto, 
Canada, and when quite young was left 
an orphan. At the age of sixteen he 
came to Wisconsin, locating in Milwau- 
kee where he secured employment with 
the Prairie du Chien railroad as a bridge 
builder. This trade he followed for 
many years, until locating on a farm at 
Cascade, Sheboygan Co., Wis., which 
he operated up to 1866, when he removed 



6/0 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



to Eden, Fond du Lac county, where he 
resides on a farm of 200 acres. He is an 
expert bridge builder, and for four years 
was employed as superintendent of the 
wood work in the Lake Shore railroad 
shops at Kaukauna, Wis. He is a man of 
ability, prominence and influence, and 
while in Sheboygan county represented 
his District in the State Legislature. For 
five years he was chairman of his town, 
and is now clerk of the circuit court in 
his county. He married Anna M. Kir- 
win, a native of Ireland, and by their 
union were born eleven children, of 
whom ten are yet living. Mrs. Anna M. 
Hayes came of a wealthy family in east- 
ern Ireland, who owned \aluable lands 
and milling property on the river Ho\'ne. 

\\'illiam A. Hayes enjoyed somewhat 
limited educational privileges in his early 
life, attending the common schools for 
only about three years; but by study in 
his leisure hours he fitted himself for a 
course in the State Normal School, 
finally entering that institution, from 
which he was graduated in the class of 
1892. He has ever been a th(jrough and 
systematic student, and close application 
and earnest effort have well fitted him 
for his chosen profession. In Septem- 
ber, 1892, he received the appointment 
as principal of the Ahnapee High School, 
prior to which he had taught the village 
and district schools for about three years, 
the experience thereby gained proving of 
much use to him when entering upon his 
more advanced labor. 

Mr. Hayes has now served three years 
as principal of the high school at Ahna- 
pee, and it is said by the State inspector 
of high schools that the school there has 
been among the most progressive in Wis- 
consin during the past two years. Mr. 
Hayes has had e.xperience in all grades of 
school work, including district, graded 
and high schools; has conducted institutes 
and teachers' summer schools, and in the 
spring of 1895 he organized a teachers' 
summer .school for Kewaunee county, the 
first ever held there. When he graduated. 



in 1892, he was chosen both president 
and valedictorian of his class, and has 
since gained considerable recognition as a 
public speaker on educational and socio- 
logical questions. The excellent schools 
of Ahnapee under his able leadership have 
risen to a yet higher standard of perfec- 
tion, and he enjo\s the distinction of be- 
ing among the foremost in the van of pro- 
gressive educators in Wisconsin. 



F 



ELIX .MELEKA, painter, decor- 
ator and farmer, of Kewaunee, was 
born in Belgium August 6, 1835. 
His father, John Melera, a painter 
and glazier by trade, was a native of 
Italy, born in 17SS, and when fifteen 
years of age went to Belgium, where he 
married Constance Pera, a native of that 
country, who bore him eight children — 
four sons and four daughters — of whom 
Felix is the third in order of birth. John 
Melera brought his family to America in 
1855, landing in New York in Januar}', 
thence coming directly to Wisconsin, and 
settling on a farm in the northwest part 
of Kewaunee county, where he made his 
home until 1865 when he moved to Ke- 
waunee city and followed his trade until 
his death, which occurred while on a visit 
to a daughter in Ked River in i 876. His 
widow followed him to the grave one year 
later, at the advanced age of ninety-three. 
Our subject recci\ed his education in 
the common schools of his native land, 
and at the age of fifteen began learning 
his father's trade. He came to America 
in June, six months after his father's ar- 
rival, and went at once to Green Bay, 
Wis., being then twenty years of age. 
He soon joined his father on the farm, 
and remained with him six years; then 
came to Kewaunee and bought a farm of 
thirty-three acres one mile south of the 
city, on which liis family lives, while he 
is chiefly engaged in his business of dec- 
orator and painter in the city. He has 
taken great interest in the politics of the 
Demcjcratic party; for three terms was 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



elected b\- it to the county treasurership, 
and in 1884 was elected sheriff in which 
office he gave great satisfaction one term, 
but declined a second nomination; at 
present he is alderman of his ward, and 
has help the office four years. 

In 1 86 1 he was married to Miss Ter- 
aselia Leveque, who was born in Canada 
in 1843, and whose parents came to Wis- 
consin in 1848, locating in F"ond du Lac 
one year; then resided at Two Rivers for 
some time and finally returned to Canada, 
where the father died in 1889. To this 
union have been born sixteen children, of 
whom five sons and six daughters are still 
living. Mr. and Mrs. Melera are mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, and are very 
highly respected by all who know them. 



FMADS HANSEN is a native of 
Denmark, having been born No- 
\-ember 17, 1835, in Schleswig- 
Holstein, at that time a part of 
that country. His father, who bore the 
same name, was born on the Island of 
Arro, Denmark, and was a shoemaker by 
trade, which occupation he followed until 
quite late in life, when he practiced 
veterinary surgery. He married Annia 
Maria Jacobson, a native of Schleswig- 
Holstein, where they both passed from 
earth, the parents of two children, F. 
Mads and Hans, the latter of whom died 
in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson were 
members of the Lutheran Church. 

Our subject received a good education 
at the parochial schools of his native 
country, and at the age of twenty years 
commenced to learn the trade of mason 
which he followed until 1871 when he 
emigrated to America. Coming direct to 
Washington Island, Door Co. , Wis. , he 
here purchased forty acres of land, which 
he immediately began to cultivate, and 
has continued to do so up to the present 
time. From time to time he has pur- 
chased additional land, and now owns 
320 acres, seventy of which are improved. 
The buildings he has erected are commo- 



dious and well kept, giving the whole 
place an air of thrift and neatness. 

Before leaving Denmark Mr. Hansen 
was married to Miss Annie Katharine 
Smidt, who was born in Schleswig, in 
1839. They have had eight children, as 
follows: Maria, Katharine (deceased), 
HansL. , Lewis, Annie M., Lauritz Will- 
iam, Mary Dora, Walter George and 
Alfred. In politics Mr. Hansen is a 
Republican, and has filled the office of 
supervisor many years. He came to this 
country a poor man, but is now one of 
the most successful men in his township, 
and is universal!}' regarded as an honest, 
upright citizen. 



JOSEPH MILLER, of Kewaunee, is 
a native of the State of Wisconsin, 
having been born in Sheboygan 
county in 1850. His father. Vitals 
Miller, who was born in Bavaria Decem- 
ber 12, 1 82 1, came to Milwaukee, Wis., 
in 1847, thence proceeding to Manton, 
Mich. , where he remained a year and a 
half; moved thence to Sheboygan, Wis., 
where he farmed three years, and then 
went to Lake Superior, remaining four 
years. In 1856 he came to Kewaunee 
county, and here rose to distinction; after 
following farming for awhile, he moved to 
the village of Kewaunee, and here con- 
ducted the Mill Boarding House some 
four years, after which he again engaged 
in farming. In 1864 Mr. Miller enlisted 
in the Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and 
marched with Sherman to the sea, serv- 
ing faithfully and honorably. In 1871 he 
was elected register of deeds, which office 
he filled eight years; was president of the 
village two years, and for seven years was 
clerk of the school board, of which for 
ten years he was a member. In 1881 he 
was elected county judge, was re-elected 
for a second term, and died while holding 
the office, November 27, 1885. His 
funeral was probably one of the most 
largely attended of any that ever occurred 
in Kewaunee village, being attended by 



672 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



delegations from the Odd Fellows, the 
Grand Army of the Republic and of the 
Fire Department. 

Joseph Miller, the subject proper of 
this notice, received a very fair education 
in the schools of Kewaunee. In 1872 he 
married Miss Anna Dickenshied, who lost 
her father when she was a small child, 
and to this union have been born two 
children — Joseph and Louisa. After his 
marriage Mr. Miller farmed near Kewau- 
nee for two years, and then bought a liv- 
ery establishment in the city, which he 
conducted six years, making manj- friends, 
who clung to him when he went into the 
saloon business immediately afterward, 
when many more were added to the list 
and still patronize him. As a Democrat, 
he has for three years served as alderman. 
Fraternally he is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. , the Sons of Hermann, and the 
Sons of Veterans. 



NELSON CRAITE, captain in the 
Life Saving service at Kewaunee 
Station, was born at Manitowoc 
Rapids, Wis., Decembers, 1853. 
His father, Eusebe Craite, was born at 
Three Rivers, Canada, about the year 
1827, and was a farmer; his mother's 
maiden name was Zora Ruelle, whose 
father, also a farmer, came to Wisconsin 
in 1 85 1. The father of our subject died 
August 10, 1894; the mother is yet 
living. 

Our subject, who is the eldest in a 
family of ten children, all of whom are yet 
living save one, attended school until he 
was eighteen years of age, and then 
taught school one term, and for five win- 
ters worked in the woods of northern 
Wisconsin, remaining at home during the 
summer months. In 1885 he engaged 
as a surfman in the Life Saving service 
at Two Rivers, Wis., and was employed 
seven seasons of eight months each. In 
October, 1893, he was promoted to cap- 
tain, and took charge of the Kewaunee 
Station, with seven men to assist him. 



This promotion was awarded him solely 
on his own merits, he having been a faith- 
ful man, ever ready to obey orders. 

The marriage of Mr. Craite occurred 
October 23, 1876, to Miss Julia Leclair, 
who was born in Mishicot, Wis., in i860, 
of French descent. Her father, Oliver 
Leclair, was born in Canada, and was 
married in Wisconsin, where he died in 
1864; his wife is still living. Mr. and 
Mrs. Craite are members of the Catholic 
Church, and he is also a member of the 
Catholic Knights of Wisconsin and of St. 
Peter's Society. In politics he confines 
his interest to his vote, not being allowed 
to hold office. He is, however, unusu- 
ally well posted on the public questions of 
the day, and deeply read in its current 
literature, history included. 



M 



ICHAEL LEY has the honor of 
being a native of Wisconsin, his 
birth having occurred in Rock- 
land township. Brown county, 
October 30, 185 1. 

His parents, Joseph and Maria Wei- 
land (Engels) Ley, were farming people, 
and the mother died when her son Mich- 
ael was a child but four years old ; he also 
had one younger brother named Joseph, 
who still lives on the old homestead. The 
father continued to live on the old home- 
stead in Rockland township, where he was 
recognized as a successful farmer. He was 
again married, this time, in 1858, to 
Josephine Dettrey, and to them were born 
children as follows: Mary, Julia, Theresa, 
Josephine, John and Thomas. The father 
of our subject was a native of Germany, 
and when about twenty-one years of age 
emigrated to America, locating at first at 
Green Bay, Wis., later removing to Fond 
du Lac, where he learned the carpenter 
and joiner trades, following that occupa- 
tion until his marriage, which occurred in 
the year 1849, at which time he pur- 
chased eighty acres of land in its primi- 
tive condition. Having cleared away the 
trees, he erected a small log house, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



673 



22 X 24, and in that pioneer home he and 
his young wife spent five happy years 
when she died and was laid to rest in the 
Shantytown cemetery. There was plenty 
of wild game in the forest, including deer 
and bears, and wolves were frequently 
killed by the settlers. The first year Mr. 
Ley had no team, but the following sea- 
son he bought an ox team and raised a 
crop of potatoes and turnips, and as the 
land was cleared planted it with cereals 
adapted to the climate. His remaining 
days were spent upon the farm where his 
death occurred, November 19, 1878, and 
he was laid to rest in De Pere county 
cemetery. 

Mr. Ley, the subject proper of this 
sketch, received educational privileges, by 
reading and observation has gained a fair 
practical knowledge, and always keeps 
himself well informed on the questions of 
the day. At the age of fifteen he went 
to Oshkosh, Wis., and began work on a 
farm at ten dollars per month, and in the 
fall of that year he went to the woods on 
the Wolf river at thirty dollars per month, 
and was thus employed about four years, 
after which he returned to De Pere, Wis., 
and began learning the blacksmith trade, 
serving a two-years' apprenticeship under 
George Weiland, of that place. He then 
engaged in blacksmithing for some time, 
being employed at De Pere, in Appleton, 
and in Fonddu Lac, after which he came 
to Luxemburg, and entered the employ 
of A. Gosin, with whom he continued 
three years. 

During that time Mr. Ley was mar- 
ried to Annie Ruckle, the second in order 
of birth in the family of five children of 
George and Anna M. (Prisinger) Ruckle. 
Her brothers and sisters are Barbara, 
Alois, George and Francis. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Ley have been born ten children, 
eight of whom are yet living: Mary, 
Anna, Alois, George, Odelia, Theresa, 
Rosa and Michael R. They also lost two 
children: Josephine and Michael, both of 
whom died in infancy. For about three 
years after his marriage Mr. Ley carried 



on blacksmithing with good success in 
Luxemburg, and then purchased forty 
acres of land in Luxemburg township, 
upon which he has still made his home. 
He built a residence and smithy, and 
when these were destroyed by fire, with 
characteristic energy he at once replaced 
them with new buildings. In the line of 
his trade he is an expert workman and 
could always command a liberal patronage 
on account of his efficiency. He and his 
wife are members of the Catholic Church, 
in which they take quite an active inter- 
est, and Mr. Ley belongs to St. Joseph 
Society and to the Order of Catholic 
Knights, being secretary and treasurer of 
the latter. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and has filled offices of honor and trust 
with credit to himself and satisfaction to 
his constituents, having served as town 
clerk, five years; as chairman of the town 
board three years; and was notary public 
and justice of the peace twelve years. 
He has lived a quiet and unassuming, but 
honorable and upright life, and has gained 
thereby the confidence and esteem of all 
with whom business or social relations 
have brought him in contact. 



OHN C. RANK, who numbers among 



the go-ahead, live citizens of Stur- 



^1 geon Bay, Door county, is a native of 
Wisconsin, born May 10, 1858, in 
Manitowoc, Manitowoc county. 

Jacob Rank, his father, was born in 
Germany, where he married Miss Maggie 
Gerl, by whom he had eight children — 
Peter, Jacob, Maggie, Frank, William, 
Louis, Joseph and John C. — all born in 
the Fatherland except the youngest, our 
subject. In 1852 the father came alone 
to America, settling on a farm near Man- 
itowoc, Wis., the mother, accompanied 
by her children, following in 1854; she 
diedon the farmin 1859, the father August 
10, 1 87 1. He came of a good family, 
and was a well-educated man. He had 
three brothers, who passed their lives in 
Germany, two of them being Catholic 



674 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOGUAPUICAL RECORD. 



priests; the other, byname Joseph, was a 
writer and poet as well as a prtJininent 
politician. 

The subject of this biographical memoir 
was a one-year-old infant at the time of 
his mother's death, and the family were 
kept together by their father up to his 
death some twelve years later. The lad 
then commenced to learn the trade of 
shoemaker at Manitowoc, but after about 
eighteen months he wont to sailing on the 
lakes, first in the capacity of cook, from 
which position he rose until, in 1879, he 
was enabled to purchase a schooner. In 
I 88 1 he was granted a captain's license, 
and had charge of a steam tug for a few 
years thereafter, or until the fall of 1884, 
when he went to Xew Orleans, and in the 
following winter sailed along the coast on 
the Gulf of Mexico. On his return to 
Wisconsin he took up his residence in 
Sturgeon Ba\', and entered the employ of 
Charles I. Martin, proprietor of the 
Jl'ii/c/y Expositor, having charge of the 
settling up of the newspaper accounts. 
In 1885 ^Ir. Martin embarked in the meat 
business, and Mr. Rank has continued 
with him, superintending the entire busi- 
ness at Sturgeon Hay, which consists of 
buying and shipping. 

On May 25, 1887, Mr. Rank was mar- 
ried to Miss Cora Mann, daughter of one 
of the earliest settlers of Sturgeon Bay. 
In politics our subject is a stanch Repub- 
lican, and has served his city as alder- 
man from the Fourth ward; socially he is 
a member of the F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. 
Lodges at Sturgeon Bay. 



AUGUST HARMANN, a thriving, 
energetic farmer of Ahnapee 
township, I\ewaunee county, is of 
German birth, having first seen 
the light August 24, 1849, in Prussia, a 
son of Daniel and Louisa Harmann. 

He was educated in the common 
schools of his native country, and came 
to the United States with his parents in 
1867. Reared on a farm, when nineteen 



jears of age he started out in life for 
himself, since when he has been chieti)' 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, though 
he also worked some three or four years 
in the sawmills at Ahnapee and Sturgeon 
Bay. Mr. Harmann was united in mar- 
riage, in 1877, with Bertha Kasten, and 
their union has been blessed with three 
children: Justin, Lena, and Henry. Mrs. 
Harmann's parents, John and Johanna 
(Benhkcj Kasten, were natives of Prussia, 
where she was also born, on February 8, 
1858. After his marriage Mr. Harmann 
located upon the farm he owns and occu- 
pies (he having previously purchased a 
part of it), his farm now comprising 
eighty acres of good land, well improved 
by his own labor, and he is one of the 
well-to-do farmers of his township. In 
politics he is independent, always aiming 
to support the best man regardless of po- 
litical affiliations. He and his family are 
members of the Lutheran Church. 



ANTON F. DANEK is the leading 
merchant tailor of Ahnapee, Ke- 
waunee county, and a leading bus- 
iness man who is both widely and 
favorably known in the county. He was 
born March 11, 1837, in Borskobiz, Bo- 
hemia, where for many generations his 
ancestors had lived, honored and re- 
spected people who made farming their 
life work. The old estate has long been 
handed down from father to son, and is still 
in the possession of the family, being now 
owned by Frank Danek, a brother of our 
subject. His ancestors were far above the 
common class, were well-educated people, 
and throughout the community where 
they lived were held in high esteem. 

The grandparents of our subject, 
Mathias and Catherina (Melchior) Danek, 
both reached a good old age, the former 
being ninety-three years old at the time 
of his death, while the latter passed away 
in her eighty-eighth year. She, too, came 
from an old and well-to-do family. This 
worthy couple were the parents of eight 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 



6;5 



■children, among whom was Frank Danek, 
father of Anton F., a farmer by occupa- 
tion. He inherited the estate, and in 
connection with its management he served 
as justice of the peace for many years, 
and throughout the community was recog- 
nized as one of the most prominent and 
influential citizens. A devoted Catholic, 
he lived a long and useful life, and died 
in the faith of that Church at the age of 
seventy-three. His wife, who in her 
maidenhood bore the name of Antonia 
Kohouth, and was also born in Bohemia, 
was an intelligent and cultured lady, and 
was called to the home beyond at the age 
sixty-eight, having survived h^ husband 
several years. They had a family of eleven 
children who reached maturity and be- 
came useful and respected members of 
society. 

The subject of this memoir was reared 
under the parental roof, acquired his ed- 
ucation in the public schools of his native 
land, and in Europe learned the trade of 
merchant tailoring, at which he became 
quite proficient. At length he determiried 
to seek a home beyond the Atlantic, and 
in 1 867 crossed the briny deep to the New 
\\"orId, settling in Ahnapee, Wis. , where 
he has since made his home. Here he 
opened a merchant-tailoring establish- 
ment, and the excellency of his work soon 
won him a wide patronage and gained 
him a large reputation, which he still re- 
ceives and which yields to him a good 
income. 

At Ahnapee, Mr. Danek married Miss 
Antonia Rosek, also a native of Bohemia, 
and their union has been blessed with six 
children, all yet living, namely: Emil, 
Annie, Emma, Mary, William and Frank. 
The subject of this sketch has borne his 
part in the upbuilding and development 
of his adopted county, is a public-spirited 
and progressive citizen, and always aids 
those enterprises calculated to prove of 
benefit to the community. In religious 
matters he and his family are closely 
identified wi h the Catholic Church, of 
which they are members. He is the 



founder of the Danek family in America, 
and in future generations his descendants 
can point with pride to their progenitor 
as an honorable, upright man, who left to 
his posterity an untarnished name. 



JOHN J. STANGEL, hotel proprietor, 
merchant, and prominent citizen of 
Stangelville, Ivewaunee county, was 
. born in the town of Mishicot, Manito- 
woc Co., Wis., May 16, 1857, and is a 
son of John and Dora Stangel, natives of 
Bohemia, who came to the United States 
in 1854 and the next year took up a 
homestead in Mishicot township, Mani- 
towoc county. Mr. Stangel was one of 
the first settlers of the vicinit}', and en- 
dured all the hardships of pioneer life, 
but succeeded in clearing up his farm, and 
retired on a well-earned competency in 
1892. His wife, Dora, was born in 1831, 
and died in the town of Mishicot in 1872; 
Mr. Stangel was born in the same year as 
his wife. 

Our subject, who is the seventh in a 
family of eight children, acquired his 
education in the pioneer schools of Wis- 
consin, and his studies were ended when 
he reached the age of twelve years, after 
which he worked with his father on the 
farm until eighteen. He then engaged 
in agriculture on his own account, and 
followed the occupation until May, 1888, 
when he sold his personal property and 
entered into business in Stangelville, 
where he is the proprietor of the 
"Stangelville House," in connection 
with which he conducts a saloon. He is 
also engaged in mercantile business, and 
is owner of the cheese factory in the 
same village, and still owns and operates 
a farm. In all the business undertakings 
in which he is engaged he has proven 
himself to be sagacious and far-seeing, 
and all have been successfully and profit- 
ably conducted. He is a Democrat in 
politics, has filled the offices of assessor 
and super\-isor, for nine }'ears has been 
justice of the peace, and in every position 



676 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



has more than met the expectations of 
the people. 

In 1875 ^'r. Stangel was married to 
Miss Annie Seidenglanz, who was born in 
Bohemia December 8, 1856, aud to this 
union were born five children, viz. : Mary, 
Emma, William, Wenzel and Jacob. The 
mother of these died April 12, 1892, and 
for a second wife Mr. Stangel married, 
October 3, 1893, Frances Tikalsky, who 
was born in Bohemia December 3, 1859. 
To this last union have been born two 
children: Delia and Flora. Mr. Stangel 
is a member of the Roman Catholic 
Union of Wisconsin, and is a devout 
member of the Catholic Church. He is 
highly respected by his fellow citizens, 
and is regarded as being one of the most 
enterprising business men of the town- 
ship. 



JOHN WEITERMANN is a progress- 
ive citizen and enterprising business 
man of Voseville, Door county, 
where he is engaged in merchandis- 
ing, also conducting a saloon and operat- 
ing a cheese factory. He was born April 
9, 1 864, in Manitowoc county. Wis. , and 
is a son of John and Phctbe Weitermann, 
prominent and well-kno\\'n people of the 
locality. He attended the common 
schools, and was reared in the usual man- 
ner of farmer lads until sixteen years of 
age, when he began learning the butcher's 
trade in Ahnapee. Later he worked in a 
brewery in Brown county, until his health 
failed him, when he was compelled to 
give up his position, and during the suc- 
ceeding four }ears he could engage in no 
labor, but spent that time at his parents' 
home in Jacksonport township. Door 
county. 

On recovering from his long illness, 
Mr. Weitermann became interested in the 
saloon business in Voseville, in October, 
1889, bought out John Hocks, and has 
since been engaged in the retail liquor 
trade. He is also carrying on general 
merchandising in connection with William 



Voeks, and owns and operates a cheese 
factory which adds materially to his in- 
come. He takes quite a prominent part 
in political matters, supports the Demo- 
cratic party, and is now serving his third 
term as town clerk, having been elected 
in 1892 over an opponent who had held 
the office for fifteen years. At the same 
time he was elected justice of the peace, 
and is still serving, the youngest justice 
ever elected in Sevastopol township, and 
after the shortest residence here. He is 
true and faithful to his public duties, and 
is a valued and public-spirited citizen, 
one who manifests a commendable inter- 
est in everything pertaining to the wel- 
fare of the community and its upbuilding. 
On July 3, 1892, in Voseville, Wis., 
Mr. Weitermann was united in marriage 
with Miss Lizzie Harter, a native of Chi- 
cago, and a daughter of Fred Harter, 
who now lives in Egg Harbor, Wis. ; they 
have one child, John C. Mr. and Mrs. 
Weitermann attend the Lutheran Church, 
of which she is a member, and in this 
locality they have many friends and 
acquaintances. 



M 



ATHIAS RIHA, a native of 

Carlton, Kewaunee Co., Wis., 

was born February 24, 1859, a 

son of Wenzel and Mary (Ko- 

zisik) Riha, natives of Bohemia. 

Wenzel Riha was born September 12, 
1 812, and was a son of Wenzel, Sr. , and 
Barbara Riha, also natives of Bohemia. 
Wenzel, Jr., attended school in the old 
country until twelve years of age, and at 
the age of sixteen left the parental roof 
to learn wagon-making. He finished his 
apprenticeship at twenty-one years of 
age, and then left his native land and 
journeyed to St. Petersburg, also to 
Vienna and other places in Austria, fol- 
lowing his trade, as is the custom in his 
native land with beginners. After about 
five years' absence he returned to Bohemia, 
where he continued his vocation until 
1854, when he came to the United States 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



677 



and for a short time stopped in Milwaukee, 
whence he went to Mishicot, Manitowoc 
Co. , Wis. , where he resided on a farm for 
a year, and then came to Carlton town- 
ship, entering the homestead which his 
son, Mathias, now owns and occupies. 
Here he was engaged in making shingles, 
as well as in clearing his land, and as soon 
as the latter task was accomplished he 
devoted himself entirely to agriculture 
until 1880, when he retired. He is a 
member of the Catholic Church, and of 
the Bohemian Catholic Union of Wiscon- 
sin. In 1 841 he married Mary Kozisik, a 
native of Bohemia, born in 1824, and to 
this union have been born the following 
named children: Wenzel, Joseph, Joseph, 
Mary, Mary, Wenzel, Mary and Mathias, 
all now deceased excepting Wenzel and 
Mathias. 

The subject proper of these lines spent 
but a short time in the schools of Carl- 
ton, his services being required on the 
home farm, where he worked for his par- 
ents until he reached his majority, at that 
time taking full charge as his father was 
in poor health. He is now considered to 
be one of the representative farmers of 
Carlton township, and an able man in all 
other respects. He is a member of all 
the societies to which his father belongs, 
and in politics is a strong Democrat. On 
July 15, 1879, he married Mary Schauer, 
who was born in the town of Carlton 
May 14, 1862, a daughter of Wenzel 
Schauer, and to this union were born five 
children, viz.: Pauline, Mary A., Annie 
C. A., and Cecilia C. P., living, and 
Mary, deceased. 



WENZEL SOUKUP (deceased), 
late proprietor of a general store 
and saloon in Soukupsville, was 
postmaster of Stokes postoffice, 
to which position he was appointed in 
July, 1894. He also began merchandis- 
ing same year in the store which was 
built by Mr. Stokes in 1884, and carries 
a full line of general merchandise. He 



came here from Sturgeon Bay, where he 
had located in 1871, entering at that time 
the employ of A. W. Lawrence, for whom 
he worked fourteen years and eight 
months at wagonmaking. He was then 
employed by the firm of Leathem & 
Smith, in the manufacture of shingles, 
continuing with them for two years, when 
he was taken sick. On his recovery he 
opened a saloon, and in connection with 
his mercantile interests became the 
owner of 1 20 acres of land in Nasewaupee 
township, 1 60 in Sturgeon Bay township, 
and four lots in the city of Sturgeon Bay. 
Mr. Soukup was a native of Bohemia, 
born Jan. 20, 1849, a son of Mordis and 
Barbara Soukup, natives of that country, 
and who, in 1871, emigrated to Amer- 
ica, locating at French Creek, Wis. In 
1875 they removed to Sturgeon Bay town- 
ship. Door county, and lived upon a farm 
owned by our subject. The father died 
in Sturgeon Bay, in 1888, and the moth- 
er's death occurred in Nasewaupee town- 
ship in 1892. They were the parents of 
children as follows: Barbara, who is liv- 
ing in Bohemia; Jacob, who died while 
engaged in a war in Bohemia; John, who 
is living in that country; Martin, who also 
died in the war; Mardis, who resides in 
Nasewaupee township, and Wenzel. 

Our subject was reared in Bohemia, 
and the public schools of his native land 
afforded him his educational privileges, 
though his advantages along that line 
were somewhat limited. At the age of 
thirteen he went to Bavaria, where he 
learned the trade of wagon making, which 
he followed until 1871, when he crossed 
the briny deep to the United States 
and became a resident of Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis. In the same year he was married 
in Mishicot, Manitowoc Co., Wis., to 
Miss Anna Bohr, a native of Bohemia, 
and a daughter of John Bohr, who be- 
came a resident of Manitowoc county in 
1854. He is now residing on Mr.Soukup's 
late farm in Sturgeon Bay township. Door 
county. To our subject and his wife have 
been born eight interesting children, viz. r 



678 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mary, Fannie, Anna, Rudolph, Barbara, 
Emily, Belle and Charley. Mr. Soukup 
died May 6, 1895. In his political views, 
he was a Democrat, and, sociallj', he was 
connected with Peninsula Masonic Aid 
Lodge, Sturgeon Bay Lodge, No. 211, 
I. O. O. F. , and Sons of Hermann. 
Whatever success he achieved in life 
was due entirely to his own efforts. He 
was the architect of his own fortune, 
building wisely and well, and the struc- 
ture which he reared had for its founda- 
tion industry, enterprise and strict in- 
tegrity. 



WSEYK, a prominent dealer in 
grain at Kewaunee, was born in 
Bohemia September 28, 1840, 
and in 1854 came to America 
with his father, who settled in Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin. 

Frank Se}k, the father, was born in 
1803, was a tailor by trade, and in 1831 
was married to Miss Annie Wendska, 
who bore him four children, three of whom 
died in infancy, W. Seyk, our subject, 
being the youngest and the only one to 
come to America with his parents. The 
mother died in 1890, but the father still 
survives and makes his home with our 
subject, whose prosperity has been such 
as to fully enable him to care for his ven- 
erable sire in his declining days. The 
family lived in Milwaukee until July, 1 864, 
when they moved to Kewaunee, where 
the father and sen went into the mer- 
chant-tailoring business, which they con- 
tinued seven years, or until 1871, when 
our subject built the first gristmill ever 
erected in Kewaunee. In 1865 he had 
gone into the grain trade, which he found 
to be profitable, and in which he has con- 
tinued ever since. In 1872 Mr. Sejkmet 
with an accident, which led to his taking 
in Frank Brunkhorst as a partner in the 
milling business, and to his permitting his 
own name to be used as a candidate for the 
county treasurership, and he was thrice 
■elected to fill the office, a compliment 



somewhat unusual. He then resumed 
the tailoring business, with W. Shimmel 
as partner. In 1880 he again assumed 
the duties of count}' treasurer bj- appoint- 
ment of the county board, his previous 
performance of its duties having been so 
very satisfactory, and on this occasion he 
served two years. 

In 1 88 1 Mr. Seyk bought out the in- 
terest of Mr. Shimmel in the tailoring 
establishment, and has since continued it 
on his sole account, being quite artistic 
and verj- popular in that particular line. In 
1 889 the gristmill was destroyed b\' fire, 
when a stock company was formed, called 
the Seyk Flour Mill Co., a new mill 
built, and operations resumed under very 
favorable circumstances; but in 1S92 Mr. 
Seyk sold his stock in this company, and 
rented a water-power mill three miles 
west of Kewaunee, which he still owns 
and operates with excellent results. In 
politics Mr. Seyk has always been a Dem- 
ocrat, and has been unflagging in his 
efforts toward the improvement of Ke- 
waunee, especially regarding the railroad 
and the harbor, making a trip to Wash- 
ington in 1 891 in the interest of the lat- 
ter. His individual shipping interests, 
alone, are very extensive, amounting to 
$150,000 per annum, and including 
grain, hay and farm produce generally, 
and he is as anxious to increase the ship- 
ping facilities of others as he is of his own. 

Mr. Seyk was first married, in 1865, 
to Miss Agnes Rencin, a native of Bo- 
hemia, who came to America when but 
two years of age, and to this union were 
born eight children, of whom seven still 
survive. This wife and mother died in 
Kewaunee in 1882, and in 1883 Mr. Seyk 
married Miss Josephine Stransk}-, who was 
born in Kewaunee, daughter of Judge 
Stransk}-. No children have come to bless 
this marriage. The surviving children by 
the first marriage all live under the par- 
ental roof with the exception of two — 
Edward, vvho is married and assists in 
his father's store, and Annetha, a pupil in 
a Milwaukee school. Mr. Sevk is not a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



679 



member of anj- secret society; he is not a 
member of any Church, but his life has 
been one of integrity, and full of justice 
to his fellow men — the cardinal virtues 
manifesting themselves in his every act 
and giving to the world every ' ' assurance 
of a man." 



VICTOR KAYE was born July 26, 
1865, and is a son of Anton 
Joseph and Ann Marie (Pewes- 
mann) Kaye, who were natives of 
Belgium. In July, 1854, they came to 
America, and for about si.\ months re- 
sided in Green Bay, Wis., after which the 
father purchased a homestead claim of 
thirty acres of pine land in Humbolt 
township. Brown Co. , Wis. The locality 
was all wild, being just opened up to 
civilization. Two brothers and two sis- 
ters of Mr. Kaye located in the same 
neighborhood, and, as the land was un- 
surveyed, some of them learned after a 
time that they were not on their own 
property, and consequently had to build 
new homes. They learned to make and 
shave shingles, the neighbors meeting to- 
gether for that purpose, but this work 
}'ielded them only a scanty living, for they 
had to haul the shingles to market at 
Green Bay, the route thither being a 
roundabout one, for no roads had been 
cut through at the time. The settlers 
often blazed their way through the forest 
and frequently carried tin horns with 
them, which they would blow in order to 
let their whereabouts be known. 

The father of our subject was a mason, 
having learned the trade at the age of six- 
teen with his father, and to some extent 
followed it after his arrival in America. 
He sowed his crops among the stumps, 
and as the years passed began to meet 
with better success; but when the Civil 
war broke out he was forced to enter the 
army, leaving his home, in 1S63, to the 
care of his wife, with five little children, 
the eldest being a girl of nine years. 
Again they suffered much, the mother 



being compelled frequently to carry a 
bushel of grain to mill to have it ground 
that the family might have bread. In 
1865 the father returned, and the follow- 
ing year established a hotel and tavern, 
which he conducted until 1886, making 
some money in that way. In 1867 he 
bought a cow and horse, the latter being 
the first owned within a radius of ten 
miles from his home. At length he be- 
came owner of 160 acres of land, which he 
operated until his death, which occurred 
in 1 891 , when he was seventy-six years old. 
The grandfather died in 1872 at the age 
of eighty-two, and the grandmother 
passed away in 1869. The maternal 
grandparents had died in Belgium, and 
the mother of our subject lived on the old 
homestead farm until April, 1894, when 
she went to Green Baj' and is now living 
with her youngest son, Josiah. 

In the family there were thirteen chil- 
dren — four sons and nine daughters — 
only six of whom are now living, and 
between these the proceeds from the sale 
of the old home was divided. The eldest 
child, Mary, born May 12, 1858, was 
married in December, 1877, to Felix 
Dart, a blacksmith, now living in De- 
Pere, Wis., by whom she had two sons 
and seven daughters, namely: Flora, 
Julia, Bertha, Ida, Seeinon, Jennie, 
George, Tillmay and one (unnamed) de- 
ceased. Nettie, born April 13, i860, 
was married in April, 1879, to Gustave 
Maze, a blacksmith and machinist, and 
they have one son and two daughters 
living — Alice, George Victor and Ellen. 
Julia, born August 3, 1S62, was married 
in November, 1886, to John Mularky, a 
carriage maker and painter, and they 
have three daughters: Lorre, Minerva 
and May. Victor, who is next in the 
family, married Adelia Minnie, daughter 
of A. C. Kuehn, a pioneer settler and old 
soldier, who served from 1862 until 1865; 
they were married June 17, 1890, and 
have three sons — Myron Joseph, born 
June 10, 1891; Cletius \'. Josiah, born 
October 'io, 1892; and Charlie C, born 



68o 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



April 24, 1894. The next brother of our 
subject, Joseph V. Kaye, was born April 
28, 1867, and married, September 23, 
1889, Lizzie Verihden, of Humbolt, Wis., 
by whom he had one child, now deceased. 
Josiah Tuphil, born July 20, 1869, was 
married in October, 1891, to Josephine 
Rosemann, of Preble, Wis., and they had 
three children — Rosalie H., born June 
10, 1892, and twin boys, deceased. The 
brothers are all well-to-do, they having 
good business interests, as do the hus- 
bands of the sisters, and nearly all own 
their homes. 

The children were reared on the home 
farm and aided in its development. The 
father did work as a lumberman, and 
made the bricks for the first chimney 
built in his neighborhood. Victor Kaye 
began school in 1 870, with Philip Coopense 
as his first teacher, and attended school 
on his grandfather's farm in an old build- 
ing which was destroyed by fire about 
eight years ago. He pursued his studies 
until twelve years of age, when his father 
needing his help, he began farm work. 
In later years, realizing his need of an 
education, he began reading and studying 
at home, and thus made up for his lack 
of school privileges. At the age of seven- 
teen he began learning the blacksmith's 
trade with his brother-in-law, Felix Dart, 
in De Pere, Wis., returning to aid in the 
harvest work in the summer of 1883, and 
each year until 1885; the remaining time 
being spent at blacksmithing. He then 
entered the employ of Mr. Maze, his 
brother-in-law, in ISrussels, Wis., where 
he continued until March i, 1886, when 
he went with his brother-in-law to North 
Dakota. In April, 1886, at Montpelicr, 
Mr. Maze bought lots and built a hotel 
and blacksmith shop; then, after working 
with him for a time, Mr. Kaye entered 
the employ of the Northern Pacific rail- 
road, and later took up farm work. After- 
ward he resumed railroad work between 
Jamestown and Devil's Lake, N. Dak., 
returning home December 20, 1886, and 
living with his parents until February, 



1887, when he again took up blacksmith- 
ing. Not long afterward he began work 
in the lumber woods, but a few days later 
he took up railroad work and also did 
teaming until moving to South Dakota, 
where he was employed as a farm hand 
until 1889, when he returned home. His 
life was one of labor in logging camps 
and upon the farms where he did thresh- 
ing, and he underwent many hardships. 
On entering the employ of the Northern 
Pacific Grain Elevator Company, man- 
aged by Mr. McKernen, he became famil- 
iar with the grain business, and with that 
gentleman he also obtained considerable 
general information. The next year he 
wenttoBrainerd, Minn., a railroad center, 
and after teaming for a time was a driver 
on a street car during the winter. In 
July, 1888, he went to Montpelier, N. 
Dak., where he worked at haying and 
harvesting, sleeping during that fall under 
hay stacks and returning home in Decem- 
ber, reaching De Pere, Wis, on Christmas 
eve. There he worked for his brother- 
in-law, Mr. Dart, and at blacksmithing 
and carpentering, and in the succeeding 
autumn went to Green Bay to serve as 
weighmaster and grain receiver with W. 
W. Cargill. He was also employed by 
other grain buyers, and later was sent to 
take charge of a warehouse at Luxemburg. 
Here he purchased three lots and erected 
a home, which is now his place of resi- 
dence, and here he successfully conducts 
a grain business, having built up a thriv- 
ing trade. Mr. Kaye is widely known 
and highly respected throughout the com- 
munity. 



RUDOLPH T. THORP, proprietor 
of a well-equipped livery stable in 
Sturgeon Bay, Door county, is a 
native of Wisconsin, born in De- 
cember, 1850, in the town of Rubicon, 
Dodge county, a son of Truman Thorp, 
who was a lifelong agriculturist. 

Our subject was reared and educated 
at the place of his birth, working on his- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



father's farm until 1879, in which year he 
•came to Door county, for some nine 
months making his home at Egg Harbor. 
In the spring of i88r he moved to Stur- 
geon Bay, and for the first two and one- 
half years clerked in a hardware store, 
leaving which he bought out a livery- 
stable business, which, however, at the 
end of five months he sold. In 1887 he 
purchased his present livery stable and 
barn, where he has built up a first-class 
business, always keeping on hand a com- 
plete equipage of elegant and substantial 
vehicles of all kind, and horses second to 
none for general road purposes, either in 
harness or under saddle. He has run the 
stage line between Sturgeon Bay and 
Menominee, Mich., six winters, and has 
experienced some perilous adventures in 
crossing Green Bay on the ice with his 
sleigh-load of passengers. 

In April, 1881, Mr. Thorp was mar- 
ried to Miss Nancy Thombleson, daughter 
of Francis and Elizabeth Thombleson, all 
natives of England, and two children have 
been born to them: Norma and HoUis. 
Politically, our subject is a Republican, 
and he has served as deputy sheriff of the 
county, and in the city council one year; 
socially, he is a member of the I. O. O. F. 
He is one of Sturgeon Bay's real business 
" hustlers " and most useful citizens. 



OL. ANDRESON, one of the pros- 
perous young farmers of Sturgeon 
Bay township, Door county, was 
born in 1863 in Norway, son of 
Andrew and Bertha Cecelia (Oleson) 
Oleson, also natives of that country, 
where the father died in 1879. The 
mother came to America in 1882, and 
now resides in Sturgeon Bay township. 
Door Co. , Wis. There were eleven chil- 
dren in their family, seven of whom are 
living, as follows: Bertha, wife of Thore 
Thorsenson, of Norway; Rachel, wife of 
Iver Wogen, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; 
Malina, wife of Thomas Oleson, of Stur- 
geon Bay; Ole, a farmer of Sturgeon 



Bay township; Annie, married to Bertel 
Vaagen, and residing in Norway; Peter, a 
farmer of Sturgeon Bay township; and 
O. L. , our subject. 

O. L. Andreson was reared and edu- 
cated in the country of his birth, and 
when yet a boy commenced the life of a 
sailor, being on the ocean for years. In 
1882 he came to America, and to Stur- 
geon Bay township, Door Co., Wis., 
where he bought eighty acres of new land 
from Nels Thompson, to the improvement 
and cultivation of which he has since 
given much of his time, and has succeeded 
in clearing a large part of the tract. He 
has also erected a substantial brick resi- 
dence, a commodious barn, 90 x 30, and a 
good granary, besides other necessary 
farm buildings, fences, etc. After com- 
ing to Sturgeon Bay Mr. Andreson sailed 
on the lakes during the season until 1891, 
and again went out in the fall of 1893, as 
mate on a steam barge. 

Mr. Andreson was married, in 1891, 
in Door county, to Miss Helen Oleson, a 
native of the county, daughter of Halver 
and Lizzie Oleson, natives of Norway, 
who came to Door county in an early 
day, and still reside in Sturgeon Bay 
township. Two children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Andreson, Harald 
Edward and Bertha Cecelia. In religious 
connection they are members of the 
Lutheran Church, and in his political 
preferences Mr. Andreson is a Republican. 



JOSEPH FILZ, a wide-awake and 
enterprising man, whose success in 
life is due entirely to his own efforts, 
was born June 13, 1848, in the 
Rhine Province, Germany, and is a son 
of Nicholas and Catherine (Rohr) Filz, 
who had a family of five children — Joseph, 
Lena, Catherine, Nicholas and Barbara. 
The father was a farmer by occupation, 
and in his undertakings met with good 
success. The grandfather, Nicholas Filz, 
also carried on agricultural pursuits. 
The gentleman of whom we write re- 



682 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ceived such educational privileges as 
were afforded by the common schools of 
his native land, and at the age of fourteen 
began learning the carpenter's trade, serv- 
ing a three-years' apprenticeship. When 
seventeen years of age he returned to his 
parents' home, where he spent about a 
year, and at the age of eighteen began 
traveling on the European continent, 
spending some time in various cities, 
working at the carpenter's trade, a year 
and a half being thus passed. At length 
he determined to try his fortune in 
America, and bidding adieu to the Father- 
land sailed from Antwerp in 1869. Eleven 
days later he landed in New York, whence 
he made his way direct to Chicago, 
where he remained until the fall of 1870, 
working at his trade during that year. 
He then removed to a place five miles 
from the city and engaged in gardening. 
On October 10, 1870, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Anna Lanser, daugh- 
ter of Nicholas and Margaret Lanser, and 
to them have been born three children, 
viz. : Barbara, now the wife of John 
Daul, of Lu.xemburg, Wis.; Nicholas (I), 
who died in infancy; and Nicholas (II), at 
home. 

After his marriage Mr. Filz continued 
gardening until the great Chicago f:re in 
1 87 1, when he mo\ed to that cit\- and 
again worked at carpentering, there being 
a great demand for labor in that and 
other lines. He was thus employed until 
the autumn of 1873, when he came to 
Luxemburg township, Kewaunee Co., 
Wis., and purchased eighty acres of wild 
land, upon which no trace of improve- 
ment could be found, he having to clear a 
space ere he could erect a house. He 
built a frame residence which he con- 
tinued to make his home until 1883, and 
during that time he cleared and plowed 
his farm, placing it under a high state of 
cultivation, and also worked at carpenter- 
ing to a considerable e.xtent. His land, 
which he caused to 3'ield him a good re- 
turn, he operated until 1882, when he pur- 
chased his present home. Besides his 



property in the town, he owns 160 acres 
of land, comprising a good farm which is 
operated under his supervision. 

Mr. Filz first engaged in merchandis- 
ing as a member of the tirtn of Dandooven, 
Filz & Ley, which firm carried on the 
business until 1885, when our subject 
bought out his partners, and has since 
been alone in the enterprise that now 
occupies the greater part of his time and 
attention. In brief, since 1882 he has 
been engaged in merchandising, in con- 
ducting a saloon, and in operating a 
cheese factory in Luxemburg. He has 
filled several positions of honor and trust, 
having served as town clerk four years, 
while from 1883 until 1893 he was post- 
master of Lu.xemburg, being reappointed 
to that office in 1895. I" 1890 he was 
elected to the State Legislature, for Ke- 
waunee county, and so ably did he rep- 
resent the District that in 1892 he was 
re-elected to that office, in which he served 
in a most creditable and acceptable man- 
ner. Both he and his wife are members 
of the Catholic Church, and Mr. Filz is 
one of the prominent and representative 
men of Kewaunee county. 



DA\'ID SEEMANN, a steady-going 
and substantial famer of West 
Kewaunee township, Kewaunee 
county, is a native of Baden, Ger- 
many, born January i, 1823, and is a son 
of Simon and Rosina Seemann. He was 
reared a farmer, and on the farm acquired 
those habits of industry and thrift for 
which the German race is noted. His 
literary education was obtained at the 
common schools. 

At the age of twenty-two he came to 
the United States, and for nine years fol- 
lowed farming in Milwaukee county. 
Wis. ; then came to Kewaunee county, 
settling on a farm in West Kewaunee 
township, where he has put his early 
training to good use, and has secured for 
himself and family a competence. His 
residence is neat and comfortable; his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



6S3., 



farm is well tilled, and will compare favor- 
ably with any of its size in the county. 
Politically he is a Republican, but is no 
partisan in the obnoxious sense of the 
word. On June 8, 1846, he was united 
in marriage, in Germany, to Magdelain 
Gab, daughter of Adam and Catherine 
Gab, the latter of whom was born Decem- 
ber 2, 1823. To the marriage of David 
and Magdelain (Gab) Seemann have been 
born nine children, their names and dates 
of birth being as follows: Michael, No- 
vember 8, 1848; Charles, March 3, 1850; 
Mary, August 17, 1852; Annie, September 
27, 1854; Lizzie, March 14, 1857; David, 
February 14, i860; Theresa, April 16, 
1862; Frank, January 17, 1865, and 
Maggie, August 4. i S67 — of whom all 
survive except David, who died March 3, 
1878. 

Mr. Seemann began life a poor man, 
but he made good use of the lessons he 
learned in his earlier days, and can now 
afford to pass the remainder of his days 
in ease and comfort, if he were so dis- 
posed. He enjoys the respect of his 
neighbors, and is looked upon as being of 
that material from which all prosperous 
communities are built. 



IVI 



OSES SHAW, a well-known agri- 
culturist of Ahnapee township, 
I\ewaunee county, is a native 
of same, born November 8, 
1 86 1, on the farm which is still occupied 
by him and his brothers. 

They are sons of Capt. Zebina and 
Katharine (O'Brian) Shaw, the former of 
whom was born December 25, 181 5, at 
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, of English extrac- 
tion, the latter born August 15, 1832, in 
County Tipperary, Ireland. She set sail 
for this country in 1850, accompanied 
by her father, Terrence O'Brian, five 
brothers a:nd two sisters, landing in Janu- 
ary, 185 1, at New Orleans, after a voy- 
age of eight weeks, her father subse- 
quently settling at Memphis, Tenn. At 
that place Mrs. Shaw was married, at her 



father's house, to Capt. Zebina Shaw, 
and then in the spring of 1851 they re- 
moved to Chicago. From there Capt. 
Shaw commenced sailing the lakes that 
season, during which time he became in- 
timately acquainted with Capt. Bill Higgj-, 
Capt. David Duhl, Capt. Francis, Capt. 
Sanford and others, of Racine, who in- 
duced him to remove to that cit}', which 
he did in the fall of 1851. From there 
he sailed in the employ of Mr. Camfield, 
George Fellows, Sr. , and David Youngs, 
at that time of Racine. In the fall of 
1855 he moved to Ahnapee ("then "known 
as Wolf River), and from that point 
sailed David Youngs's vessel "Amslie " 
(which had been moved from Racine to 
Ahnapee), and here he also did business 
for this Mr. Youngs, and Steele & Co. , 
of Chicago, in getting out ties, purchas- 
ing posts, ties and cordwood, as well as 
pier timbers and spiles for the Ahnapee 
pier which was built thirty-nine years 
ago. Later Capt. Shaw moved to Silver 
Creek where he superintended work for 
Wells and Valentine from whom he 
bought the farm whereon the family now 
live, and which at that time was all tim- 
ber land. He carried the first mail be- 
tween Ahnapee and Two Rivers. Capt. 
Shaw died of heart disease, January 3, 
1881, at White Fish Bay, Door Co., 
Wis. , leaving behind a record of a hard- 
working, honest man who had always 
been faithful to his employers in ever}' 
respect. 

Capt. Zebina Shaw received his literary 
education at the common schools of Nova 
Scotia, also attending high school in order 
to study navigation, and commenced sail- 
ing the Atlantic Ocean when a lad of 
fifteen summers. He continued to follow 
a "life on the ocean wave" over twenty 
jears, during which time he rose to the 
position of captain, and became a skillful 
navigator. To his marriage with Miss 
Katharine O'Brian were born eleven chil- 
dren, eight of whom are now deceased — 
John, Joseph A., Harry, Katie E. , Will- 
iam E. , Hattie Effie, Nellie E. and James 



6S4 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



— and three living — Moses, George A. and 
Frank. Capt. Shaw was originally a 
Democrat in political sentiment, later be- 
coming a Republican, and he took an 
active interest in public affairs, holding 
several local offices of trust. In religious 
faith he was a Baptist. Moses Shaw, 
his father (grandfather of Moses, the sub- 
ject of this sketch), was for a number of 
years engaged at farming in Nova Scotia, 
and ship building in St. Johns, New Bruns- 
wick, but later, on his removal to Kewau- 
nee county. Wis. , became a school teacher 
in the town of Ahnapee, where he taught 
the first term of school in District No. 5. 
He finally removed to Canada, where he 
died, and where his remains now rest. 

Moses Shaw attended in his boyhood 
and early youth the common schools of 
Ahnapee, and was reared on the home 
place to farming, which has been his 
principal occupation, and with which he 
has become thoroughly familiar. On 
January 5, 1S86, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Frances Heald, and to 
their union have come three children, viz. : 
Zebina Eugene, born January 16, 1888; 
Coleman, born January 11, 1890, and 
Ethel, born May 19, 1892. Mrs. Shaw 
was born March 28, 1867, at Claybanks, 
Door Co., Wis., daughter of Eugene and 
Agnes (Hitt) Heald, and is descended 
from New England stock. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Shaw located at Clark's Mills, 
Manitowoc county, acting as overseer of 
a farm at that place for one year, when 
he took up his residence on the home 
farm, and has since lived here. In polit- 
ical faith he is a Republican. 



RICHARD P. CODY. Many a man 
mistakes his life work, yet by earn- 
est application makes a partial suc- 
cess; but it is only when natural 
tact is coupled with an ambition to suc- 
ceed that anything like eminence is 
reached in any vocation, as in the case of 
the gentleman whose name is here re- 
corded. 



Mr. Cody is a native of Ireland, born 
August 21, 185 I, in the Province of Lein- 
ster, a son of John and Margaret Cody, of 
the same locality, and where their ances- 
tors for many generations had lived. The 
family came to America in November, 
1 85 1, when Richard P. was a three- 
months-old infant, and in the following 
May settled on an eighty-acre farm in 
Manitowoc county which the father had 
bought, and where his family of three 
sons and four daughters were reared. Our 
subject received his education in part in 
the common schools of the neighborhood 
of his home in Manitowoc county, and in 
part at the State Normal School at Osh- 
kosh, Wis., after which he taught school 
five or six years in the county, building up 
a good reputation as a competent teach- 
er. Becoming desirous, however, of tak- 
ing up the profession of law, he com- 
menced its stud)' in the office of H. G. 
and W. J. Turner, Manitowoc, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1881, after which 
he at once located in Sturgeon Bay, 
where he has since remained in contin- 
uous practice. 

On June 25, 1888, Mr. Cody was 
united in marriage, in Oshkosh, with Miss 
Sadie E. Marsh, daughter of George L. 
Marsh, a highly respected citizen of that 
city, and to this union has been born one 
child, Irene. In his political sympathies 
Mr. Cody has always been a stanch Dem- 
ocrat, but is equally popular among both 
parties, so much so that he was elected, 
by a large majority of both Democrats 
and Republicans, to the position of dis- 
trict attorney of Door county, and re- 
elected in 1888; he has filled the incum- 
bency with characteristic tact and ability, 
and to the satisfaction of the people at 
large. In educational matters he has 
ever taken a deep interest, and for years 
has served as a member of the school 
board, four years in the capacity of pres- 
ident. Mr. Cody is accounted one of the 
most successful legal practitioners in Door 
county, a hard worker, always having at 
heart the interests of his clients. He is 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



685 



regarded as a useful local counselor and 
office lawyer, critical in adjustment and 
preparation of cases, and has the reputa- 
tion, by his conscientious advice, of sav- 
ing his clients long, expensive and use- 



less litigation. 



LOUIS D. BRUEMMER, is a native 
of the State of Wisconsin, born 
August 15, 1859, in Mishicot, 
Manitowoc county, and has passed 
the greater part of his life in Ahnapee, 
having removed thither with his parents 
in early childhood. 

Henry Bruemmer, father of our sub- 
ject, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, 
where he was educated in the common 
schools, and when a young man served 
an apprenticeship to the milling business. 
A short time after completing his trade he 
came to the United States, making his 
first location at Trenton, N. J., where he 
worked some three years, thence remov- 
ing to Mishicot, Manitowoc Co., Wis., 
and invested the money saved from his 
earnings while in New Jersey in a flouring- 
mill in company with another man. Here 
he followed the business some four or five 
years, at the end of which time he sold, 
and building the mill in Carlton, now 
known as Tisch mills, operated same 
some five years, when he again sold and 
purchased an interest in the Ahnapee 
Mills, which he still carries on, in con- 
nection with our subject. This mill has 
a favorable reputation for turning out a 
high grade of flour, and competes suc- 
cessfully with all first grade mills. In 
connection with the flouring-mill they op- 
erate a saw and planing mill, doing quite 
an extensive business in that line. . Mr. 
Bruemmer is an ardent Democrat, taking 
an active part in all questions pertaining 
to the welfare of his town and county, 
and has filled several important offices in 
his town, being the present treasurer. He 
came to the United States a poor man; 
but by industry has placed himself in a 
substantial position among the successful 

39 



self-made citizens of his town and county. 
Mr. Bruemmer married Louisa Demzien, 
also a native of Germany, and their union 
has been blessed with eleven children, all 
of whom are living, as follows: Minnie, 
Mrs. Henry Ruhnke, of the town of Ahn- 
apee; Louis D., our subject; Fred, of 
Baileys Harbor, near Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis.; Herman, of Ahnapee (married); 
Earnest, at home; Caroline, Mrs. Henry 
Hancke, of Ahnapee; Amelia, Mrs. Henry 
Perlivitz, of Ahnapee; Ida; Amanda; 
Rudolph, of Ahnapee (married), and 
Ernestena, Mrs. Fred Wolf, of Ahnapee. 
Mr. Bruemmer, is a member of the 
Lutheran Church. 

Louis D. Bruemmer was educated in 
the common schools of Ahnapee, and was 
reared from boyhood to the milling busi- 
iness, in which he has become an expert, 
and he invented a very useful wheat 
cleaner and heater; he is now associated 
with his father. He was married May 9, 
1884, to Miss Caroline Sibilsky, a native 
of Eagle River, Mich., born September 
18, 1864, of German descent, her parents 
being natives of Rudolstadt, Germany. 
Mr. and Mrs. Bruemmer have had five 
children, namely: Clara, Louisa, Laura, 
Erma and Ella. Politically Louis D. 
Bruemmer is a stanch Repubhcan, and 
has been honored by election to the clerk- 
ship of his town. He and his family are 
members of the Lutheran Church. 



ALBERT HARDTKE, farmer of 
West Kewaunee township, Ke- 
waunee county, was born in Prus- 
sia December 20, 1847, and is a 
son of Michael and Kathrina Hardtke. 
When five or six years of age Albert 
was brought to the United States by his 
parents, who located in Milwaukee, Wis., 
in 1853, remained there about two years, 
and then, the father being a farmer, came 
to Kewaunee county, when Kewaunee 
city contained but one store and a few 
frame dwellings. Thus it occurred that 
the boy Albert was really a pioneer of the 



686 



COMIiTEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



county, as he endured all the hardships 
incident to the lives of its earl^' settlers. 
He attended the common schools of the 
county for two years, and all his after 
education was comprehended in the labor 
necessary to clear up the farm. But 
this practical education has been of. in- 
calculable use to him, as it has brought 
him success in overcoming difficulties 
where others have failed. On reaching 
his majority he became a Democrat, and 
has adhered to the doctrines of that party 
ever since. About the year 1876 he 
united with the German Lutheran Church, 
and is still faithful to its discipline and 
teachings. His marriage to Mi.ss Mary 
Redue, daughter of August and Augustie 
Redue, took place March 31, 1872, and 
the union has been blessed with the birth 
of eleven children, in the following order: 
Charles, February 22, 1S73; Emma, 
January 3, 1875; August, April 12, 1877; 
Sophia, April 10, 1879; Edward, February 
7, 1 881; Louisa, February 14, 1882; 
Daniel, February 22, 1884; Lewis, May 
12, 1886, Martha, March 9, 1888; Theo- 
dore, July 9, 1890, and Arthur, ^farch 19, 
1 894, all yet living with the exception of 
Emma, August and Edward. Mr. Hardtke 
has been a hard-working, honest man, 
whose steady-going habits have won for 
him the respect of all who know him. 



GEORGE PETER ANDERSEN, 
a native of Schleswig-Holstein, 
Germany, was born August 30, 
1850, a son of Andreas P. Ander- 
sen, of the same place, who followed the 
occupation of blacksmithing and farming. 
The mother of our subject was Bodil 
Maria Fyin, also a German, and to her 
and her husband were born five children. 
The father died in 1 893 at the age of 
seventy years. 

Our subject, who is the youngest son 
in the family, received good common- 
school advantages. At a suitable age he 
was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade, 
which vocation he followed until he was 



twenty-two )cars of age. In 1872 he 
married Miss Katharine Maria Peterson, 
who was born in Denmark in 1848, and 
they have three children: Andreas P., 
of Appleton; Bodil Maria and Katharine 
Maria. This marriage, not being har- 
monious, Mr. Andersen secured a divorce 
in Germany, where they were li\ing, and 
soon after emigrated to the United States. 
He first located in Milwaukee, Wis., but 
after a short time removed to \\'ashington 
Island, Door Co. , same State, where he 
purchased the farm he now owns and 
occupies. He has just completed a neat 
two-story frame house, and is otherwise 
well situated. While in Milwaukee he 
was married to Miss Elsie Olsen, who 
was born in Denmark, and they have four 
children : Peter, Clara, John and Henry. 
In politics Mr. Andersen is a Republican, 
and is a well-informed man on the issues 
of the day. In religious faith he is a 
member of the Lutheran Church. 



HERMANN DETJEN, superintend- 
ent of the Kewaunee Furniture 
Co., was born in Hanover, Ger- 
many, July 21, 1843. His father, 
Henry, was born in 1804, was married to 
Miss Metha Meyer, daughter of Paul 
Meyer, and came to America in 1871, 
making his home in Manitowoc, count}', 
Wis., with his son Hermann, until his 
death, having lost his wife in the old 
country. 

Hermann Detjen having finished his 
schooling, began at the age of si.xteen, to 
learn the trade of carpenter and mill- 
wright. In 1865 he came to America, 
locating in Manitowoc county. Wis., and 
in 1867 he bought a farm. This he sold 
in 1874, and lived for two years in Door 
county, Wis.; then, in 1S76, moved to 
Ahnapee village, Kewaunee county, and 
bought a planing-mill and furniture fac- 
tory, which he conducted, in partnership, 
under the firm name of H. Detjen & Co., 
until 1 89 1, when a joint-stock company 
was formed under the name of the Ahna- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



6S7 



pee Manufacturing Co., Mr. Detjen being 
its president. In 1892 the capital stock 
was increased, and the named changed to 
the Ahnapee Furniture Co., Mr. Detjen 
becoming one of the directors. In 1893 
he sold his interest in this concern, moved 
to Kewaunee city, and helped to organize 
the Kewaunee Furniture Co., he being 
one of the directors and the superintend- 
ent. In that same year he bought a farm 
in Ahnapee township, and in 1894 he 
moved back to Ahnapee, and has since 
lived on his farm. 

The marriage of Mr. Detjen took 
place, in 1868, to Miss Bertha L. E. 
Roduenz, a native of Germany, born in 
1849, whence she was brought to Amer- 
ica when a child by her people, who died 
in Wisconsin. To this marriage have 
been born nine children — six sons and 
three daughters — all living under the par- 
ental roof. Mr. and Mrs. Detjen are sin- 
cere members of the Lutheran Church, 
and are training up their family in the 
same faith. In politics he is a Republi- 
can, has been supervisor, city treasurer 
and alderman of Ahnapee, but much pre- 
fers his business to politics. He has been 
a popular man in spite of himself, and 
his business reputation stands without a 
blemish. Since the above sketch was 
written Mr. Detjen has sold his interest 
in the Kewaunee Furniture Co., to his 
eldest son, Fred, who is now manager 
and superintendent of that concern. 



ORRIN WARNER, Sr., one of 
Ahnapee's best-known and most 
prominent citizens, comes of Eng- 
Hsh ancestry who settled in New 
England in an early day, and was born 
Januarj' 17, 1820, in Orleans county. 
New York. 

Reuben Warner, father of Orrin, was 
a native of the State of Connecticut, in 
the common schools of which he received 
his education, and he was reared on a 
farm. When a young man he was united 



in marriage with Mary Pachin, a native 
of the State of New York, born near the 
source of the Delaware river, who bore 
him three children, as follows: Charles 
and Mary, deceased, and Orrin, whose 
name introduces this sketch. A few 
years after his marriage Mr. Warner 
met with an accident which caused his 
death, and Mrs. Warner subsequently 
married William Lee, to which union 
came two children, Charlotte and John, 
both deceased. Mr. Lee died in 1832, 
and his widow afterward married Luke 
Olds, by whom she had three children, 
Charles, Mary and Oscar, all now de- 
ceased. The mother died in 1866 at the 
age of sixty-seven years, several years 
after the death of Mr. Olds. 

Orrin Warner was given a common- 
school education, in his native State, was 
reared on a farm, and in early life was 
engaged in lumbering in New York State. 
When twenty-two years of age he married 
Jane Bennet, a native of Seneca county, 
N. Y. , born in 1823, and to them have 
been born children as follows: John, 
Simon, Orrin (of Kewaunee), Harriet 
(Mrs. Abraham Hall, of the city of 
Ahnapee), and Charlotte (Mrs. Henry 
Dagno, of the city of Ahnapee), living, 
and Reuben and George, deceased. After 
his marriage Mr. Warner followed agri- 
cultural pursuits in the State of New 
York for about one year, and then 
migrating westward to Lake county, 111., 
followed farming there some five years, 
afterward coming to Wisconsin and tak- 
ing a job of lumbering at Manitowoc 
which occupied him some two years. At 
the end of that time, in company with 
Ed. Trudell and John Hughes, he came 
to Ahnapee, being the Hrst permanent set- 
tler in this section of the country, and the 
nearest neighbor was a settler at what is 
now the city of Kewaunee. After his 
removal here Mr. Warner took up eighty 
acres of land iipon which he located, and 
immediately commenced removing the 
timber and clearing the land for farming. 
For a time he did cjuite an extensive 



6SS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



business selling trees, cordwood, posts, 
etc., and since then has followed agricul- 
tural pursuits. He is one of the oldest 
and most highly respected citizens of 
Kewaunee county, and one of her pros- 
perous self-made farmers, for all he now 
owns has been accumulated b}' earnest 
toil and years of persevering thrift. Polit- 
ically 'he is independent, and always sup- 
ports the candidate best fitted for office; 
he himself has filled many positions of 
honor and trust in his town, having been 
appointed deputy sheriff, an office he held 
eight years, served both as town and 
county supervisor, and has filled the 
offices of assessor, justice of the peace, 
and alderman in the city of Ahnapee, 
with credit to himself and satisfaction of 
his constituents, his high sense of duty 
and sterling integrity recommending him 
to all as a faithful and valuable servant of 
the public. 



NICHOLAS PEOT, whose indus- 
try and perseverance and well 
directed efforts have made him a 
successful farmer of Luxemburg 
township, Kewaunee county, was born in 
Prussia, Germany, August i6, 1847, a 
son of Nicholas and Catherine (Maas) Peot. 
His educational privileges were very 
meagre, but his training at farm labor 
was without limit. At a very early age, and 
under his father's instruction, he began 
work in the fields, soon becoming familiar 
with farm labor in all its departments. 
^^'hen he was six months old his parents 
sailed for America, landing in New York, 
whence they came direct to W'isconsin. 
In Washington county the father pur- 
chased forty acres of timber land, and in 
a log cabin, in true pioneer stj-le, began 
life in the West. This was the year of 
Wisconsin's admission to the Union, and 
many portions of the State, including 
that in which the Peot family located, 
were still in their primitive condition. 
After ten years, during which he made a 
great change in the appearance of his 



farm, placing much of it under cultiva- 
tion, he came to Kewaunee county, set- 
tling in what was then Casco, now Luxem- 
burg township, purchasing 160 acres of 
land. 

Our subject was reared to manhood 
under the parental roof, and to his father 
gave the benefit of his services until his 
marriage, which occurred November 19, 
1872, the lady of his choice being Agatha 
Sibylla, daughter of Mathias and Agnes 
(Nikolas) Schneiders. She was born in 
Scott township. Brown Co., Wis., Janu- 
ary 18, 1854, and was one of eight chil- 
dren, namely: Joseph and Margaret 
(twins), Jacob, Theresa, Barbara, Agatha 
S., Peter Joe and John. For a year after 
their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Peot resid- 
ed with his parents, and then removed to 
their present home, which was built by 
our subject on a part of his father's farm. 
He now owns 120 acres of land compris- 
ing the farm whereon he resides, and has 
a third interest in an eighty-acre tract 
elsewhere. With the exception of ten 
acres in the immediate vicinity of the 
house, the farm was uncleared; but with 
his axe on his shoulder he started out each 
morning, and soon under his swinging 
blows the trees of the forest fell one by 
one, and the land was made ready for 
the plow. Crops were planted, and after 
kindly Nature had matured the grain 
abundant harvests were garnered, and a 
good income derived therefrom. 

Mr. and Mrs. Peot have had children 
as follows: Catherine, Barbara, John, 
Agnes, Angeline, Peter, Nicholas, Lena, 
Sibylla, Lorenz, Theresa (who died in in- 
fancy), Michael and Edward. The family 
are all members of St. Mary's Catholic 
Church, and have many friends and 
acquaintances in this community. Mr. 
Peot votes with the Democratic party, 
but'has never entered the political arena 
as a contestant for office, although he 
faithfully discharges his duties of citizen- 
ship. His life has been an honorable and 
upright one, and though quietly passed 
has gained him the confidence and regard 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



689 



of all with whom he has been brought in 
contact, and has secured for him a well- 
merited competence, 



JOSEPH SVOBODA, wood carver 
and dealer in furniture and wall 
paper, Kewaunee, was born in Bo- 
hemia March 3, 1859. His father, 
John Svoboda, was born in 1833, was a 
cloth weaver, and a jeweler to some ex- 
tent, and the grandfather, Emmanuel, 
was also a cloth weaver. John Svoboda 
was married in 1857 to Anna Krcil, who 
became the mother of eight children, of 
whom two sons and two daughters died 
in Bohemia, leaving one son and three 
daughters as survivors. 

Of these, Joseph Svoboda came to 
America in 1879, locating in Carlton, 
Kewaunee Co., Wis., and for three years 
worked at carpentering, which he had 
learned in the old country. He then 
bought a farm in Carlton, in the mean- 
time sending money to Bohemia to aid 
his father, mother and sisters in reaching 
Carlton, and subsequently, in 1886, 
brought over his foster brother. The 
mother died in Carlton in June, 1891, and 
the father in May, 1893. Mr. Svoboda 
carried on farming for seven years, al- 
though he worked at his trade at the same 
time. In the spring of 1891 he rented 
his farm, located in the city of Kewaunee, 
and started his present business, making 
a specialty of artistic church furniture and 
fine wood carving. He has achieved a 
high reputation, having made some of the 
most beautiful altar furniture in the State, 
drawing his own designs and making his 
own patterns. This industry enables him 
to employ steadily three assistants. He 
had acquired a high and chaste idea of 
his art by working in different cities in 
Austria and Turkey before coming to 
America, although his education had been 
confined to the common schools, and this 
privilege had not been attained until after 
reaching his twelfth year. 



Mr. Svoboda was married in May, 
1 88 1, to Miss Anna Langer, daughter of 
Joseph Langer, a pioneer of Kewaunee 
county, and this imion has been blessed 
with six children, viz. : Antone, Katy, 
Anna, Bohomila (who died in infancy), 
Joseph and Emily. In politics, Mr. 
Svoboda is a Democrat, but is not vio- 
lently partisan, contenting himself with 
the exercise of his franchise as an Amer- 
ican citizen. He and wife are both mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church. 



LEVI BARABOO, proprietor of the 
" Leplant House," in Egg Har- 
bor, Door county, was born June 
i6, 1841, in Upper Canada, third 
son of Andrew Baraboo, a native of the 
same country. Andrew Baraboo was 
twice married, and by his second wife 
had six children — four sons and two 
daughters — of whom our subject was the 
fifth in the order of birth. The father 
died when Levi was but twelve years old, 
the mother a few years later, thus leav- 
ing the lad obliged to support himself at 
an early age. 

For a short time after his father's 
death Levi Baraboo lived with his eldest 
sister, who was married, and at the age 
of thirteen began to work in a brickyard, 
being employed four summers by the 
same man, during the winter season living 
with an uncle, who was a tavern-keeper. 
By this time he was old enough to work 
at lumbering, an occupation he followed 
until he reached the age of twenty-five 
years. In the fall of 1865 he went to 
Crown Point, N. Y., near Lake Cham- 
plain, in the neighborhood of which place 
he found employment cutting cordwood, 
and here he was married, in 1S67, to Miss 
Mary Minor, also a Canadian by birth. 
After his marriage he continued in the 
neighborhood of Lake Champlain about a 
year, working in a tannery, and then re- 
moved to Door county. Wis., where his 
father-in-law and two of his brothers had 



690 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



already located. In Section 29, Egg Har- 
bor township, he bought forty acres of 
timberland, for which he paid $336, cash, 
and taking up his residence in the small 
log house which stood thereon set himself 
to work to clear the ground for agricul- 
tural purposes. He lived there until 
1884, in which year he bought a lot in 
the village of Egg Harbor, on which he 
erected a building, and in partnership 
with his brother Louis opened a butcher 
shop, afterward buying out his brother's 
interest and carrying on a grocery. In 
1 889 he embarked in the hotel and saloon 
business, in which he has since continued, 
conducting the " Leplant House, " which 
was established a number of years ago. 
Mr. Baraboo still retains his farm prop- 
erty, owning eighty acres, forty of which 
he has cleared, and by hard work has 
succeeded in putting it in a good state of 
cultivation. He is a self-made man in 
the strict sense of the term, having built 
up his own fortune from a start of noth- 
ing except industry and perseverance, and 
he is regarded as one of the substantial 
well-to-do citizens of that section. Giv- 
ing his whole time and attention to his 
business interests, he takes no active part 
in politics beyond casting his vote as a 
stanch supporter of the Republican party. 
Mr. and Mrs. Baraboo have had chil- 
dren as follows: Delia, Mrs. Charles La- 
Rush, of Egg Harbor; Mary, Mrs. Thomas 
Carmody, of Egg Harbor; Victoria, Mrs. 
John Bunda, of Sister Bay, Wis. ; Elda, 
Theodore and Albert, at home; and two 
daughters who died young. In religious 
faith the family are Catholics. 



JOHN MILLIDGEwas born June 26, 
1836, in Annapolis, Nova Scotia, the 
oldest town north of St. Augustine, 
Fla. , it having been founded in 1604. 
It also has the greatest tide in the world, 
the water rising to a j^erpendicular height 
of seventy feet. 

Our subject is descended from one of 
the oldest families of the United States, 



his ancestors having come from England 
to America with Gen. Oglethorpe in 1 733, 
and the ancestry can be traced back 
several generations. He is a great-grand- 
son of Thomas Millidge, and one of his 
relatives was a Senator and the Governor 
of the State of Georgia. The family has 
been a noted one, and has furnished many 
men of prominence to various professions. 
The grandfather of our subject was John 
Millidge, and his parents were George S. 
and Margaret (Snuden) Millidge. The 
father was a highly educated man, a fine 
lawyer, and received the appointment of 
judge of a certain court from the Crown. 
He amassed quite a fortune, having a 
very large law practice, and also owning 
landed interests which yielded to him a 
handsome income. His children, ten in 
number, were as follows : John, Mar)', 
George, Thomas, Augustus, Charles, El- 
mer, James, Fannie and Bessie ; two of 
the sisters are yet living. 

John Millidge was baptized b}- the 
well-known Bishop Ingalls. He remained 
at home until fifteen years of age, when 
he went to sea on the vessel "Sir John 
Bannerman, " his first trip being to Liver- 
pool, England, after which he returned 
and then entered upon a sea-faring career 
which was full of thrilling experiences and 
adventures. He sailed for about five 
years on the ocean, then went to New 
Orleans, came up the Mississippi river 
and made his way to Chicago. He then 
followed the lakes, being most of the 
time emplo}ed on sailing vessels, and has 
filled every position from that of cook to 
captain. Continuing on the lakes until 
1886, he then entered the lighthouse 
service, and was appointed by Collector 
Watson of Grand Haven to a position in 
that District. Having successfully passed 
the examination he was made acting 
assistant, then permanent assistant, then 
acting keeper and finall)' permanent 
keeper. His first appointment was in 
Petit Point au Sauble, which is, in 
English, "Little Sandy Point," and 
there he remained two years, when he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



691 



was transferred to Baileys Harbor, where 
he has since served. 

On December 14, icS63, Mr. Millidge 
married Miss Margaret Cooney, daughter 
of John and Margaret (Maney) Cooney, 
whose family numbered seven children — 
Bridget, Michael, Dennis, Alice, William, 
Margaret and John. Mrs. Millidge was 
born in Carboniere, Newfoundland, Sep- 
tember 5, 1846, is a cousin of Archbishop 
Feehan, of Chicago, and is a member of 
the Roman Catholic Church. To our 
subject and his wife came six children — 
George B., born November 3, 1864, 
and died November 27, 1866; Alice, 
born December 3, 1867 ; Elizabeth, born 
November 8, 1868, and died December 
I, 1887; Margaret R. , born June 16, 
1883. and died February 16, 1884 ; John, 
born December 5, 1885 ; and Ruth, born 
December 29, 1888. In his political 
views Mr. Millidge is a Democrat, having 
supported that party since becoming a 
citizen of the United States. His life 
has been well and worthily passed, and 
in public and private life he is ever true 
and faithful to the trust reposed in him. 



JOHN HARMANN was born August 
I, 1847, in Prussia, Germany, 
where he received a good education 
in the common schools. In his na- 
tive country he remained up to the age of 
twenty years, at which time he came to 
the United States, and has since had his 
home in Kewaunee county, being one of 
the well-to-do agriculturists of Ahnapee 
township. 

Daniel Harmann, his father, was born 
in Prussia in 1812, received a common- 
school education, and worked as a laborer 
until 1867, when he came to the United 
States. He was married in Germany to 
Louisa Gaulke, also a native of that 
country, born in 18 19, and they became 
the parents of seven children, two of 
whom, John and August, both of Ahnapee, 
Kewaunee Co., Wis., are living; the 
others are deceased. After coming to the 



United States Mr. Harmann located in 
the village of Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, 
where he remained one year, and then, 
purchasing the farm our subject now 
owns and occupies, engaged in cutting 
away the timber, and commenced the 
task of clearing the land for farming, an 
occupation he followed until his death, 
which occurred in 1890; his wife passed 
from earth one year previous. They 
were members of the Lutheran Church. 
Mr. Harmann came to the United States 
a poor man, but at the time of his death 
was in prosperous circumstances, brought 
about by his own industry and persever- 
ing toil. 

John Harmann has been engaged in 
agricultural pursuits ever since his settle- 
ment here, and now owns the home farm, 
a fertile tract of 120 acres, which is well- 
improved and equipped with good build- 
ings. Politically he is a Democrat, and in 
religious faith he is an active member of the 
Lutheran Church, with which he has 
been connected some twenty-seven jears, 
and is one of the leaders in Church work. 
Mr. Harmann's marriage to Augusta 
Kasten took place August 29, 1871, and 
five children have been born to them, 
viz. : Minnie, Mrs. Albert Maganburg, 
of Ahnapee; William, of Ahnapee; Fred, 
John and Rosa. The mother of these 
died March 20, 1882, at the age of 
thirtjr-two, and August 3, 1883, Mr. 
Harmann was again married, this time to 
Henriette Schutz, who bore him two 
children. Earnest and August; Mrs. Har- 
mann died May 3, 1886, aged thirty-two 
years. 



JF. C. KUEHL, furniture dealer and 
manufacturer, of Kewaunee, is a 
native of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 
Germany, born August 30, 1845. 
His father, Fred Kuehl, born in the same 
town, was a shepherd, and his mother, 
the daughter of a linen wea\er, bore the 
maiden name of Maria Stuebe. They 
were the parents of three sons and two 



692 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



daughters, and both died in Germany — 
the father in 1852, the mother in 1864. 

J. F. C. Kuehl, who is the youngest 
in the familj', was a common laborer in 
the old country, but acquired a fair com- 
mon-school education, and after coming 
to America, in 1867, and settling in Ke- 
waunee village, he studied English for 
three months under a private teacher. 
His first work here was in a sawmill, in 
which he remained three Nears, becoming 
head sawyer. He then learned the car- 
penter's trade, at which he worked until 
1885, at which time he opened a furniture 
store. He manufactures much of his own 
furniture in his own place, and has, be- 
side, an interest in the Kewaunee Furni- 
ture Company, as well as an interest in 
the Kewaunee Printing Company. On 
September 20, 1894, in company with his 
son Frank, he started another furniture 
store in De Pere, Wis., under the name 
of Kuehl & Son, Frank being manager of 
same. In addition to all these interests, 
our subject deals to some e.xtent in real 
estate, being one of five gentlemen who 
laid out an addition to Kewaunee called 
" Pautz Addition." He is entirely a self- 
made man, having landed in America 
with no capital save good health and will- 
ing hands, and is now recognized as one 
of the most substantial men of the city. 

Mr. Kuehl was first married in Ger- 
many, September 26, 1S67, and started 
ne.xt day for America with his bride, Dora 
Krohn. This lady's father was a farmer, 
who for his second wife married a Miss 
Schneman, who became the mother of 
Mrs. Kuehl and another child, but both 
parents died the same day while Mrs. 
Kuehl was still very young. Mrs. Dora 
Kuehl bore her husband four sons and two 
daughters, and died April 11, 1890. On 
May 28, 1891, Mr. Kuehl married Bertha 
Stuebs, also a native of Germany, but 
brought to America at the age of one 
year. Her father, August Stuebs, is now 
a resident of West Kewaunee; her mother 
bore the maiden name of Amalia Steffens, 
and is the eldest in a family of twelve 



children. To the marriage of Mr. and 
Mrs. Kuehl has been born one son, 
Erhard. 

In politics Mr. Kuehl is a Democrat, 
was one of the first aldermen when Ke- 
waunee was organized as a city, and held 
the office three terms; he is at present 
supervisor of his ward, and fills the posi- 
tion with credit to himself and to the sat- 
isfaction of his fellow citizens, in whose 
esteem he holds a very high place. In 
1894 he was appointed a candidate for 
Member of Assembly of Wisconsin on the 
Independent or Individual Nomination 
ticket, but ran about 160 votes short of 
Jacob Rodrian, his opponent. 



M 



ATHIAS REINHART. a worthy 
representative of the business 
interests of Ahnapee, was born 
in Faha, Kreis Saarburg, near 
Trier, Germany, August 14. 1840, and 
comes of a family that originally located 
in France, where the name was spelled 
Reinard. The father of our subject, 
Johann Reinhart, was born in the same 
locality as Mathias, and became a miller 
by trade. In Faha he followed that 
business, and his death occurred at the 
age of fifty-two years. His wife, who 
bore the maiden name of Elizabeth 
Mertens, was born in Ail, Kreis Saarburg, 
and died at the age of forty years, leaving 
seven sons — Peter, John, Mathias, Jacob, 
Nicholas, Michael and Franz. 

At the age of fourteen our subject was 
left an orphan, his parents both dying in 
the same year. The eldest brother, 
Peter, having married, became the head of 
the family, and with him Mathias learned 
the trade of shoe making, which he fol- 
lowed until twenty-one years of age, when 
he entered the German army, serving 
therein three years. At the expiration of 
that period he was honorably discharged, 
and he then married Magdalena Mel- 
chior (a sister of M. Melchior, postmaster 
at Ahnapee), and settled in the little vil- 
lage of Schwemlingen, Kreis Merzig, Ger- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



693 



many, where his wife's people resided. 
There he worked at liis trade until 1 866, 
when the war broke out between Prussia 
and Austria and he was called into the 
army service as a reserve. A month later 
he obtained a six-days' furlough, but 
instead of returning he extended his leave 
of absence and made his way to America, 
landing in New York on the evening of 
July 3, 1866. The following day, "The 
Fourth," was celebrated, and made quite 
an impression upon Mr. Reinhart, who 
thought this a wonderful country. By 
steamer he journeyed to Ahnapee, where 
he soon obtained employment in his 
brother-in-law's shoe shop, and there 
worked steadily. His wife arrived four 
months later, accompanied by her parents 
and brother Michael. In 1869 our sub- 
ject took charge of the boot and shoe 
store owned by Mathias Melchior, and, 
becoming proprietor, successfully con- 
ducted the same until February 5, 1894, 
when he gave it over to the charge of his 
sons. In connection with the boot 
and shoe business he also dealt in sewing 
machines, and along both lines did a 
large and prosperous business, accumu- 
lating thereby a modest fortune. When 
he embarked at Havre, France, for 
America, he had but one cent left, which 
he flung into the ocean as an offering to 
"Dame Fortune," and she has smiled 
upon him since. He was interested in 
the establishment of the factories at 
Ahnapee, has supported all of those enter- 
prises which are calculated to benefit the 
town, and is now the owner of a hand- 
some home and considerable valuable 
real estate in that place. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Reinhart were born 
the following children : Anna (wife of 
William Barnhart, a harness dealer of 
Sturgeon Bay) ; Mathias ; Kate (wife of 
Frank Witzpaleck, a teacher) ; George, 
Mary, Lena, Sophia, Frank, two deceased, 
Michael and Leona. The children have 
been highly educated in music, and Kate 
was for five years the organist of St. 
Mary's Church, while Mathias and George 



are both good musicians, the former hav- 
ing a fine baritone voice, while the latter 
is leader of the Ahnapee Silver Cornet 
Band. In politics Mr. Reinhart has 
always been a Democrat ; served as a 
delegate to the State convention in 1890, 
and has held a number of city offices, 
discharging the duties connected there- 
with in a creditable and acceptable man- 
ner. He has been very successful in this 
country, and is a leading and influential 
citizen of Ahnapee. 



BARTHOLOMEW DRURY claims 
New York as the State of his 
nativity, having been born in 
Erie county March 17, 1855. His 
father, Michael Drury, was a native of the 
Emerald Isle, whence he emigrated to the 
United States. In Ireland he had mar- 
ried Catherine Meigh, also a native of 
that country, and three children were 
there born to them, the rest in the United 
States. A brief record of their family is 
as follows: Thomas is now living in Lux- 
emburg township, Kewaunee county; 
Bridget is the wife of John McCalvy, of 
Lincoln township, Kewaunee county; 
Mary, wife of John C. Burke, resides in 
Casco township, Kewaunee county; Peter 
has his home in Ingalls, Mich. ; Bartholo- 
mew is the subject of this sketch; Michael 
lives in Casco township; Maggie is de- 
ceased. The parents, who were both 
consistent members of the Catholic 
Church, died when our subject was quite 
young. The father for the most part was 
engaged in railroad work. 

Bartholomew Drury was only five 
years of age, when, with the family, he 
became a resident of Casco township, 
Kewaunee county. He received his edu- 
cation in the common schools of Ahnapee 
township, and remained upon the home 
farm until after the death of his parents, 
when he went into the lumber regions and 
followed lumbering some nine years. He 
then returned to Casco township, locating 
upon the farm which has since been his 



694 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



home, and which was formerly owned by 
his father. He has since devoted his 
time and energies to agricultural pursuits, 
and is accounted one of the leading farm- 
ers of the community, a fact well evi- 
denced b\' the neat and thrifty appear- 
ance of the place, its good buildings and 
other substantial improvements. 

On October 27, 1889, Mr. Drury was 
united in marriage with Miss Alice Jalle}', 
daughter of William and Annie (Dunn) 
Jalley (who were of English extraction), 
and a native of Wausau, Marathon Co., 
Wis., born April 30, 1862. To this union 
have been born five children — Annie, 
Frank, Ellen, Mary and Alice — and the 
father, who is a warm friend of education, 
means that they shall be provided with 
good school privileges, thus fitting them 
for the practical and responsible duties of 
life. Mr. Drury belongs to the Catholic 
■Church, and exercises his right of fran- 
chise in the ranks of the Democratic 
party, but has never been an aspirant for 
political honors, preferring to give his 
time and attention to his business inter- 
ests, in which he has met with good 
success. 



JOSEPH E. BUBNHv, merchant 
tailor, Kewaunee, is a native of Bo- 
hemia, born August 27, 1862. His 
father, Emanuel Bubnik, was born 
in the same country in 1838, was mar- 
ried in 1859, and came to America in 
1867, settling in Kewaunee, Wis., and 
working at his trade of tailor. 

To the age of sixteen Joseph E. at- 
tended the schools of Kewaunee, and then 
worked a year for his father, learning the 
tailoring trade, after which for three and 
a half \ears he worked in Chicago, where 
he also learned cutting. In 1883 he re- 
turned to Kewaunee and formed a partner- 
ship with his father, putting in a fine 
stock of ready-made clothing, and also 
following the merchant-tailoring business. 
In 1887 the partnership was dissolved, 
Joseph E. continuing on his own account; 



he now carries one of the largest and best 
selected stocks in the city, and is doing a 
most prosperous trade. He has been 
twice married, first time to Polly Urbanck, 
but secured a divorce from her, and in 
August, 1890, he married Anna Drab, 
who has borne him two children, both of 
whom are now deceased. Mr. Bubnik is 
a Republican in his political affiliations, 
but is conservative and votes for whom he 
considers the best man. He is himself 
quite popular, has served two years as 
justice of the peace, and has also held 
several minor offices. He is an active 
member of the Kewaunee Fire Depart- 
ment, also of the Bohemian Turners 
Society, and has won for himself a high 
reputation as a business man and as a 
citizen. 



J 



OHN L. HANEY. the well-known 
dealer in agricultural implements at 
Kewaunee, was born August 6. 1857, 
in the city of Batavia, Genesee Co., 
N. Y., and was two years of age when 
brought West by his father, who located 
in Sheboygan, Wis., for about six months, 
and then removed to Montpelier, Kewau- 
nee county, where he settled on a farm. 
Here our subject was reared until 
seventeen years of age, assisting in the 
cultivation of the land in the summer and 
attending the district school during the 
winter season. He then entered the busi- 
ness college at Green Ba)', remaining 
two terms, and at the age of eighteen 
commenced teaching school in the town- 
ship in which he had his home. In i 879 
he located in Kewaunee, where he form- 
ed a partnership with his brother, M. C. 
Haney, opening a depot for the sale of 
farm implements. In 1881 this firm 
established a branch at Ahnapee, of which 
the brother took the superintendency. In 
1883 thej- opened a third store or depot, 
which was established at Sturgeon Bay, 
and all three are conducted under the 
firm name of Haney Brothers. Mr. Haney 
has always taken an active part in any 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



695 



enterprise tending to the advancement of 
the interests of I\e\vaunee. The firm are 
also interested in the Ahnapee Veneer and 
Seating Company at Ahnapee, and are in 
the lumber and plaster business of Haney 
Bros. & Erichson. 

Our subject is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. , K. of P., and Royal Arcanum, in 
which latter order he has passed all the 
chairs. He has been a great traveler in 
his day, having visited nearly every part 
of the United States, including two trips 
to California. On February 27, 1889, he 
was married to Miss Laura A. Grimmer, 
daughter of George Grimmer, and his 
home has been made the more happy by 
the birth, September i, 1891, of one 
child, Olga B. 



WILLIAM HAG ARTY was born 
in Sheboygan county. Wis., 
October 16, 1857, and is a son 
of Andrew and Ellen (Ennes) 
Hagarty, natives of Ireland. In that 
country they were married, and became 
the parents of two children, with whom, 
in 1847, they crossed the Atlantic to the 
New World, sailing from Dublin, li-eland, 
to New York City, where they arrived 
after a long and tedious voyage. 

Locating in Washington county, N. 
Y., the father there worked as a day 
laborer on farms, and was thus employed 
for about eight years, after which he 
came to Sheboygan county. Wis. , and 
purchased forty acres of land. [While 
en route a fire destroyed everything they 
possessed except the clothing they wore.] 
Bears and wolves were still seen in the 
neighborhood, deer and other wild game 
furnished the table with meat, and the 
entire locality was still in its primitive 
condition. Mr. Hagarty built a log cabin 
16x16 feet, and at once began to clear 
his land, the greater part of which he 
had placed under cultivation, when, in 
1 86 1, he sold out, preparatory to mov- 
ing to Luxemburg township, Kewaunee 
county. Here he secured eighty acres of 



land, now a part of the farm belonging to 
our subject, but at that time only a half 
acre had been cleared The family 
traveled in a wagon covered with sheet- 
ing and drawn by a yoke of oxen, and as 
there were no roads they frequently 
had to cut their way through the forest. 
In the family were eight children — James, 
Margaret, Julia, Mary, Helen, Matthew, 
William and George. They moved into 
a small shanty which had already been 
built, and this continued to be their home 
for three years, during which time the 
father and children made considerable 
headway in clearing the farm. In the 
spring they sowed three bushels of wheat 
and some potatoes, and in the fall har- 
vested the former crop with a sickle, 
threshing it with a flail. 

On account of the limited circum- 
stances of the parents, the children began 
work early, and at the tender age of 
eight William Hagarty began aiding in 
the labors of the farm. They did their 
trading and marketing in Kewaunee, and 
the father at one time carried a 100-pound 
barrel of flour on his back for three miles, 
stopping to rest but once in all that dis- 
tance. Some time afterward he pur- 
chased an additional tract of land of 160 
acres, and continued to operate the old 
homestead until his death, which occurred 
in 1 88 1, when he was aged sixty-three 
years, caused by a fall from the barn. 
His wife preceded him to her final rest 
by two years. At this time, most of the 
children had gone to homes of their own, 
and our subject and his brother George 
took charge of the old farm, which after 
three years was divided, and the interest 
of the other heirs was purchased by Will- 
iam, who now owns 180 acres of valuable 
land under a high state of cultivation, 
and improved with all the accessories and 
conveniences of a model farm. His life 
has been a busy one — a season of hard 
labor — and the experiences and trials of 
frontier life are all familiar to him. 

On September 29, 1886, Mr. Hagarty 
was united in marriage with Miss Gather- 



696 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



ine Burke, and their union has been bless- 
ed with three children: Helen, born in 
1888; Viola, born in 1 890; and Raymond, 
born in 1892. The parents hold member- 
ship with the Catholic Church, and in his 
political views Mr. Hagarty is a Demo- 
crat. 



JOHN CHRISTIANSON, a well- 
known prosperous farmer of Stur- 
geon Bay township. Door county, 
settled here in 1879, and has since 
been actively identified with the farming 
interests of the section. Mr. Christian- 
son is a native of Norway, born in 1830 
near Drammen, son of Christian and 
Gunnell (Hanson) Johnson, farming peo- 
ple of that country, where they both 
died, the former at the age of sixty-seven 
years, the latter at the age of forty-nine. 
They reared a family of six children, of 
whom five are now living, namely: Hans 
and Maren, in Norway; John, our subject; 
Andrena,in Norway; and Nels, in Chicago. 
The subject of these lines was edu- 
cated in the schools of Norway, and early 
in life commenced sailing on the Atlantic, 
afterward visiting various ports in South 
America, the East Indies and many other 
places. In 1871 he embarked on a vessel 
bound for New York, shortly afterward 
coming to Manitowoc, Wis., where he re- 
mained for eight years, working as ship 
carpenter. In 1879 he came to Sturgeon 
Bay township. Door county, here pur- 
chased land, and has since been success- 
fully engaged in farming, now owning lOO 
acres of good land, forty acres lying 
within the corporation limits of Sturgeon 
Bay, and sixty adjoining. This was all 
in the woods when he came to it, and the 
many improvements which have so materi- 
ally increased the value of the place are 
entirely the result of his own labors. He 
takes a keen interest in all movements for 
the benefit of the community in general, 
and served four years as supervisor of the 
township. In political affiliation he is a 
Republican. Mr. Christiansen is an act- 



ive member of the United Brethren 
Church of Sturgeon Bay, wherein he has 
served as trustee ever since its organiza- 
tion, taking a prominent part in the pro- 
motion of all Church work. 

On December 30, 1855, Mr. Christian- 
son was married, in Norway, to Miss 
Christina Jorgensen, also a native of that 
country, and daughter of Jorgen and Allie 
(Johnson) Anderson, who passed their 
whole lives in Norway. Mrs. Christian- 
son died in 1880 in Door count)'. Wis., 
leaving five children, a brief record of 
whom is as follows: George was born 
May 21, 1858, in Norway, where he re- 
ceived his early schooling, completing his 
education at the schools of Manitowoc, 
Wis. For several seasons he sailed on 
the Lakes, and since abandoning that pur- 
suit has engaged in farming in Sturgeon 
Bay township, Door county. He is an 
ardent member of the Republican party, 
and takes an active interest in the local 
government, being justice of the peace in 
the township, and at present serving his 
third term as clerk. Gustav Emil, the 
second child, was born in Norway Octo- 
ber 4, 1863, and now resides in Bay 
View, Wis.; he was married, in 1892, to 
Josephine Samuelson, and has one child, 
Idelia. Christina Annetta is the wife of 
Andrew Anderson, and resides in Stur- 
geon Bay; they have one child, Florence 
Adelaide. Anna Josephine, who was a 
successful teacher in Door county for 
seven years, was married in 1894 to C. C. 
Clauson, of Clintonville, Wis. Olga 
Marie was born in 1873 in Manitowoc, is 
married to Frank Van Doozer, and has 
two children, Maud and an infant; they 
reside in Bay View. 



DESIRE COLLE, one of Kewaunee 
county's native sons, was born in 
Luxemburg township, January 24, 
1862, a son of Peter Colle and 
Catherine (Roge), honored pioneer people 
of that locality, in whose family are five 
children, as follows: Mary, Desire, Eliza- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPSICAL RECORD. 



697 



beth, Charles and Anna, all yet living. 
The father was a native of Luxemburg, 
Germany, and in 1854 came to America 
taking up his residence in what was at 
that time Casco township, Kewaunee Co., 
Wis. , but is now in Lu.xemburg township. 
He was the first settler in the latter town- 
ship, and it was through his instrumen- 
tality that it was cut off from Casco town- 
ship. 

Peter Colle secured 160 acres of wild 
land, cutting the first tree that had been 
felled in the forests of Lu.xemburg town- 
ship, and continued the work of clearing 
his land until he had room enough to 
build a log cabin and plant a crop. He 
owned no team, and had come on foot 
from Green Bay to his farm. Two years 
had passed ere he was able to purchase a 
team, and the only farm implements he 
had were an axe and grub hoe, so that the 
work of developing the farm was carried 
on with great difficulty. His first crop 
was one of fall wheat, the seed for which 
he carried on his shoulder from Green 
Bay, and sowing two bushels of this he 
harvested a crop of forty-eight bushels. 
During the first six years after his ar- 
rival his grain was threshed with a flail, 
and the rails which he used in making his 
fences were carried on his back to the 
place where they were needed. The 
father lived and died upon his farm, and 
it is still the home of the mother, who has 
now reached the age of seventy-one years. 

When our subject was a child of only 
ten summers he was obliged to operate 
the farm, for his father's health had failed, 
and he continqed the management of the 
property, doing nearly all the work him- 
self, until he was twenty-four years of 
age. His youth, therefore, was not one 
of ease, but from a tender age he was in- 
ured to the hard labor of developing wild 
land, and his life has always been a busy 
one. At the age of twenty-four he was 
joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Toucher, 
and from his father purchased eighty 
acres of land, for which he paid $400, 
the young couple beginning their domestic 



I 



life upon that farm. He built a log house, 
which is still standing, and for $260 pur- 
chased a team, with which he worked his 
land for two years. During the succeed- 
ing two years he engaged in the nursery 
business, but at the expiration of that 
period returned to the farm, which he 
cultivated until the railroad was built, 
when he was employed on railroad con- 
struction at four dollars per day. Again 
he took up farm work, continuing same 
until June, 1S94, at which time he erected 
in Luxemburg a building 30 x 60 feet, in 
which he has since engaged in the saloon 
business. 

Mr. and Mrs. Colle have four children 
— three sons and a daughter, viz. : Peter, 
Michael, Joseph and Elizabeth. In his 
political views our subject is a Demo- 
crat; socially he is connected with the 
Catholic Ivnights of Wisconsin, and in re- 
ligious belief both he and his wife are 
Catholics. He is a representative of one 
of the earliest families of Kewaunee 
county, and with the history of its pioneer 
days is familiar. 



SL. HALL claims New York as the 
State of his nativity, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in Cayuga county in 
1854. He is a son of Simon and 
Desire (Smith) Hall, who were also born 
in Cayuga county, where the father was 
engaged in farming until 1856, in which 
year, with his family, he migrated to 
Kewaunee county. Wis., settling in Ahna- 
pee. He there established a sawmill, 
operating same for some years, and was 
also owner of a gristmill, but in 1889 he 
abandoned the business, and has since 
lived a retired life. He is a public-spirited 
and progressive man, actively interested 
in everything pertaining to the welfare of 
Ahnapee and the surrounding country. 
In the Hall family there are three chil- 
dren — Sarah, wife of I. W. Elliott, pub- 
lisher of the Ahnapee Record; S. L. , and 
H. S., who is living in Ahnapee, Wis., 



69S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



where he is managing the erection of a 
hotel. 

The subject of this sketch, who was 
but an infant when he was brought to this 
State, was educated in the schools of 
Ahnapee, reared under the parental roof, 
and in early life became familiar with the 
lumber business in his father's mill. He 
first embarked in this enterprise for him- 
self in jacksonport, Wis., where he re- 
mained four years, operating a sawmill, 
after which he returned to Ahnapee, and 
was there employed in his father's mill 
until coming to Forestville. Here he 
engaged in the manufacture of lumber for 
a time, and then embarked in the manu- 
facture of shingles, which enterprise he 
has carried on since 1889. He makes a 
specialty of dimension and clear cedar 
shingles, and has an annual output of 
about five million, for which he finds a 
ready market in Racine, Wis., selling to 
the firm of Kelly, Weeks & Company. 

Mr. Hall was married in Forestville 
township. Door county, in 1889. to Miss 
Ella Kenned}', who was born in Canada, 
as were her parents, Henry and Mary 
Kennedy, who, in 1 872 became residents 
of Forestville township. Door county, 
where they j-et reside. The union of Mr. 
and Mrs. Hall has been blessed with two 
children- Henry and Clare. 

Mr. Hall e.xercises his right of fran- 
chise in support of the men and measures 
of the Republican party, and takes a deep 
interest in political affairs, keeping well 
informed on the issues of the day. He 
is a man of e.xcellent business and execu- 
tive ability, straightforward and honora- 
ble in all his dealings, and by good man- 
agement, perseverance and earnest appli- 
cation he has won success. 



FKKD W. MAEDKE. owner of a 
snug farm in Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee county, where he has 
resided for over twenty-five years, 
is a Prussian by birth, born October 24, 
1 83 1, son of Christian Maedke, a native 



of the same country and a laborer by 
occupation. He had seven children, of 
whom Ferdinand lives in the town of 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee Co., Wis.; Charles 
is a resident of Prussia; August is deceased; 
Lena is the wife of John Bartz, of Rich- 
field, Wis. ; and Fred W. is the subject 
of this sketch. The parents, who were 
members of the Lutheran Church, both 
died in their native country, where they 
are buried. 

Fred W. Maedke was educated in 
Prussia, and worked at common labor 
until he was twenty-one years of age. He 
had been in correspondence with friends 
in the United States from whom he re- 
ceived glowing accounts of the advan- 
tages offered in this country, and con- 
cluding he could better his condition here 
he emigrated in 1852. His first location 
was at Milwaukee, Wis. , where he worked 
in the brick yards for about ten years; 
then removing to .\hnapee township, Ke- 
waunee county, purchased eighty acres 
of timber land, where he has since re- 
sided, following agricultural pursuits. He 
has also purchased another forty acres of 
land, the greater part of which he has 
improved and provided with good build- 
ings and fences. While living in Mil- 
waukee Mr. Maedke married Wilhelmina 
Froemmeling, also a native of Prussia, 
and to their union came eight children, 
viz. : Bertha, now Mrs. August Schultz, of 
Door county. Wis. ; Frederick, of Ahn- 
apee township; William, of Forestville, 
Door county; Louisa, Mrs. Frank Brown, 
of Manitowoc, Wis. ; Wilhelmina, de- 
ceased; Edward, of Manitowoc; Albert, de- 
ceased; and one that died in infancy. The 
mother of these died in 1873, and in 1875 
Mr. Maedke was again married, this time 
to Johanna Schultz, a native of Germany. 
She is the mother of seven children, as 
follows: Ervin, Leonard, Frank, Lillie, 
Walter, Emma and Menmieta. Mr. 
Maedke and family are members of the 
Methodist Church, and politically he is 
affiliated with the Republican party. Dur- 
ing the latter part of the war of the Re- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



699. 



bellion he became a member of Company 
E, Seventeenth Wis. V. I., serving some 
ten months, when the war closed and he 
was honorably discharged; he now draws 
a pension for his services. 



M 



ICHAEL SEEMAN, a thriving 
farmer of West Kewaunee town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was 
born in Milwaukee, Wis., No- 
vember 18, 1848, and is a son of David 
Seeman. Michael was reared on the 
home farm, and was educated in the old- 
time log schoolhouse of West Kewaunee 
township. He assisted and remained 
with his parents until he was twenty-five 
years of age, when he bought the farm he 
still occupies. It was then covered with 
timber, but he has labored hard and 
cleared it away, till to-day, instead of a 
wilderness, there are waving fields of 
grain. He has erected good buildings, 
and made every improvement necessary 
to a model farm. 

On July 29, 1873, Mr. Seeman was 
married to Earnestine Kohn, a daughter 
of Christian and Johanna (Karlbine) Kohn, 
natives of Germany, where she, also, first 
saw the light, October 17, 1853. Her 
father was born in 1824, and his wife in 
the same year; they were married in 
1848, and came to Wisconsin in 1855. 
Earnestine was the third in a family of 
eleven, and to her marriage with Mr. 
Seeman were born fifteen children, their 
names and dates of birth being as follows: 
Amelia, May 11, 1874; Matilda, July 16, 
1875; Henry, September 14, 1876; David, 
March 25, 1878; Ida, November 18, 
1879; Lydia, July 10, 1881; Frank, 
August 30, 1882; Bertha, January 10, 
1884; Michael, October 26, 1885, Ed- 
ward, June 14, 1887; Earnestine, Novem- 
ber 2, 1888; Alma, April 10, 1890; Laura, 
July 16, 1 891; William, November 26, 
1893, and Albert, July 16, 1894. These 
all survive to gladden the hearts of their 
parents, with the e.xception of four: 



Henry, who died December 28, 1878; 
Matilda, January 11, 1879; Ida, Novem- 
ber 2, 1892, and Albert, August 30, 1894. 
Of this family Amelia was married April 
II, 1894, to Anton Holub. 

Mr. Seeman is regarded by his neigh- 
bors as one of the most progressive, as 
well as able, farmers in the community, 
and he and his family are greatly respect- 
ed through West Kewaunee and the ad- 
joining townships, and, indeed, through- 
out the entire county. 



JOHN BANGERT, a popular boot and 
shoemaker of Kewaunee, was born 
March 25, 1833, in Westphalia, Ger- 
many, a son of Henry (a farmer 
by occupation) and Lizzie Bangert, who 
were the parents of nine children. The 
father died in Germany in 1867; and the 
mother in 1 869. 

John Bangert, the subject proper of 
this sketch, attended the common schools 
of his native country until sixteen 
years of age, and then learned shoemak- 
ing, which he followed until he was 
twenty-one years old, when he enlisted in 
the German army, serving three years in 
the infantry, and' then returned to work 
at his trade. In May, 1 862, he settled 
in Kewaunee, Wis., and started in busi- 
ness; but after a time he bought a farm, 
which he worked two years, but grew 
tired of that vocation and sold out, return- 
ing to Kewaunee and resuming his old 
trade, in which he still continues. 

The marriage of Mr. Bangert took 
place in Germany, in the early part of 
1862, to Miss Theodora Ballering, whose 
father, Anton Ballering, was also a shoe- 
maker. He came to America in 1869, 
and settled in Kewaunee, where he died 
in 1888, his wife in 1889. To the mar- 
riage of Mr. and Mrs. Bangert have been 
born three sons and six daughters, named 
as follows: Anton, John, Henry, Anna, 
Lizzie, Mary, Amelia, Dora and Stella. 
Of these, Anton is married and lives at 



700 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Eagle River, Wis. ; Anna and Lizzie mar- 
ried brothers, Fred and Ciiarles Poser, 
and live in Kewaunee city, and the others 
reside with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. 
Banfjert are devout members of the Catho- 
lic Church, and are much respected by 
their friends and neighbors for their up- 
right lives. In politics Mr. Bangert is a 
Democrat, but has never been an office- 
seeker, preferring profitable trade to pre- 
carious office. 



HANS JACOB OLSON, a success- 
ful farmer of Nasewaupee town- 
ship. Door county, was born in 
Norway, in 1845, and when eight 
years of age accompanied his parents to 
the United States. His father, Ole Olson, 
who was a carpenter and joiner, on reach- 
ing this country took his family to Green 
Bay, Wis., where he remained one year, 
working at his trade. He then moved to 
Sturgeon Ba}-, and here for a time did 
carpentry, after which he worked in the 
first sawmill built in Nasewaupee town- 
ship. At times he followed hunting and 
fishing exclusively, in which vocation he 
was very successful. His death occurred 
in 1884; his widow still resides at Stur- 
geon Bay. They reared a family of five 
children, all yet living, 'namely: Hans 
Jacob (our subject) ; Olaf and Ole B., who 
reside in Sturgeon Bay township; Mollie, 
married to Louis Anderson, of Liberty 
Grove township, and Amelia, wife of 
Thomas Knapp, of Manitowoc county. 

Our subject received a practical edu- 
cation in the public schools of Sturgeon 
Bay township, and as he grew to man- 
hood worked on a farm. In 1886 he 
bought 120 acres in Nasewaupee town- 
ship, and has cleared eighty acres of it, 
which he now owns and occupies. In 
1872 he was married to Miss Louisa 
Almeda Bernard, who was born in New 
York State, daughter of John and Elizabeth 
Bernard. Her father was born in F"rance, 
and came to Nasewaupee township. Wis. , 
in 1868; he died in Door county in 1882; 



the mother died while the}" were living in 
New York. Mr. Olson belongs to the 
Republican party, and takes much inter- 
est in politics, although he does not aspire 
to office. He has had a family of chil- 
dren as follows: Viola, now the wife of 
John Magnusson, of Mihvaukee (they have 
two children, viz. : Sidney Lloyd and 
Daisy Almeda); Effie Rosetta, who is 
married to Alex. Eliason, of Milwaukee; 
Mate Hilton, has one child, Daisy Almeda; 
Bert, and Daisy Almeda, who died in 
1892, at the age of sixteen years and 
ten months. 



LORENZ C. FENSEL is a native 
of Kewaunee, born June i, 1870. 
His father, Conrad Fensel, was 
born near the city of Erlangen, 
Bavaria, Germany, October 28, 1837, 
and from the age of fourteen to the time 
he was seventeen served an apprentice- 
ship at the tinner's trade. Leopold Fen- 
sel, father of Conrad, was a blacksmith 
and a man of excellent standing, having 
served as mayor of his town, besides 
holding several minor offices. 

In i860 Conrad came to America and 
located in Kewaskum, Washington Co., 
Wis., but in April of the ne.xt year en- 
listed, at Milwaukee, in Company F, 
Sixth Wis. V. I., for three months; here- 
enlisted in the same regiment for three 
3'ears, and was honorably discharged July 
15, 1864. His regiment, one of the old 
"Iron Brigade," fought at Gainesville, 
Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- 
ville, Gett3'.sburg, Jerichoford, Cold Har- 
bor and Petersburg. Mr. Fensel was 
taken prisoner at Gettysburg in July, 
1863, and was sent to Andersonville 
Prison, but was soon exchanged, which 
was his only absence from roll-call dur- 
ing his whole service, and at his discharge 
he was highly complimented by nis 
superior officers for his bravery and sol- 
dierly bearing. On his return to Milwau- 
kee he immediately sent to Germany for 
his betrothed, Miss Margaret Theuers- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



701 



bacher, and their marriage took place in 
Milwaukee, December 18, 1864. During 
the following four years he worked at his 
trade in Milwaukee and Grafton, and in 
1868 came to Kewaunee. Here he started 
in the business for himself, which he fol- 
lowed until his death, July 15, 1876. 
He was a Republican, had been city 
treasurer, and filled several other offices 
of trust, and was honored and respected 
by all who knew him. He also organized 
the Fire Department of Kewaunee, and 
superintended the laying of the water 
mains, expending considerable time and 
money. 

Mrs. Conrad Fensel was born, in 1838, 
in the city of Erlangen. Her father was 
of French descent, and by trade was a 
tanner. After her husband's death, Mrs. 
Fensel, with the assistance of her chil- 
dren, continued the business until Octo- 
ber, 1 89 1, when her son Lorenz C. bought 
the concern, which he still carries on. 
Lorenz attended the district and high 
schools cf Kewaunee until he was seven- 
teen years old, w'hen he began clerking 
for his mother, and so continued until he 
bought out the business. He still makes 
his home, however, with his mother. Mr. 
Fensel is a stanch Republican, and takes 
an active part in national and local poli- 
tics, although he has never sought any 
office. He has, however, served as sec- 
retary of the board of education, and was 
also a member of the county board for 
the World's Fair. He is a charter mem- 
ber of Kewaunee Chapter, Sons of Vet- 
erans, and was adjutant and quarter- 
master of the Wisconsin division of the 
Order under Col. Wing. He is a strict 
member of the Lutheran Church, and is 
one of the most highly respected young 
men of Kewaunee city. 

On June 12, 1894, he was married 
to Miss Minnie Klatt, of Ahnapee, Wis., 
who was born November 2, 1875, in 
West Kewaunee, moving with her parents 
to Ahnapee in 1880. To this marriage 
was born a daughter, named Melva, 
March 31, 1895. 

40 



JOSEPH STONEMAN, who is suc- 
cessfully engaged in farming in Sec- 
tion 20, Forestville township. Door 
county, was born on the farm, which 
is still his home, July 8, 1857, and is a 
worthy representative of one of the promi- 
nent pioneer families of that county. 

His father, John Stoneman, was born 
in England in 1808, was reared and edu- 
cated in his native land, and in an early 
day crossed the ocean to the New World, 
taking up his residence in Racine county, 
Wis. , where he worked in shingle mills. 
In that county he wedded Miss Mary 
Venia, a native of Canada, and in 1855 
brought his wife to Door county, locating 
in the midst of the forest upon a tract of 
wild land in Forestville township. There 
he developed and improved a fine farm, 
upon which he made his home until his 
death, which occurred in May, 1885. 
He took quite an active part in political 
affairs, supported the Democratic party, 
and served his fellow citizens as town 
clerk; in religious belief he was a Catholic. 
His wife preceded him to the better 
world, having passed away April 1 7, 1 884. 
They had a family of seventeen children, 
six of whom are now living, and we have 
the record of the following : John is 
now deceased; William, who enlisted in 
Company E, Fourteenth Wis. V. I., 
during the Civil war, died in the hospital 
at New Albany, Ind., while in the service; 
Sophia is the wife of Andrew Sloan, of 
Forestville township; Luke resides in 
Nasewaupee township; Emily is the wife 
of Ashley Coffrin, of Sturgeon Bay; George 
resides at Egg Harbor; Joseph comes 
next in order of birth; William is married 
and lives in Nasewaupee township. 

The subject of our sketch was reared 
on the old homestead farm and acquired 
his education in the common schools, 
which he attended through the winter 
season, while in the summer months he 
aided in opening up the farm. His entire 
life has been devoted to agricultural pur- 
suits, and he is now the owner of 130 
acres of good land, eighty of which have 



702 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



been cleared of a heavy growth of timber 
and are now under a high state of culti- 
vation. The fields arc well tilled, the 
place is divided into fields of convenient 
size by well-kept fences, and all the con- 
veniences and accessories of a model farm 
are there found. In connection with 
general farming Mr. Stoneman engages 
in stock raising and in supplying eggs and 
butter to the Menomonee market. 

In Forestville township, in i8S6, Mr. 
Stoneman was married to Miss Bridget 
Alice Mulvihill, who was born in Nase- 
waupee township. Door county, a daugh- 
ter of John and Bridget Mulvihill, natives 
of Ireland, whence they came to Door 
county in an early day, settling in Nase- 
waupee township, where they spent the 
remainder of their lives, the father dying 
January 5, 1894, the mother April 28, 
1889. Six children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Stoneman, three of whom are 
at rest; those yet living are John, Joseph 
and Leo. 

In politics Mr. Stoneman votes with 
the Republicans, and keeps well in- 
formed on the issues of the day, but has 
never sought or desired political prefer- 
ment for himself, his time and attention 
being largely taken up with his business in- 
terests and the enjoytnent of home pleas- 
ures. In religious faith he and his wife 
hold membership with the Catholic 
Church. Mr. Stoneman has been a wit- 
ness of the greater part of the growth and 
development of Door county, and has 
ever given his hearty support and co- 
operation to enterprises calculated to pro- 
mote the general welfare; therefore in the 
history of his native county he well 
deserves representation. 



FRANK PAULU, one of the ener- 
getic and prosperous farmers of 
West Kewaunee township, Kewau- 
nee county, was born in Boiiemia 
October i, 1837, and is a son of Joseph 
and Frances Paulu, also natives of Bohe- 
mia, who came directly from the old coun- 



try to Kewaunee in 1857, where the 
father. Joseph, purchased a farm, which 
he cleared and culti\:ited until his death 
in 1866. 

Our subject, who is the second born 
in a family of eight children, was educat- 
ed in Bohemia, and was (]uite young when 
he graduated in the classics. He came 
to the United States with his parents and 
a.ssisted on the farm until the breaking 
out of the Civil war. when he enlisted in 
Company (i, Ele\enth Wisconsin \'olun- 
teer Infantrx, hut was not called out at 
that time; in 1S65 he re-enlisted and was 
in actual service about eight months, 
when he receix^ed an honorable discharge. 
His health was impaired while in the 
army, and for about nine years he suffer- 
ed from disease, .\fter fully recuperat- 
ing he settled on the farm he now owns, 
and on which he has met with much suc- 
cess as an agriculturist. 

On June 9, 1859, Mr. Paulu was 
united in matrimony with Miss Mary 
Shimon, only daughter of Lawrence and 
Rosile Shimon, also natives of Bohemia. 
She was born July 11, 1839, and came 
with her parents to Wisconsin in 1856. 
To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Paulu have 
been born twelve children, named as fol- 
lows: Mary, Frank, .Annie, Gustie, Emily, 
Bozenna, Paulina, Joseph, John, Edward, 
Adolph and Emanuel. Mr. Paulu has led 
an industrious and consequently prosjier- 
ous life, ami his standing in the esteem 
of his neighbors is an enviable one. 



CHRISTIAN FELSCHOW.a thriv- 
ing farmer of Carlton township, 
Kewaunee county, now residing 
at Kewaunee, was born in Meck- 
lenburg, Ciermany, May 16, 1842, and is 
a son of Henry and Dora (Eversj Fels- 
chow, both natives of Germany, the 
former born in 1.S15, and was there mar- 
ried in 1840. In 1853 he brought his 
family to the United States and settled in 
Carlton township, Kewaunee Co., \\'is. , 
where he engaged in farming. Here he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



703 



lost his wife in 1872, and he himself died 
December 2, 1892. 

Of their four children, Christian, the 
subject of this sketch, the eldest born, 
attended the public schools of his native 
country until the departure of his parents 
for the United State. The family landed 
in New York, where they passed six 
months, then came to Wisconsin, and for 
three years li\ed in Milwaukee, finally set- 
tling on the farm in Carlton township 
alluded to above. Here Christian as- 
sisted his father until twenty-two years of 
age, when he started out in life for him- 
self. He made a trip to Illinois, where 
he worked a year at carpentering, after 
which he returned to Carlton and jnir- 
chased a farm on which he lived until 
1874, when he sold out and bought the 
farm he at present occupies, and which 
he has improved nith a fine brick dwell- 
ing and substantial farm buildings, and 
surrounded with a fine fence. He has 
also received a bequest of eight}' acres 
from his father, and is now one of the 
solid farmers of Carlton township. For 
six years he \\as school treasurer, then 
clerk of the school board till he sold out 
there, and for ten years has been treas- 
urer of the Forest Hill Cemetery Associa- 
tion. Socially he is a member of the 
Sons of Hermann. 

Mr. Felschow was married April 14, 
1864, to Catharine Luttjohann, who was 
born in Germany in 1847, and to this 
union have been born four children: Ed- 
ward H., Ella, Hulda and Lillie. The 
family are Lutheran in their religious 
faith, and none are held in higher esteem 
by the citizens of the township. 



AUGUST BOHNE, an enterprising 
and progressive citizen of Kewau- 
nee, was born at Mequon, Wis., 
March 14, 1851, and is a son of 
Frederick and Teressa (Zenker) Bohne. 
The father was a native of Saxony, Ger- 
many, born in 1802, was a shoemaker by 
trade, and was married to his second wife 



(the mother of our subject) in 1S40. In 
1 844 he came to America, located on 
public land at Mequon, Ozaukee Co., 
Wis. , and for nine years was employed in 
clearing away the heavy timber; he then 
went to Port Ulao, in the same county, 
where he lived four years, settling there- 
after permanently in Kewaunee county, 
where he had previously bought a heavily 
timbered tract of land, comprising 640 
acres, and for the first few years again 
followed lumbering. In 1870 he moved 
to Kewaunee village, where he embarked 
in business, and died in June, 1874. His 
widow then married John Besserdich, and 
died in Kewaunee January 25, 1894. 

The subject proper of these lines had 
very few school advantages, as he assisted 
his father until the age of fifteen, when 
he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, for 
whom he worked two years, and then re- 
turned to the farm, where he lived until 
1870, at which time he started in life for 
himself with a capital consisting of will- 
ing hands and a cheerful heart. He fol- 
lowed well-digging and boring, afterward, 
in 1874, adding pumps to his business, 
and has been quite successful. He was 
married October 20, 1874, to Crescencia 
Mintz. The father of this lady was a 
native of Bavaria, and came to America 
in 1857, settling in Kewaunee county, 
where he died in 1876; his widow, who 
was also a native of Bavaria, and who 
bore the maiden name of Margaret Feira, 
survived until 1893. To the marriage of 
Mr. and Mrs. Bohne have been born four 
children, named, respectively: Maggie, 
Willie, Anna and Theodore. 

In his business Mr. Bohne employs 
from three to fifteen hands, is fully equip- 
ped with all the modern implements for 
digging, boring and drilling wells and has 
shown himself to be a man of enterprise 
and sound judgment. Politically he has 
always been a Democrat, and has been 
treasurer of Kewaunee, a member of the 
Fire Department eighteen years, of the 
Police Force three years, and in 1894 was 
a member of the City Council. Socially he 



704 



COMMEMORATIVE DIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



is a member of the Sons of Hermann. 
Mrs. Bohne is a consistent member of the 
Cathohc Church. 



JACOB BLAHNIK, one of success- 
ful self-made farmers and large land- 
owners of Ahnapee township, Ke- 
waunee county, was born August, 
1838, in Bohemia, son of George Blah- 
nik, a native of the same countrj'. 

George Blahnik was reared on a 
farm and when a young man married 
Katharine Blaha, also a Bohemian by 
birth, who bore him six children, as fol- 
lows: Mathias, of Casco, Kewaunee Co., 
Wis. ; Jacob, whose name opens this 
sketch; and George, Joseph, John, and 
Anton, of Ahnapee township, Kewaunee 
Co., Wis., all born in Bohemia except 
Anton. In 1855 the father brought his 
family to the United States, and coming 
directly to Wisconsin, purchased eighty 
acres of timber land in Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee county, on which he located, 
immediately commencing the clearing of 
the place for farming. He was the third 
settler in that part of Ahnapee, which at 
that early day was almost a perfect 
wilderness, and passed through many 
hardships incident to the life of a pioneer 
in such a region. Later he purchased 
240 acres more of land, all of which he 
improved and equipped with good build- 
ings, acquiring a comfortable share of this 
world's goods. His death took place in 
1893, that of his wife in 1S91. They 
were members of the Catholic Church. 

Jacob Blahnik, our subject, was edu- 
cated in his native tongue, and was 
seventeen years of age when he came 
with his parents to the United States. 
When nineteen years old he was united in 
marriage with Katharine Gatina, also a 
native of Bohemia, of German descent, 
born in 1S44. She is the mother of four- 
teen children, four of whom are deceased, 
the living being Joseph (of Menomonee), 
Katharine (now Mrs. William McCory, 
of Chicago), Barbara (of Chicago), Annie, 



Mar}', Lena, Amelia, Jacob, George and 
Michael. Mr. Blahnik was reared to 
farming pursuits, and after his marriage 
purchased forty acres of land, locating 
upon which he engaged in general agricul- 
ture. He subsequently purchased more 
land, now owning 215 acres, well im- 
proved with good buildings, fences, etc., 
and he ranks among the substantial well- 
to-do farmers of his township. The fine 
property he now owns has been accumu- 
lated by his own unceasing industry and 
good business management, qualities 
which he possesses to an unusual degree. 
Mr. Blahnik is a member of the Demo- 
cratic party in political affiliation, and 
has filled several local offices of trust. He 
and his family are members of the Catho- 
lic Church of Ahnapee, and he is a mem- 
ber of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin. 



JOSEPH SOUTHARD CORNELL is 
the eldest of eleven children. His 
mother, Elizabeth Southard Cornell, 
was a native of Lower Canada and 
of Scotch extraction. His father, James 
Cornell, a farmer by occupation, was born 
in New York State, where he was mar- 
ried. He moved first to Michigan, then 
back to New York, thence to Illinois, and 
subsequently to Washington Island, Door 
Co., Wis. Later in life he removed to 
Green Bay, at which place he died in 
1882. He was an honored member of the 
M. E. Church, and a most useful member 
of society. His children are: Joseph, 
our subject; Thomas, who resides in 
Homer, III.; Elizabeth, married to Harri- 
son Root, and residing at Baileys Har- 
bor; Jane, married to Joseph Anderson, 
and living at Sturgeon Bay; Mary Anna, 
married to Walice Boyce, and making her 
home at Escanaba, Mich.; John F. , of 
Middle Inlet, Mich. ; Margaret, married to 
Abner Cady, and residing in Kansas, and 
Euretta, now Mrs. Hiram Willman, of 
Fort River, Michigan. 

Our subject was born in Pontiac, Oak- 
land Co., Mich., July 14, 1830, where his 



COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 



705 



parents had removed when first coming 
west from New York; and returning to 
the Empire State at the time he had 
reached the school age, he received his 
education there. His father was a farmer, 
and the lad early learned to assist with 
the work. At the age of twelve years he 
left home, and continued to work at com- 
mon labor until he had reached his ma- 
jority. In 1847 he removed to Illinois 
with his parents, where he was married, 
in 1857, to Miss Rachel Stewart, who 
was born in Cook county. 111., January 
18, 1835, daughter of Nathan and Emily 
(Brooks) Stewart. Mr. Stewart was of 
Scotch lineage, his early ancestors being 
Quakers who settled in Pennsylvania in 
the time of William Penn. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Cornell removed to Washing- 
ton Island, Wis., and, until 1862, fol- 
lowed the occupation of fishing. On 
August 2, 1862, he enlisted in Company 
B, 105th 111. V. I., served under Theodore 
Rogers, took part in the engagement at 
Resaca (Ga.), May 15, 1864, and accom- 
panied Gen. Sherman in his famous march 
to the sea. He was honorably discharged 
July 7, 1865, and returned to Illinois, 
where he followed farming four years, 
then traveled for a firm in Aurora, 111. , 
one year, after which he came to Wash- 
ington Island, Wis., and bought forty 
acres of land. He cleared the timber 
from same, and has since occupied him- 
self in tilling the soil; later he purchased 
more land, and now owns 120 acres, 
thirty of which are improved. Two years 
of his residence in this place he spent in 
fishing. He is in reality one of the oldest 
settlers on this Island, having owned 
property here since 1867. 

In politics, Mr. Cornell is a stanch 
Republican, and has filled the office of 
justice of the peace for seventeen years. 
His health was materially injured during 
his service in the war, and he now draws 
a pension from the government. He is 
the father of eleven children: James, 
Emily (now Mrs. Edward Petersen, of 
Washington Island), Edward, Lenora 



(now Mrs. Thomas Madden, of Sheboy- 
gan, Wis.), Elmer, Ulysses, Albert (de- 
ceased), Byron, Eva, Alfred and Newell. 
Mr. Cornell is a member of the Methodist 
Church, in which faith his family are in 
sympathy. 



ALFRED ANDERSON, who has 
been police watchman of Bay 
View, Door county, since June, 
1894, has been a farmer of Stur- 
geon Bay township for a number of years 
past, and is well known in his locality- 
He was born in 1850 in Sweden, son 
of Andres and Anna (Johnson) Ingleson, 
farming people of that country, the former 
of whom died there in 1883 on the old 
farm, the latter still living in her native 
country. Their children were as follows: 
Alfred, our subject; John, who came first 
to Brown county. Wis. , and now resides 
in California; Mangus, a resident of Cali- 
fornia, engaged in repairing railroad 
bridges, being a carpenter by trade; Otto, 
also of California; Fred, who was drowned 
in Sweden, and Emma and Celia, married 
and living in Sweden. 

Our subject obtained his education in 
the common schools of Sweden, remain- 
ing there until sixteen years of age, when 
he went to Arendal, Norway, and there 
learned the trade of ship carpenter. In 
that country he followed same until 1871, 
in that year coming to America and to 
Green Bay, Wis., where he found work 
on the Chicago & North Western railroad. 
He soon returned to his trade, however, 
and entering the employ of Thomas 
Spears, worked for him at various places 
in Wisconsin — Green Bay, Little Stur- 
geon, Sturgeon Bay, Menomonee and 
Ozaukee. He also worked at Ahnapee, 
and coming to Sturgeon Bay in 1877, 
assisted in the construction of the tug 
"John Leathern." Here he was em- 
ployed by A. W. Lawrence for a time, 
and then resolved to commence on his 
own account. He bought forty acres of 
land in the midst of the woods, which he 



7o6 



COMMEMORATI\'E BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



bejifan immediately to clear, and now has 
thirty-five acres well improved and under 
cultivation. In 1893 he built a sub- 
stantial brick residence (with stone foun- 
dation) 20x32, one story and a half in 
height, with a one-story "L" 18x22. 
In addition to this he is the owner of 
property in Bay \'iew, all accumulated 
since his residence in Door county b>' his 
own industry and perseverance. 

In 1874 Mr. Anderson was married, 
in Green Bay, to Anna Sophia Mauver, a 
native of Sweden, to which union have 
been born seven children, namely: Annie, 
Freddie, Emma. Lida, Charlie, Cora and 
Dona. Mr. Anderson is a Republican in 
political preference, and takes a lively 
interest in the success of his party. He 
was appointed to his present position by 
the city council in June, 1894. Socially 
he is a member of Peninsula Lodge, No. 
320, I. O. O. F. 



JOHN H. ROONEY, postmaster at 
Kewaunee, was born in what was 
then known as the village of Kewau- 
nee, Wis., March 31, 1861, and is 
the eldest in the family of eleven chil- 
dren — four sons and seven daughters, of 
whom four are deceased — born to Patrick 
J. and Mary E. Rooney. 

When our subject was ten years of 
age the family went to Minnesota, then 
to Nebraska, were absent six months and 
then returned to Wisconsin, passing six 
months in Milwaukee, and finally return- 
ing to Kewaunee, where Mr. Rooney re- 
ceived his education in the district school. 
At the age of seventeen he began teach- 
ing, which vocation occupied his time and 
attention five years, and he then passed 
another year in Milwaukee. On his re- 
turn he was appointed, in 1886, as under 
sheriff, two years later as deputy sheriff, 
and for two years additional, in 1891-92, 
was sheriff of the county. He has, be- 
sides, served as city clerk and constable, 
and in 1893 was appointed assistant ser- 
geant-at-arms of the Wisconsin Assembly, 



being in politics a stanch Democrat and 
taking an active interest in that party's 
affairs in National, State and county con- 
tests. In June, 1893, he was appointed 
postmaster of Kewaunee, the office being 
then of the fourth class, but since raised 
to the third class. 

Mr. Rooney is a member of the Sons 
of Veterans, and is financial secretary 
and treasurer of Branch No. 32, Catholic 
Knights of Wisconsin, but is not con- 
nected with any secret order. He was 
married July 11, 1882, to Miss Sophia 
Melera, daughter of Felix Melera, an 
early settler of Kewaunee county, a man 
of much prominence, having been sheriff 
of the county, besides filling a number of 
other offices and being at present a mem- 
ber of the city council of Kewaunee. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Rooney have been born 
three sons and three daughters, of whom 
Louis H. and Henry L. are deceased. 
The survivors are Laura E., Walter F., 
Flora May and Estella. Mr. and Mr. 
Rooney are devout Catholics, and stand 
very high in the esteem of the inhabitants 
of the city and county. 

Judge P. J. Rooney, father of John 
H. Rooney, was born in County Down, 
Ireland, February 14, 1839. 

About the year 1846 he came to 
America with his parents, who first locat- 
ed at New Bedford, Mass., where they 
lived for about one year, when they re- 
moved to Milwaukee. There he received 
a good common-school education, and at 
the age of fifteen years commenced to 
learn the printer's trade, which he follow- 
ed until 1857, when he removed with his 
parents to Pierce, Kewaunee county, 
where he engaged in farming. In 1859 
he set up the type for the first edition of 
the Kewaunee Enterprise, nearly thirty- 
five years ago. On August 21, 1862, he 
enlisted under Capt. Chas. H. Cunning- 
ham, in Company A, Twenty-seventh 
Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, as private, 
was promoted to corporal, and served 
honorably and with credit to himself. On 
account of disability he was honorably 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



707 



discharged from the service at Clarksville, 
Texas, on the 31st of July 1865. Return- 
ing to Kewaunee, he again devoted his 
time to farming until 1871, when he 
sold his farm and took a trip to Minnesota 
and Nebraska, returning to Milwaukee in 
July, 1872, where he remained about one 
year. Once more coming to Kewaunee, 
he engaged with the late John M. Read to 
take charge of the Kewaunee Enterprise, 
having full charge of the publication of 
the paper for three years. Judge Rooney 
was town superintendent of schools in the 
earl)' history of Kewaunee, also town 
clerk, and was elected town treasurer in 
1866, which office he held until 1 871; in 
1874 he was elected clerk of the circuit 
court, filling the place with marked ability 
for twelve years. In 1887 he was ap- 
pointed mail carrier for the House of 
Representatives at Washington, but was 
obliged to relinquish that position on ac- 
count of ill health, and his son Franklin 
was appointed in his place. In 1889 he 
was elected county judge, which position 
he was holding at the time of his death. 
Judge Rooney was married in i860 to 
Mary E. Allen, of New York State, who 
survives him, and by her he had eleven 
children, seven of whom are still living, 
viz.: John H., William P., Mary E., 
Frank A., Agnes A., Charlotte I. and 
Regina. It is doubtful if ever a man 
lived in Kewaunee county who enjoyed a 
more extended acquaintance or had more 
ardent friends than the late Patrick J. 
Rooney. 



WILLIAM STONEMAN.a promi- 
nent manufacturer of Nasewau- 
pee township, Door count}', was 
born in Forestville tovs'nship, 
Door county. Wis., in 1865, a son of 
John and Mary (Venia) Stoneman, the 
former of whom, a native of England, 
came to Racine, Wis., in 1835. After 
his marriage there, in 1S55, he removed 
to Door county, locating in Forestville 



township on a farm. He was one of the 
earliest settlers in this locality and was 
greatly respected by all who knew him. 
He took an active interest in politics, 
always voting the Democratic ticket; 
served as chairman of the township for 
some time, and gave universal satisfaction 
while in office. He and his excellent wife 
were members of the Catholic Church. 
They reared a family of seventeen chil- 
dren, of whom but six are now living, as 
follows: Sophia is the wife of Andrew 
Sloan, of Forestville township; Luke is a 
farmer of Nasewaupee township; Amelia 
is the wife of Ashley Coffrin, of Sturgeon 
Bay; George resides at Monument Point, 
Egg Harbor township; Joseph lives in 
Forestville township, on the old farm; 
William is the subject of this sketch. 
The mother departed this life in 1884, the 
father one year later, both dying upon 
the old homestead. 

William Stoneman was educated in 
the schools of Forestville township, where 
his early life was spent. After leaving 
school he learned the carpenter's trade, 
and removing to Menominee, Mich., there 
followed that vocation. Later he returned 
to Door Co. , Wis. , this time locating in 
Nasewaupee township, where he built a 
cheese factory, which is situated four 
miles from Sturgeon Bay. In 1891 he 
engaged in manufacturing cheese, the out- 
put from his factory per season amount- 
ing to 40,000 pounds. He still continues 
in this business, finding it a most lucrative 
one. In politics, like his father, he is a 
Democrat, and he has held numerous 
township offices, at the present time serv- 
ing his second term as township clerk. 
He is affiliated with the Catholic Order 
of Foresters, and is a member of the 
Catholic Church. In 1889 Mr. Stone- 
man was married to Miss Kate Murray, 
daughter of John and Jane (Maloney) 
Murray, natives of Ireland. Mr. Murray, 
who at one time was a sailor, came to 
Wisconsin and settled in Nasewaupee 
township in 1 866, where he purchased the 
farm on which he now resides. Mr. and 



7oS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



Mrs. Stoneman have three children: Earl, 
Jennie and Phebe. 

Although our subject is still a very 
young man, and was born in this county,, 
he has witnessed remarkable changes in 
the surrounding country. Where twenty- 
five years ago the sight of a deer was an 
ordinary circumstance; where the wolves 
and the bears, made bold by hunger, oc- 
casionally visited the lonely pioneer 
cabins, and where the vision was then 
limited to a few hundred yards because of 
the forest trees, there now appear com- 
modious farm houses and vast fields of 
growing grain with only now and then a 
bit of wood, adding, if anything, to the 
beauty of the landscape. He has, liter- 
ally speaking, grown up with the country, 
and takes an honest pride in its rapid de- 
velopment, noting, with satisfaction, its 
continuous changes for the better; as a 
father would watch the mental unfold- 
ment of his favorite child. 



PETER JONET, farmer of Luxem- 
burg township, Kewaunee county, 
was born in Belgium in the month 
of August, 1834, son of Frank and 
Frances (Polisc) Jonet, who with their 
family crossed the ocean to the United 
States during the early childhood of our 
subject. The vessel in which they 
sailed arrived at New York, and from 
that city they came to ICewaunee county. 
Wis., taking up their residence upon an 
eighty-acre tract in Section 5, Luxem- 
burg township, which the father pur- 
chased. The country all around was 
covered with a dense growth of timber, 
through which no roads had been cut, 
and their provisions had to be carried 
from Bay Settlement, for they had no 
team. An a.\e and a grub hoe constitut- 
ed their farm implements, and they 
started to open up a new farm and secure 
a home in the West. Soon afterward Mr. 
Jonet sold twenty acres of his first pur- 
chase, and bought another tract or forty 
acres, making in all one hundred acres. 



By trade he was a mason, but in this 
country he devoted all his time and ener- 
gies to agricultural pursuits. The family 
numbered si.\ children, in order of birth 
named as follows: John, Peter, Celia, 
Peter, Adele and Joseph. 

The gentleman whose name opens this 
sketch always lived with his parents, and 
like a dutiful son gave his father the 
benefit of his services in his younger 
years. He is familiar with the arduous 
task of improving wild land, and also with 
the other hardships and difficulties inci- 
dent to life on the frontier. At an early 
age he began work in the fields, and soon 
became familiar with farm work in its 
various departments. In 1857, when 
twenty-three years of age, Mr. Jonet was 
united in marriage with Miss Adele Del- 
core, and they have always lived upon 
the old homestead. Their union has 
been blessed with seven children: Felix, 
Theresa, Eugene, Philip, Minnie, Adele, 
Frank and Joseph. 

Mr. Jonet is a representative farmer, 
and successfully manages his business in- 
terests. He now has sixty acres of his 
one-hundred-acre farm under a high state 
of cultivation, and the rich and fertile 
fields yield to him a comfortable income 
in return for the care and labor he be- 
stows upon them. In addition to the 
cultivation of his farm he is also engaged 
in the saloon business. He votes with 
the Republican party, and both he and 
his wife hold membership with the Catho- 
lic Church. 



ALFRED OLANDER was born in 
Finland, Russia, Februarj- 22, 
1856, and is the sixth in order of 
birth in a family of eight children — 
Johanna, Sophia, August, Louise, John, 
Alfred, Otto and Axel — all of whom are 
}et living; but only Alfred, John and Otto 
are in America. The parents are Hans 
and Maria (Westerlund) Olander, and the 
father was a sailor. 

The subject proper of this sketch re- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPHWAL RECORD. 



709 



ceived the educational advantages afforded 
by common schools, and at the age of 
seventeen years shipped before the mast. 
He first sailed from Finland to England, 
thence to the East Indies, returning after 
a two-years' voyage. The ne.xt trip was 
from Sweden to England, during which 
the vessel was wrecked, though none on 
board were lost. Going to Swansea, 
Wales, Mr. Olander there boarded an En- 
glish vessel bound for Africa and the East 
Indies; then sailed to the Island of Cey- 
lon and Australia, after which he returned 
to Europe, landing in Germany, having 
spent fourteen months on that trip. On 
a Nova Scotia vessel he went to Phila- 
delphia, Penn. ; then to Amsterdam, Hol- 
land, where he joined the crew of an En- 
glish vessel bound for Wales, the East 
Indies and Germany. For twelve years 
he followed the sea, and during that time 
experienced a number of narrow escapes 
that would make the strongest minds 
shudder. 

In 1 88 1 Mr. Olander was united in 
marriage with Miss Johanna Brann, daugh- 
ter of Jacob and Maria (Grandroot) 
Brann, and sailed for the State of Wash- 
ington, but landed first at San Fran- 
cisco, Cal., whence he made his way to 
Washington. There he was employed in 
a sawmill for a year, at the end of which 
time he came to Baileys Harbor, working 
in the woods for a year. Purchasing 120 
acres of wild and unimproved land, he 
cleared a space large enough to build a 
house on, and then began the develop- 
ment of a farm. For ten years he had 
no team, and with some difficulty carried 
on agricultural pursuits, but has now 
thirty acres under cultivation and is mak- 
ing for himself and family a good home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Olander have four chil- 
dren: Alfred, August, Mary and Lena, 
three of whom are now attending school. 
The parents are faithful members of the 
Lutheran Church; in politics Mr. Olander 
is a Democrat, and takes a warm interest 
in the welfare of his party and its suc- 
cess. He served for one year as consta- 



ble, is now filling the office of supervisor, 
and in his public duties he is ever true. 
Whatever success he has achieved in life 
is due to his own efforts, and his example 
of perseverance and industry is well wor- 
thy of emulation. 



M 



ATHIAS MATHISON, who de- 
votes his time and energies to 
agricultural pursuits in Clay 
Banks township. Door county, 
was born January 17, 1867, a son of 
Mathias Mathison, a farmer by occupa- 
tion, who married Clara Oleson, by whom 
he had six children: Inga, John, Chris- 
tian, Anna, Burt and Mathias. 

In the land of his nativity our subject 
acquired a fair education, which has been 
supplemented by a knowledge gained 
through reading and experience, until he 
is now a well-informed man. In 18S0, 
when a youth of thirteen years, he crossed 
the ocean, landingat Philadelphia, whence 
he proceeded to La Crosse, Wis. After 
being employed in a sawmill in that city 
for about six months, he came to Clay 
Banks township, Door county, and en- 
tered the employ of his brother John, a 
farmer of that locality, by whom he was 
employed one summer. During the suc- 
ceeding winter he worked in the lumber 
woods, after which he returned to his 
brother John's farm, but when a few 
months had passed he removed to Mich- 
igan, where he sought and obtained em- 
ployment as a farm hand. Again he went 
to the home of his brother, and once more 
worked in the lumber woods through the 
winter season. His next place of resi- 
dence was Sturgeon River, Mich., where 
he found employment in a sawmill for a 
time, subsequently being engaged at lum- 
bering until his marriage, his services in 
that line requiring his residence at La- 
Crosse (Wis.), Winona (Minn.), and Good- 
hue county (Minnesota). 

In 1886 Mr. Mathison returned to 
Door county, and, purchasing forty acres 
of land in Clay Banks township, began 



flO 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the development and cultivation of a 
farm, which he has since operated. His 
preparations for a home were completed 
by his marriage to Miss Lena Hanson, 
who was born June 17, 1852. Their 
union has been blessed with five children, 
of whom three are living: Martin, Ber- 
nard and Henry, Clara and Bertha, twin 
daughters, both dying in 1890. The 
mother is a member of the Lutheran 
Church, and is a most estimable lady, 
highly esteemed by all who know her. 
Mr. Mathison votes with the Republican 
party, and has served as path master, but 
devotes the greater part of his time and 
attention to the management of his farm, 
which has been increased by the additional 
purchase of forty acres, until it now com- 
prises eighty acres of rich land. It has 
all been cleared by the owner, and the 
improvements thereon stand as monu- 
ments to his thrift and enterprise, while 
its neat appearance indicates his careful 
and thorough supervision. 



HON. WILLIAM ROGERS, coun- 
ty clerk of Kewaunee count}', was 
born in the county of Gloucester, 
province of New Brunswick, in 
the year 1838. His father, Charles 
Rogers, was born in Queen's county. New 
Brunswick, and early engaged in lumber- 
ing. In the fall of 1S49 the latter came 
to Wisconsin, locating at Sheboygan, his 
family following in the spring of 1850, 
and there he continued in the lumbering 
business until the fall of the latter year, 
when he moved with his family to Two 
Rivers. Remaining there until 1851, he 
ne.xt moved to Carlton, Kewaunee county, 
where he lived until 1855, in which year 
he returned, with his family, to Glouces- 
ter, N. B. In 1863 he and family again 
came to Carlton, where the father passed 
the remainder of his days, dying in 1878. 
His children were nine in number — six 
sons and three daughters. 

William Rogers, the subject proper of 
this sketch, was the fourth in order of 



birth of the nine children above alluded 
to. He was educated in the common 
schools of New Brunswick and of Kewau- 
nee county, and after quitting school 
assisted his father in lumbering and shin- 
gle making until he had attained the age 
of twenty-three years, when he married 
Miss Jane Powers, daughter of Martin 
Powers, of Kewaunee county. He then 
purchased a farm in Carlton township, on 
which he and his family still reside, and 
where he follows the vocation of an agri- 
culturist. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and in 1.878 he was elected supervisor of 
his town, and was chairman of the board 
until 1888. In 1 88 1 he was elected a 
member of the lower house of the State 
Legislature and served one term; in 1888 
he was elected county clerk, a position he 
has filled to the entire satisfaction of the 
people of the county to the present daj'. 
Socially he is a member of the Masonic 
Order, of the I. O. O. F., of the Royal 
Arcanum, and the K. of P., and, with 
his wife and ten children, of the Catholic 
Church. Mr. Rogers is thoroughly iden- 
tified with the interests of Kewaunee 
county, and is one of its most substantial 
citizens. 



ANDREW M. SCHLEIS, register 
of deeds, Kewaunee, was born in 
Germany about the j-ear i860, 
and is a son of Andrew and Fran- 
ces (Bohman) Schleis. 

Andrew Schleis, Sr. , was an overseer 
of timberlands in Germany, and came to 
this country in 187 I, settling in the town 
of Montpelier, in Kewaunee county. Wis. , 
on a farm of fort)' acres, which he has 
increased to 200 acres, and is now one of 
the leading farmers of the count}-. He is 
a Democrat in politics and a Catholic in 
religion, and is highly respected by all 
who know him. His children are three 
in number, namely: Anton, who is a 
farmer; Joseph, a sawmill proprietor, 
and Andrew, the subject of this sketch. 
Andrew Schleis received most of his 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHWAL RECORD. 



711 



education in the old country, which he 
left when he was about twelve years of 
age, and after coming to America worked 
on the farm until seventeen years old, 
when he went to Nebraska, there attend- 
ing the English school four months. After 
a year passed in Nebraska, in 1878, in 
company with Anton Datel and Anton 
Novak, he started with a horse team from 
near Fremont. Neb., through the north- 
ern part of the State, passing south to 
Trego county, Kans., where he entered 
land and remained one year, when he sold 
his interest in the team and stock to An- 
ton Datel, who in the meantime had mar- 
ried and was living on his homestead. 
Mr. Schleis then went to Topeka, Kans., 
and worked on the State Capitol; thence 
to Kansas City, Mo. , where he worked in 
the depot six months; then returned to 
his homestead in Kansas and made some 
improvements. In the fall of 1879 he 
visited Colorado, Mexico, Arizona, Utah 
and Montana, following mining for a time, 
or anything he could find to do. In 1880 
he started on horseback from Trego 
county, Kans. , through Kansas, Indian 
Territory and Mexico, traveling over 600 
miles, just to see the country. In 1882 
he returned to his home in Kewaunee 
county, and the winter of 1882-S3 he 
spent in the lumber region of northern 
Wisconsin; the summer of 1883 he passed 
in Minnesota, returning to the Wisconsin 
woods in the winter of 1884, and follow- 
ing hunting for a livelihood. While thus 
engaged, in company with Henry Conrad, 
he was accidently shot in the right arm, 
the bullet passing through the hand to 
and above the elbow and grazing the 
muscles of the shoulder. In this condi- 
tion he was obliged to walk over eighty 
miles, or three days and nights, through 
rivers and swamps, before receiving at- 
tention. He passed the following year on 
his father's farm, recuperating. 

The marriage of Mr. Schleis took place 
in the spring of 1886, to Miss Frances 
Walachka, daughter of Joseph Walachka, 
a farmer of Montpelier township, and to 



the union have been born one son and 
three daughters. Mr. Schleis is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F., of the Royal Ar- 
canum, of the K. of P., and of the K. O. 
T. M., and has held offices in all these 
orders. In 1888 he was elected sheriff of 
the count}', and in 1890 register of deeds, 
and has proved to be a \-aluable and use- 
ful citizen in every respect. 



CLEMENT KILLMAN, county 
clerk of Door county, at all times 
courteous and obliging, and one 
of the most respected citizens of 
Sturgeon Bay, is a native of Sweden, 
born in the city of Boras, Elfsborg, in 
November, 1851. 

His father, John Killman, was a 
prominent attorney in Boras, where he 
married Miss Anna Peterson, by whom he 
had thirteen children, five of them now 
living. He died in Sweden in 1866, and 
in the spring of 1867 the mother and her 
fatherless children came to the United 
States, locating in Chicago, 111., where 
she now resides. Clement was then in 
his sixteenth year, a bright scholar, well 
educated both at school and under private 
tutors, privileges his father could well 
afford him, having at one time been in 
affluent circumstances, but he spent much 
of his wealth traveling o\er Europe in 
search of health. On reaching Chicago 
our subject found employment in Field & 
Leiter's store, where he remained about 
half a year, at the end of that time at- 
tending a school some six months, for the 
purpose of improving himself in the En- 
glish language. On leaving school he se- 
cured a position in a fish store in Chicago; 
but after six months in that occupation, 
having bought an interest in some nets, 
he for several years was engaged in the 
fishing industry. In 1873 he moved to 
Port Washington, Ozaukee Co., Wis., 
there continuing that vocation until 1879, 
the year of his coming to Door county, 
where, in Union township, he resided 
until 1 88 1, still engaged in the same line 



713 



COMifEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of business, and employing several hands. 
In the last-mentioned year he bought a 
farm at Little Sturgeon, in Gardner town- 
ship, whither he removed, and there re- 
mained till 1890, when, having been 
elected to the position of county clerk, he 
came to Sturgeon Bay, selling out all his 
fishing interests. He was elected to this 
office by a majoritj' of 1 2 votes, and re- 
elected in 1892 by a majority of 800, 
which in itself testifies to his popularity. 
In 1 88 1 Mr. Killman was married, at 
Red River, Kewaunee Co., Wis., to Miss 
Mary Barrett, a native of that county, 
daughter of William and Theresa Barrett, 
Belgians by birth who came to Kewaunee 
county in an early day, and took up farm- 
ing. They had a family of five children. 
Politically Mr. Killman is a Republican 
and while a resident of Gardner township 
he served as chairman of the township 
one term. He and his wife attend the 
Moravian Church, and enjoy the esteem 
and regard of the community at large. 



JOHN WEITERMANN, Sr., is one 
of the self-made men of Door county, 
who by his own well-directed efforts 
and good business ability has worked 
his way upward from a humble position 
to one of affluence, and his example may 
well serve to encourage others. 

He was born in the Kingdom of Ba- 
varia, Germany, January 6, 1830, the 
second son in a family of five children — 
three sons and two daughters. His father, 
George Weitermann, was a farmer, and 
upon the old homestead John was reared 
to manhood, attending school until four- 
teen years of age. He then aided in the 
cultivation of the farm until seventeen 
years old, when he determined to try his 
fortune in America, having heard much 
of the advantages and opportunities here 
afforded joung men, and in July, 1 847, 
he sailed from Havre de Grace, France, 
on a French vessel bound for Australia 
by way of New York. After thirty-eight 
days spent upon the bosom of the Atlan- 



tic, he landed at New York City, and 
spent two years in the Empire State, liv- 
ing near Port Jervis, where he worked as 
a farm hand. Mr. Weitermann had a 
very limited capital at the time of his ar- 
rival in this country, but he worked hard 
and soon got a start in life. From New 
York he came to Wisconsin, stopping first 
in Milwaukee, but failing to find work 
there he went to Walworth county, where 
he engaged at farm labor for four months. 
On the expiration of that period he re- 
turned to Milwaukee, where he learned 
the tanner's trade, working there until 
1853, when he removed to Two Ri^•ers, 
Wis. There he again engaged in tanning, 
also keeping a boarding house for the 
Wisconsin Leather Co., for about fifteen 
years, doing a good business during that 
time. 

In Milwaukee, Wis., in 1852, Mr. 
Weitermann married Philomena Magda- 
lena Yost, who was born in Prussia in 
1829, and when a young lady came to 
the United States, landing in New Or- 
leans; thence she went to Watertown, 
Wis., where she had friends living. By 
this union were born seven children, as 
follows: Augustina, now the wife of 
Albert Zico, of Minnesota; Charles, a 
farmer of Jacksonport township; Lena, 
wife of William Voeks, of Voseville, 
Wis. ; John, who is also living in \'ose- 
ville; Emma, wife of John Richter, of 
Escanaba, Mich. ; Ernest, a resident farm- 
er of Jacksonport township; and George 
C, at home. The mother of this family 
died in 1870, and was buried in the ceme- 
tery in Centerville township, Manitowoc 
Co., Wisconsin. 

In 1865 Mr. Weitermann removed 
from Two Rivers. Wis., and purchased a 
farm in Centreville township, Manitowoc 
county, which he partially improved, 
making his home thereon until 1879, 
when he went to Ahnapee, Wis. At that 
place he engaged in the butchering busi- 
ness and conducted a meat market until 
1 88 1, when he came to Door county, lo- 
cating in Section 32, Jacksonport town- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



713 



ship, where he has since made his home. 
The improvements upon the place were 
all placed there by his own hands, and 
the farm, with its highly cultivated fields 
and modern conveniences, is one of the 
best in that locality. In connection with 
his sons, Mr. Weitermann at one time 
owned 440 acres of land, but as the sons 
have gone to homes of their own this has 
been divided, though, in connection with 
his son George, he still retains possession 
of 280 acres, of which forty-five are 
cleared and cultivated. 

Our subject has ever been a hard 
worker, and whatever success he has 
achieved in life is due entirely to his own 
efforts. In 1884 his left leg was broken, 
and for some time his life was despaired 
of; but his vigorous constitution and 
naturally robust health at length tri- 
umphed over disease and he recovered, 
though he will always be a cripple. In 
his political views, he has always been a 
stalwart Democrat, and has served as 
supervisor of his district, proving an effi- 
cient and capable officer. He had but 
limited educational privileges in his youth, 
but possesses an observing eye and very 
retentive memory and has made him- 
self a well-informed man. His life has 
been a busy and useful one, and he well 
merits the high regard in which he is held 
by his neighbors and friends. 



CHARLES JESS, son of a worthy 
old veteran of the German army, 
was born March 23,1 846, m Schles- 
wig-Holstein, Germany. His fa- 
ther, Glaus Jess, was born in the same 
place in 1820, passed his childhood on a 
farm, and attended the common schools. 
At the age of twenty years he entered 
the German army, and that life suiting 
him he remained a soldier the greater 
part of his life. He was married to Miss 
Elseba Rowher, who was born February 
12, 1822, in the same section of the 
country as himself, and five children 
came to bless their home: Hans, the 



youngest, who died of cholera in the 
Philippine Islands; Charles, our subject, 
in Washington Island, Wis. ; Elseba, 
now living in Holstein, Germany; Annie, 
of Hyde Park, Scotland, and Katharina, 
who resides on the Island of Sylt, in the 
North Sea. 

Charles Jess, our subject, received an 
excellent education in the German and 
Danish languages, and was afterward 
apprenticed to the blacksmith trade, which 
he followed until 1866, the year of his 
emigration to the United States. He 
located in Sheboygan, Wis., and followed 
his trade there until 1879, when he 
moved to Washington Island, Door county, 
Wis., continuing blacksmithing here for 
six years, and then investing in eighty acres 
of land, on which he has since lived. At 
a later date he bought forty acres adjoin- 
ing, and now owns a very fine farm of 
120 acres. He had little money to start 
with, but by careful economy, close at- 
tention to business and good manage- 
ment, he has acquired a splendid piece of 
property, the value of which he has in- 
creased by erecting good substantial build- 



livmg 



While 
met and married 
was born August 
burg, Germany, 



in Sheboygan Mr. Jess 
Miss Mary Heker, who 
18, 1852, in Mecklen- 
and they have three 
daughters: Laura, Clara and Agnes. Mr. 
Jess and all of his family are members of 
the Lutheran Church, to which his father 
also belonged. In politics he is a Re- 
publican, and has been elected a justice 
of the peace; he has also been a school 
officer for a number of years. 



JOSEPH DEBEKER, a retired farm- 
er residing in Red River township, 
Kewaunee county, claims Belgium as 
the land of his nativity. He was 
born in October, 1837, the eldest of seven 
children born to Louis and Albertine 
(Nelis) Debeker, the former of whom was 
a carpenter and joiner by trade. The 
other members of their family were 



7H 



CO.V.VEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Oliver, Adel. Clementine, Harriet, August 
and John J. 

Our subject has obtained his educa- 
tion for the most part in the school of 
experience. At the age of fifteen years 
he began learning the carpenter's trade 
with his father, for whom he worked 
three years, and in i,S55 he accompanied 
the family on their emigration to the New 
World. After a long and tedious voyage 
of sixty days they landed in New York, 
thence making their way direct to Green 
Bay, Wis. , where they arrived in the 
month of August. They then came to 
Kewaunee county, and a farm of forty 
acres was purchased on Section 30, Red 
River township. They went through all the 
experiences and hardships of pioneer life, 
and in the autumn after their arrival the 
father had the misfortune to be struck by 
a falling tree and severely injured, being 
thus unfitted for work for some time. 
Their first home was constructed merely 
of brush, not even a log shanty being 
erected until in the fall. They had no 
team, and all of their provisions and 
goods were carried from Bay Settlement 
on their backs. 

In the autumn of 1855 Joseph Ue- 
beker started for Oconto in search of 
work. He had not a cent in his pocket, 
and was compelled to ask for the food 
on which he lived until he could ob- 
tain employment; but he was not very 
long in securing the coveted work, en- 
gaging as a farm hand at eighteen 
dollars per month. For three months 
and four days he remained at that 
place, and then returned with a cash capi- 
tal of fifty-five dollars. He found his 
parents in \ery poor circumstances, their 
money exhausted, and he gave them his 
earnings to enable them to obtain the 
necessities of life and continue the work 
of iinpro\ing their farm. In the fall of 
the next year he again went to Oconto, 
the snow being at that time three and a 
half feet deep, but while at work he cut 
his foot \ery badly and was forced to re- 
turn. In the winter of 1858 he again 



started out in search of employment, 
going to Green Bay, thence to Fond du 
Lac, and on to Hartford, to Milwaukee 
and Chicago, traveling all that distance 
on foot and without a cent of money in 
his pocket. After one summer spent in 
the last named city, he made his way to 
St. Louis, Mo., thence up the Missouri 
ri\er, 500 miles to Leavenworth, Kansas. 

While in Leavenworth Mr. Debeker 
was married to Catherine Reis, and in 
that city made his home until a year had 
passed, working in a sawmill. His next 
place of residence was upon a farm near 
Rock Creek, Kans. , where he carried on 
agricultural pursuits two years, returning 
thence to his home in Wisconsin. Here 
he purchased twenty acres of partially 
improved land in Green Bay township, 
operating same for two years, when he 
was drafted for service in the army, but 
he hired a substitute to go in his place, 
and spent one summer in Hartford, \\'is. 
Removing then to Red River township, 
he bought forty acres of land on Section 
16, but there continued for only one win- 
ter, when he sought and obtained employ- 
ment in a sawmill on the Bay Shore; but 
after two weeks the mill was destroyed by 
fire and he had to return to his farm. In 
1 866 he purchased ten acres on Section 
7, Red River township, and to it added 
until the tract comprised sixty-five acres. 
He then carried on farming until 1893, 
and was very successful, managing his 
affairs in such a manner that he obtained 
a comfortable competency which now en- 
ables him to live retired. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Debeker have been 
born six children — J^osa, Joseph, Mary, 
Sarah, Benjamin and Venerant — all of 
whom are married and have gone to homes 
of their own. The parents hold member- 
ship with the Catholic Church, and in his 
political \iews Mr. Debeker is a Republi- 
can. He has supported that party since 
its organization, and for six years has 
served as chairman of the township board 
of supervisors in a most creditable and 
acceptable manner. His prosperity is the 



CO-VMEMORATTrE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



I^S 



reward of his own efforts. He has been 
one of the most industrious of men, and 
perseverance, economy and earnest labor 
have brought to him a competence which 
is well merited. 



SOLON BIRMINGHAM was born 
in the village of Black River, Jef- 
ferson Co., N. Y., January 27, 
1837, son of Richard Birming- 
ham, who was born in England in i 800. 
When a lad of nine years Richard Bir- 
mingham was sent with a pitcher and 
nine cents to get some milk, but he pos- 
sessed an adventuresome disposition, and 
throwing the pitcher over London bridge 
he used the money, and then secured a 
position as waiter boy on a boat bound 
for Canada. He afterward enlisted in the 
British service, and was stationed at Og- 
densburg for some time. Later, with a 
few companions, he went on the ice to 
Morristown, N. Y., and then to Antwerp, 
in the same State, and began farming on 
the Russel turnpike, where he made his 
first purchase of land. In that locality 
he married Plumie Stone, a native of 
Massachusetts, who removed to the Em- 
pire State when a young lady, and they 
became the parents of nine children — 
Charles, who went to California and be- 
came quite wealthy; Andrew, who died 
in Door county in 1893; Sylvia, wife of 
Mort Delano, of Pensaukee, Wis. ; George, 
who is also living in Pensaukee, Wis. ; 
Nancy, who became the wife of Peter Mc- 
Intyre and died January 16, 1894; Susan; 
Jessie, who is living in Pensaukee; Solon; 
and Nelson. The father of this 
died in February, 1852, and was 
in the cemetery at Black River, 
The mother died on the old homestead 
farm, si.x miles from Watertown, N. Y., 
in 1862. 

Solon Birmingham received only a 
meager education, but his training in farm 
labor was not limited. On the death of 
his father he started out in life for him- 
self, working as a farm hand, and did 



family 
buried 
N. Y. 



such good service that he could always 
return to a man for whom he had once 
worked. At the age of twenty-two he 
married an old schoolmate in Jefferson 
county, N. Y. , Miss Jane Sancomb, who 
was born in Franklin county, N. Y. , and 
about three years later joined the boys in 
blue. He enlisted in 1862, at the first 
call for 300,000 troops, and was a mem- 
ber of the Thirty-fifth Regiment, New 
York State Militia, for two years. He 
volunteered and served in Company K. 
Tenth Heavy Artillery, and was first 
under fire at Cold Harbor, where the en- 
gagement lasted seven days. He was 
with his command in storming the heights 
of Petersburg, took part in the battle of 
Fisher's Hill, below Winchester, where 
Sheridan made his famous ride, and in 
the battle of Bermuda-Hundred. On 
April 2, 1865, he was taken prisoner, and 
for a short time was in Libby prison, be- 
ing thence transferred to Appomattox, 
where, with Lee's army, he was surren- 
dered. He then went to Petersburg, 
where he remained three months, issuing 
rations to the people of that place; he 
next went to Hart's Island, N. Y. , and in 
September, 1 865, having been discharged, 
returned to his home. 

In 1878 Mr. Birmingham lost his first 
wife, who died and was buried in 
New York, leaving one child to mourn 
her death — Hattie, now the wife of Albert 
Green, of Carthage, N. Y. Before his 
marriage our subject had come to Wis- 
consin and worked in the lumber woods. 
On June 2, 1880, he was a second time 
married, in Sevastopol township, the lady 
of his choice being Angeline Lawson, who 
was born July 5, 1850, in Sheboygan, 
county. Wis., daughter of William Law- 
son, a native of Canada. They have 
three children — Burton, Mabel and Lura. 
In 1879 Mr. Birmingham settled upon his 
present farm in Section 27, Sevastopol 
township, where he owns and operates a 
tract of eighty acres which, at the time of 
his purchase was unbroken, but to-day is 
a highly cultivated region which yields to 



7i6 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



the owner a fi;olden tribute for the care 
and labor he bestows upon it. He is 
recognized as one of the leading members 
and supporters of the Republican party 
in his locality, and by his ballot has up- 
held its candidates since casting his first 
Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. 
During the Civil war he was a loyal citi- 
zen, and to-day manifests the same fidel- 
ity to his public duties as when he fol- 
lowed the old flag on southern battle- 
fields. 



WILLIAM HARRISON WAR- 
REN, acting surveyor of Door 
county, is one of the earliest 
pioneers of this section of Wis- 
consin, and for many years has been 
prominently connected with its interests, 
especially in Cla\banks township, where 
he resides. 

Mr. Warren was born October 26, 
1 814, in Rushford, Allegany Co., N. Y., 
son of Lewis Warren, a native of Can- 
ada, who was of English extraction. 
The latter met his death by drowning in 
March, 1S15. He was a man of consid- 
erable education and good business quali- 
fications and was a manufacturer of 
woolen cloth by occupation. In early 
manhood he married Sophronia Adams, 
who was born in March, 1790, daughter 

of Daniel and (Ainsworth) Adams, 

and came from old Puritan stock, being a 
direct descendant of Miles Standish. 
Daniel Adams served several years as a 
private in the Continental army during 
the Revolutionary war. To Lewis and 
Sophronia (Adams) Warren were born 
three children, Lewis (now deceased), Al- 
bert G. (of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.), and 
William Harrison (whose name intro- 
duces this notice). 

William H. Warren received his ele- 
mentary education in the common schools 
of his native State, which he attended up 
to the age of fourteen years, and then, 
having had a thorough training in the 
common branches, began the study of 



geometry and trigonometry, which he 
pursued, though somewhat irregularly un- 
til he was eighteens year old, studying to 
some extent under a private teacher. 
^^'hen fifteen years old he left home for 
"a life on the ocean wave," and by the 
time he was eighteen had risen to the po- 
sition of second mate on the brig " Good 
Hope," continuing to sail at intervals for 
twenty years, during which time he was 
placed in many positions of responsibility 
and trust, and gained a captain's certif- 
icate. His uncles, Elihu Adams and Guy 
F. Adams, having been lost at sea, his 
relatives pursuaded him to abandon his 
sea-faring life, and our subject took up 
his residence in Hartford, there learning 
the potter's trade, which he continued to 
follow for a number of years, still sailing 
at various times. On March 17, 1855, 
he set out from Worcester, Mass., for 
Wisconsin, journeying to Neenah, thence 
on foot to Wrightstown, where he hired 
a sleigh for Green Bay, and from there 
drove on the ice to Sturgeon Bay, arriv- 
ing April I. Shortly afterward he com- 
menced surveying, and before long took 
up land in the town of Sturgeon Bay, re- 
siding there until December 2, 1858, 
when he removed to a farm of 120 acres 
in Claybanks township which he has since 
owned and occupied. Mr. Warren was 
one of the first settlers in the region, and 
recalls many interesting incidents of life in 
early days. He is one of the most thor- 
oughly respected citizens of Claybanks 
township, with which he has been closely 
connected since its organization, having 
been elected to various public positions, 
and served as the first clerk of the town- 
ship, also filling the office of chairman 
for five 3'ears. As county surveyor he has 
served many years, and still continues to 
act in that capacity, his thorough efficien- 
cy and accuracy giving his services more 
than ordinary value. He was also elected 
county superintendent of schools, an of- 
fice which he filled in a most satisfactory 
manner. Mr. Warren cast his first Pres- 
idential vote for Martin Van Buren, joined 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



717 



the Republican party on its organization, 
and remained under its banner until the 
birth of the People's party, of which he is 
now an ardent supporter. 

In 1836 Mr. Warren was united in 
marriage, at Norwich, Conn., with Miss 
Eliza B. Dodge, to which union have 
been born six children, as follows: Har- 
riet, wife of George F. Foss, of Chicago; 
Edward, of Allegheny City, Penn. ; Julius, 
of Claybanks, Door county; Sarah, who 
married John Campbell, of Claybanks; 
William Henry, a resident of Chicago; 
and Lewis. Two of the sons, Julius and 
Lewis, enlisted in the Union service dur- 
ing the Civil war, Lewis, who was the 
first volunteer from Door county, being 
promoted to the rank of lieutenant; Julius 
was wounded and still carries a bullet in 
his leg. 

Mrs. Eliza B. Warren was born Jan- 
uary 31, 181 5, in the town of Bozrah, 
New London Co., Conn., daughter of 
William and Mary (Ward) Dodge, natives 
of the same State, and granddaughter of 
Moses Ward, who was a Revolutionary 
patriot. 



REV. VENCESLAS KOZELKA, 
pastor of St. Lawrence Church, at 
Stangelville, Ivewaunee county, 
was born in Valdice, Bohemia, 
July 10, 1853. His father, Frank Ko- 
zelka, was born in 1792, attended the 
common schools until twelve years old, 
then attended the Gymnasium three 
years, and then entered college and pre- 
pared himself for a teacher. He next 
studied music for three years under a 
private tutor. He then began teaching 
in a public school, teaching at one place 
until 1847, when he took charge of a 
school at Valdice, where he taught the 
common branches to children over twelve 
years old in the forenoon, and music in 
the afternoon, and held this position until 
1862. From that time until 1883 he was 
principal of a school of five classes or 
grades at Beromice, where he was retired 

41 



and drew a Government pension until his 
death in 1 887. He was married to Frances 
Fischer, and to their union were born six- 
teen children. 

Venceslas Kozelka, from the age of 
six 3'ears till eleven, passed his time in 
the public schools. He then followed 
with two years' study of the Bohemian 
language, and also spent some time in the 
study of the German language, after 
which he entered the Gymnasium, mak- 
ing a specialty of languages and acquiring 
a knowledge of six. At the age of twenty- 
one he joined the army, served one year, 
and after his discharge went to Prague, 
for two and a half years studying for the 
priesthood, then served a year and a half 
longer in the army, and then went to 
Koeniggratz, and completed his theologi- 
cal studies. He was ordained priest in 
1879, and for eight years was assistant 
priest in Bohemia at different points. In 
July, 1887, he landed in Kewaunee county. 
Wis., and immediately took charge of his 
present congregation. Since his admin- 
istration here he has succeeded in build- 
ing one of the finest churches in the 
county, and perhaps one of the most 
costly in this part of the State. Father 
Kozelka is a member of the C. S. P. S. 
and of the Knights of Aloysius. He has 
been untiring in the performance of his 
duties as a pastor, and has endeared him- 
self to his flock, who feel that they have 
in him a sincere and devoted friend. 



GEORGE MARTIN, manager of 
an extensive brewery at Sturgeon 
Bay, Door county, was born in 
Scott township, Brown Co. , Wis. , 
July 16, i860, and is a sen of Ludwig 
Martin, a native of Germany, who died in 
Preble township, Brown county. In the 
family were four children who grew to 
adult age and two who died in early life. 
The father of our subject came to Wis- 
consin in 1852 and was at that time five 
dollars in debt, but he was a hard-work- 
ing man and eventually secured a com- 



7rS 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



fortable pr()i)erty. In politics he was a 
stanch Rcjuibhcan, a vahied and prcjfjress- 
ive citizen, and he was a member of the 
Lutheran Church. He was married in 
Brown county, Wis. , and his widow, who 
was born in February. 1824. is still livinjj 
in Preble township, that county, at the 
age of seventy years. Like her husband 
she belongs to the I^utheran Church, and 
she is a consistent Christian woman, held 
in warm regard b\' her many friends. 

Our subject was educated in the dis- 
trict and city schools, and remained under 
the parental roof until 1878, when he 
began working for Frank F. Hagemeister, 
of the Green P)a\' I-5rowery. serving first 
as general utility nian, and constantly 
winning promotion as the result of faith- 
ful and efficient service until 18S7, when 
he was sent to Sturgeon Ha)' to take 
charge of the brewery purchased by 
Hagemeister Bros, at that place. Since 
the 9th of December, of that year, he has 
been manager and overseer, and the 
business has greatly increased under his 
care, the annual output being 3, 500 bar- 
rels, a gain of 1,500 over the sales when 
he took possession, while the capacity 
has been increased to 4,000 barrels a 
year. 

On October 22, 1885. in Green Bay, 
Wis., was celebrated the marriage of 
Mr. Martin and Miss Paulina fachman. 
who was born in ICaton township, lirown 
Co., Wis. The\- lived tirst in Preble 
township, that count}, and in 1887 came 
to Door county, where they have resided 
continuously since. Children as follows 
grace their union: .\lma .Aint-lia and l-2d- 
vvard, all still with their parents. On 
questions of State and Nati'nal import- 
ance, Mr. Martin votes \\ith the Demo- 
cratic party, but at local elections sup- 
ports the man who{n he thinks best 
qualified for office regardless of party 
affiliations. He is a thorough and prac- 
tical brewer, one who thoroughly under- 
stands the business in all its details and 
is a trusted and etficient employe. He 
devotes himself untiringK- to the concern 



with which he is connected, and his suc- 
cess is shown in the greatly increased 
output. 

JOHN B. COLL.\KD has spent his 
entire life in Door county, and has 
e.xjierienced the hardships, the trials 
and the pleasures of frontier life. He 
deserves mention among the early settlers 
of the communit}-, and it is with pleasure 
we present to our readers the record of 
his life. 

He was born December 18, 1S62, 
son of NPartin and |ulia Collard, natives 
of I-5elgium who came to .\merica in 1S56, 
locating in Union township, Door Co., 
Wis. They had a family of three — two 
daughters — Josejjhine and Clara — and one 
son, our subject. The father purchased 
a forty-acre tract of land in the neighbor- 
hood, where no roads had been made, the 
Indian trails being the oidj- paths which 
led from (ireen Bay to Sturgeon Bay. 
The parents walked from the former place 
to their farm, and upon their arrival there 
Mr. Collard built a log house 16x20 feet, 
covering it \\'\X.\\ hemlock brush, after 
which he began to clear the farm. l-'rom 
the [line timber he made shingles which 
he carried on his back a mile and a half 
to a place of shipment, and in this \vay 
earned a living for himself and family. 
F"or Hve years he had no team and all 
logging was done by hand, while the work 
of clearing the farm was accomplished 
with an a.\e and grub hoe, the crops being 
planted among the stumps. .\s the \ears 
passed, however, the once wild tract of 
land took on the appearance of a highlj' 
cultivated farm and became one of the 
valuable places of the neighborhood. The 
father still resides on the old homestead, 
but the mother was called to her final 
rest July 26, 18S4. being killed by 
lightning. 

During his minorit\ John B. Collard 
remained at home with his parents, except 
for two years, which he passed in Osh- 
kosh. Wis., where he was emplo}'cd in a 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



719 



sawmill and in a door and sash factory. 
On April 2, 1882, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Josephine, daughter of 
Frank and Antoinette fLaduronJ Leco- 
que; her grandfather, Maximilian Leco- 
que, has reached the advanced age of 
ninetj' years, and is living in Union town- 
ship. Door count}'. Mr. and Mrs. Col- 
lard have had eight children: Julia, 
Emma, Clara, Ida, Antoinette, Frank 
(deceased), Jennie, and one who liied in 
infancw 

Our subject exercises his right of fran- 
chise in support of the Democratic party, 
has served as town assessor for one year, 
and at this writing is serving as chairman 
of the town board; but he has never been 
an acti\c ]i(>litician in the sense of office- 
seeking, although he believes in faithfully 
discharging the duties which have come to 
him through the trust reposed in him bj- 
his fellow townsmen. He and his family 
hold membership with the Catholic 
Church. Mr. Collard is now the owner 
of a tract of land of 160 acres, which he 
is rapiiily placing under cultivation and 
improving with the accessories and con- 
veniences of a model farm. He is num- ' 
bered among the leading agriculturists of 
the community, and is widely known in 
the count}' where his entire life has been 
passed. 



AXDI^FW THRONDSON is one 
of the valued citizens that Nor- 
wa}' has furnished to Door count}'. 
He was born in the Pro\ ince of 
Christiania, in 1845, son of Thrond and 
Mar}' f.AndersonjThoreson, who were also 
natives of the same land. There the 
father lollowed farming throughout his 
entire life, and died in 1859. In 1872 
the mother emigrated to this countrx', lo- 
cating in .Allamakee county, Iowa, where 
she lived six years, thence removing to 
South Dakota, where she now resides. 
She is now the wife of Ole Silverson, by 
whom she has two children — Thomas, a 
farmer of Forestville township; and Alex, 



who resides in South Dakota. By her 
first marriage she had a family of children, 
five of whom are now living — Thor, who 
resides in South Dakota; Andrew, our 
subject; Ingebard, wife of Soren Soren- 
son, of Minnesota; Celia, wife of Knud 
Johnson, of South Dakota; Mary, who is 
married and lives in Norway. 

The subject of this sketch was reared 
in Norway and educated in the schools of 
his native country. In 1868 he came to 
the United States and settled in Manito- 
woc county. Wis., from which place he 
went to Ahnapee township, Kewaunee 
county, where he made his home three 
years, removing thence to Manitowoc 
county. Wis., in June, 1868. There he 
worked at farm labor until coming to 
Door county in 1872, at which time he 
purchased eighty acres of timberland 
from the Fox River Co. , beginning its im- 
provement immedialel} . In 1893, he 
erected a story and a half frame resi- 
dence, 18x24 feet, with a one-story L 
i6x 22 feet, and in 1886 he built a barn 
56 X 36 feet. All the improvements of a 
model farm are there found, and the place 
in its neat and thrifty appearance indi- 
cates the enterprise and careful supervis- 
ion of the owner. 

Mr. Throndson was married in For- 
estville to\vnship, in 1883, to Miss Sere 
Ingrebright, a native of Norway and a 
daughter of Ingrebright Nelson, who was 
born in the sanie country, and in 1872 
came with his family to this count}', 
where he and his wife yet reside. Our 
subject and his wife are meml)ers of the 
Lutheran Church, take an active part in 
its work, and Mr. Throndson has for some 
time served as one of its officers. He 
votes with the Republican party, but has 
never been a politician in the sense of 
office-seeking, preferring to give his entire 
attention to his business interests, in 
which he has won good success. He had 
no capital with which to start out in life, 
but by hard labor accumulated .some 
money and invested it in land. In this 
way he has steadily worked his way up- 



COMMEilORATIVK BIOGIiAPEICAL RECORD. 



ward, and as a result of his earnest appli- 
cation and good management he is now 
the possessor of a comfortable compe- 
tence. 



AUGUST BAUMANN, a well- 
known farmer citizen of the town 
of Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, 
is a native of Germany, born 
|anuary 9, 1834, in the Kingdom of Sax- 
ony, a son of F'rederick and Caroline 
(Wetzel) Baumann, natives of the same 
country. 

The father of our subject was a butcher, 
in which occupation he continued until 
1858. when he came to the United States. 
Shortly afterward locating at Sheboygan, 
Wis., he purchased eighty acres of tim- 
ber land which he commenced clearing, 
antl as soon as possible put the land 
under cultivation, following farming until 
his death, which occurred in 1880, when 
he was eighty-two years of age; his wife 
died in 1888. They were the parents of 
twelve children, five of whom are de- 
ceased; a brief record of the others is as 
follows: August is the subject of this 
sketch; Minnie is the wife of John Henry, 
of Shebojgan; Anton is a resident of 
Plymouth, Wis. ; Henrietta is married 
and resides in Sheboygan; Charles is 
also living in Sheboygan; Amelia is mar- 
ried to Frank Koulman, of Ahnapee; 
Alvin is a resident of Forestville, Door 
Co., Wis. The parents were members 
of the Lutheran Church. 

August Baumann was educated in the 
common schools of his native country, 
and learning his father's trade worked 
with him until their removal to the 
United States. After his arrival in Wis- 
consin August Baumann had no capital to 
commence with, and finding employment 
on the railroad at Sheboygan he worked 
there four months, during which time he 
managed to save $60. With this sum he 
purchased his farm of eighty acres, in Ahna- 
pee, Kewaunee county, and locating there 
engaged in general agriculture, which he 



has ever since devoted his attention to. 
He was one of the first settlers of his 
township, and when he came here the 
region was a complete wilderness for miles 
in every direction. He has experienced 
all the hardships and privations of life on 
a new farm in a sparsely settled countrj% 
and the comfortable property he now 
owns has been accumulated by hard 
work, coupled with good business man- 
agement and a careful attention to the 
details of his work; and he is widely and 
favorably known as one of the most in- 
dustrious men in his neighborhood. 

In 1859 Mr. Baumann was married to 
Henrietta Brockhausen, a native of Rus- 
sia, born in 1829, who died in 1881; she 
was the mother of six children, two of 
whom are deceased; those living are 
Paul and August, of the town of Ahnapee; 
Lewis, a resident of Texas, and Paulina, 
of Milwaukee. In 1883 Mr. Baumann 
married Mrs. Minnie (Sandermann) Skir- 
key, a native of Prussia, born January 
15. 1850, and to this union came four 
children, one of whom is deceased; 
Henry and Edith (twins) were born Feb- 
ruary 22, 1885; Clara was born April 20. 
1887. Mrs. Baumann, by her first mar- 
riage, to Edward Skirke}-, had six chil- 
dren, five living — Mary K., Anna M., 
Josie M., Emma and William — and one 
deceased. Mr. Baumann in religious 
faith is a member of the Lutheran 
Church; politically he is a Democrat. 



WILLIAM HEIMBECKER was 
born and bred in the "Badger" 
State. His father, William 
Heimbecker, came from Ger- 
many to Milwaukee, Wis., where he mar- 
ried Miss Minnie Lipkey, and soon after- 
ward he moved to the citj' of Manitowoc, 
Wis. , where in 1 856 our subject was born. 
The father was a shoemaker and followed 
his trade in that city for many years. In 
1 87 1 became to Door county, where he 
located at Horns Pier, Claybanks town- 
ship, on a homestead claim. He died on 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



721 



this place in 18S2; the mother now re- 
sides at Sturgeon Bay. They had a 
famil)' of seven chikh'en, all of whom are 
hving : William, the subject of this 
sketch; Gusta (widow of Herman Kleicke), 
of Bay View, Wis. ; Emma, the wife of 
Albert Lipkey; Minnie, who resides in 
Door county; Adolph; Fred, who is mar- 
ried and lives on the old homestead, and 
Charley, who makes his home in Denver, 
Colorado. 

William Heimbecker attended the 
public schools in Manitowoc, and when 
fourteen years of age removed with his 
parents to Claybanks, Door county, 
where he helped to clear the home farm. 
In 18S3 he decided to have a home of his 
own, and in that year married Miss So- 
phia, daughter of Chris, and Gusta 
(Buschman) Tansing, who were born in 
Germany and were among the first settlers 
in Sturgeon Bay, Door county, where 
the daughter was born, and where the 
father still resides, the mother having 
died in 1893. Mr. Heimbecker bought 
sixty acres of land in Section 26, Nase- 
waupee township, of which he has cleared 
thirty acres. Since his removal to this 
place he has erected an 18x24 one-and- 
one-half story frame house, built a barn, 
and has a good well; he is a hard worker, 
a successful farmer and an able business 
man. He belongs to the Republican 
party, and talks intelligently on political 
subjects, although he does not aspire to 
office. 



IVI 



ARTIN MILLER, who is num- 
bered among the honored pio- 
neers of Door county of 1856, 
and is also one of its leading 
farmers, claims Germany as the land of 
his birth, which occurred in the Kingdom 
of Prussia in 1830. 

His parents, Peter and Charlotte 
(Yager) Miller, were also natives of Prus- 
sia, and in that country the father fol- 
lowed farming until 1856, when, having 
determined to seek a home in America, 



he boarded the sailing vessel "Rudolph," 
at Hamburg, Germany, and after a voy- 
age of seven weeks and three days landed 
at New York. He came at once to Door 
county. Wis., and, locating upon a farm, 
here made his home until his death; he 
passed away in 1894, at the advanced 
age of eighty-seven years. His wife 
passed away some years previous, dying 
in 1 88 1. This worthy couple had a 
family of five children, namely: Martin, 
subject of this sketch; Ferdinand, who 
resides in Section 3, Forestville town- 
ship; William, who is married and lives 
in Brussels township; John, who is living 
in Merrick county. Neb. ; and Hermann, 
who is also located in Nebraska. 

Our subject was reared in the usual 
manner of farmer lads, and in the public 
schools of his native land obtained a good 
education. He followed farming in the 
Fatherland until twenty-six years of age, 
at which time he came to the United 
States, and has since been a resident of 
Door county, having during the years 
which have since passed cleared and im- 
proved eighty-five acres of his fine farm, 
which comprises 1 20 acres of rich land. 
There are good buildings upon the place, 
and the well-tilled fields tell of the thrift 
and enterprise of the owner. In 1S66, 
in Forestville township, Mr. Miller was 
united in marriage with Miss Caroline 
Dresterbeck, a native of Germany, and a 
daughter of John and Sophia Dresterbeck, 
who lived and died in that country. Six 
children have been born to this union, as 
follows: Albert, Ferdinand, Bertha (now 
the wife of Frank Storm), Albertina, 
Edward and Martin. The parents are 
both members of the Lutheran Church, 
and Mr. Miller is now serving as trustee. 
He takes quite an active interest in poli- 
tics, but allies himself with no party, pre- 
ferring to support the man whom he 
thinks best qualified for office regardless 
of party affiliation. He has served as 
supervisor and was chairman of the board 
of Forestville township for about four 
vears. Mr. Miller is one of the oldest 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



citizens of Door county, and well deserves 
mention among her honored pioneers, for 
during thirty-eight years he has aided in 
the development of this region, has done 
all in his power to promote the work of 
public improvement, and has been identi- 
fied with those enterprises calculated to 
prove of public benefit. His labors have 
aided in transforming the county from an 
unl)roken wilderness to a region of rich 
fertility, and in placing Door county in the 
front rank among the counties of the State. 



JOHN BLEY, one of the substantial 
agriculturists of Jacksonport town- 
shi|\ Door county, where he stands 
high in the estimation of the com- 
munity as a thorough business man and 
a financier of no small ability is a Ger- 
man by birth, born September 5, 1834, 
in the Grand Ducln- of Sachsen-Weimar. 
He is the youngest smi of (leorge 
Bley, who was a musician in the Father- 
land. Our subject received a fair educa- 
tion at the public schools of his place of 
birth, was reared to agricultural pursuits, 
and remained under the parental roof un- 
til he was twenty-one years old, when he 
left the old home and for a few months 
worked for others. In the spring of 1S56, 
having concluded to emigrate to the West- 
ern World, he took passage at the port of 
Hamburg on a sailing vessel bound for 
Ouebec, Canada, which ancient capital 
was reached after a voyage of eleven 
weeks. In Canada he followed agricul- 
tural pursuits in all fourteen years, clear- 
ing fifty acres of land which he had 
l>ought. Coming from Canada to Jack- 
sonport. Door Co., Wis., he first assisted 
Charles Reynolds in getting out railroad 
ties and telegraph poles, and having had 
a good view of the surrounding country 
became so well satisfied with it that he 
concluded to finall}' settle here, with 
which intent he returned to Canada, sold 
his property there, and brought his fam- 
ily to Jacksonport township. Here he 
purchased 160 acres of wild land in Sec- 



tions 1 7 and 8 at $1.25 per acre, on which 
there was neither clearing, road, nor 
dwelling of any sort; but fearlessly the 
bold pioneer went to work, and ere long 
he had a good substantial log house built 
for himself and family. He had brought 
a team of horses with him — something of 
a curiosity in those parts at that time 
when horses were rarely met with — and 
these proved of great service to him in 
clearing his land. To the original 160 
acres he from time to time added until he 
owned 360 acres, 160 of which he dis- 
tributed among his children, lea\ing him 
still 200 acres, ninety-five of which are 
cleared, representing one of the most fer- 
tile farms in the township. 

In 1 8 58, in Buffalo, N. Y., Mr. Bley 
was married to Miss Ann Spanswick, a 
native of England, and children as fol- 
lows were born to them; Nicholas, a 
farmer; Mary M., now the wife of Henry 
Anschutz; Rosa, now the wife of John 
Anschut;?; and Sarah J., all of Jackson- 
port township. Mr. and Mrs. Bley both 
attend the services of the Protestant 
Church ; in his political preferences he is 
a Republican, has been a member of the 
township board, and at present is serving 
as school director. In the van of the 
noble army of representative self-made, 
successful and progressive pioneer farmers 
he stands among the most prominent, the 
more so because when he first set foot 
on the shores of this vast continent 
his financial condition was at zero, his 
means being no more than sufficient 
to bring him across the Atlantic; while 
to-day, by honest toil, untiring labor and 
reasonable thrift, he finds himself ranking 
second to none among the substantial 
farmers of the township and county of his 
adoption. 



w 



ENZEL SCHAUER, one of the 
most successful citizens of Carl- 
ton township, Kewaunee coun- 
ty, was born in Bohemia De- 
cember 1 6, 1842. His parents, Wenzel 



COMMEMOIIATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



723 



and Fanny Schauer, also natives of Bo- 
hemia, came to Carlton township, Kewau- 
nee Co., Wis., in 1857, and engaged in 
farming. 

Our subject attended school in his 
native land until he came to Carlton with 
his parents, and here he assisted his 
father in clearing up the farm and work- 
ing it about three years, or until he was 
eighteen years of age, when he was em- 
ployed as clerk in a general store at 
Sandy Bay, Carlton township, for about 
a year; he then purchased and located on 
the farm he now occupies, and by econ- 
omy and hard work has made agriculture 
a success. His place is in first-class condi- 
tion, and he is looked upon as a first-class 
agriculturist. In politics he is a Demo- 
crat, and has been honored by his party 
with the of^ce of town treasurer and that 
of supervisor, as well as a number of 
minor offices, all of which he has filled 
with credit to himself and to the satisfac- 
tion of the people. Mr. Schauer is also 
an accomplished musician, playing well 
on several different instruments, and is 
the leader of the Schauer Band of Nor- 
jnan. 

Mr. Schauer was first married to 
Mary Schup, who was born in Bohemia 
in 1 842, and she bore her husband the fol- 
lowing named children: Mary, Michael, 
Joseph, Wenzel, John, Joseph, Kath- 
arine, Annie, Cecilia, Fanny and Anton. 
The fnother of this family died in the 
town of Franklin May 7, 1885, and in 
1 88" Mr. Schauer married Mary Pelnar, 
who was born in Bohemia in 1845. Mr. 
Schauer and all his family are consistent 
members of the Catholic Church, and 
they are highly respected in the commun- 
it\' in which they live. 



THEODOK WUNSCH. Among 
the worthy German citizens who 
have found homes in Kewaunee 
county, and are deserving of men- 
tion in her history, is the gentleman whose 
name begins this review. He was born 



in Oberndorf November 9, 1833, son of 
Christian and Maria (Daul) Wunsch, 
the former of whom, a carpenter by 
trade, died when our subject was only 
two years old, after which the mother 
married Bernard Somer, by whom she 
had two children: — Simon and Mar}'. 
By her first marriage she also had two 
children, namely: Theodor and Frank. 

Theodor Wunsch acquired a fair edu- 
cation, attending school between the ages 
of six and fourteen years, according to 
the laws of his native land. He then en- 
tered upon his business career by serving 
a two-years' apprenticeship to a shoe- 
maker, and in 1852 he came to America. 
He was then a young man of nineteen 
years, and hoped that he might benefit his 
financial condition by his removal to the 
New World, for he had heard much of 
the advantages and privileges here afford- 
ed. He landed at New York and re- 
mained in that city for a year and a half, 
working on the railroad, after which he 
came west, settling in West Bend, Wash- 
ing county. Wis. During the succeeding 
two years he was employed at farm labor, 
and on changing his residence sought a 
home in Montpelier, Kewaunee county, 
where he purchased 160 acres of wild 
land, building thereon a log house, 16x22 
feet, which he covered with shakes. Out 
of the wilderness he hewed a farm, and 
to-day has an elegant home and a valua- 
ble and highly improved tract of land. 

On June 19, 1858, Mr. Wunsch led 
to the marriage altar Miss Caroline Daul, 
daughter of Benedict and Mary Josephine 
(Daul) Daul. He then returned to West 
Bend, Wis. , where he harvested a ten- 
acre crop of wheat, after which he re- 
sumed work upon his farm, having placed 
sixteen acres under cultivation, when, in 
1862, he was draftsd for service in the 
army. On November 24 of that year he 
was called for duty, went to Kewaunee, 
and thence to Racine, Wis., joining 
Copany K, Thirty-Fourth Wis. V. I., 
with which he went to Columbus, Ky. 
After three months spent at that place 



724 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



the regiment was ordered to Memphis, 
Tenn., and Mr. W'unsch there continued 
until discharged on account of disabihty, 
having contracted disease, from which he 
has never yet recovered. He then re- 
turned home, and during the succeeding 
winter was unable to work, but as soon as 
possible he resumed his farm labors, and 
with the assistance of his estimable wife 
he has gained prosperity. 

Ten children were born to them — 
Lena, Jacob, Frank, Catherine, Andrew, 
Henry, Fred, Albert, Mary and Barney — 
of whom Andrew, Mary and Barney are 
still at home. The mother of this fam- 
ily was called to her final rest December 
28, 1 89 1. Mr. Wunsch holds member- 
ship with the Catholic Church, and \otes 
with the Republican party, but gives most 
of his time to his farm work, although he 
finds plenty of leisure in which to faith- 
fully discharge his duties of citizenship. 



HERMAN GAULKE, one of the 
wide-awake and enterprising farm- 
ers of Lincoln township, Kewau- 
nee county, was born in Mil- 
waukee, Wis., February 20, 1864, son of 
Fred Gaulke, who was born in Germany 
March 6, 1S23. 

The father was reared on a farm, ac- 
quired his education in the common 
schools of his native land, and when a 
young man held the position of foreman 
on a large farm for some seven years. 
He then, in 1852, emigrated to the United 
States, locating in Milwaukee, Wis., 
where he worked as a laborer for 
four years, after which he was em- 
ployed in the car shops for a similar 
period. He then came to Lincoln town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, and purchased 
eighty acres of timber land upon which 
he located, turning his attention to agri- 
cultural pursuits. This land he cleared 
and improved and to it added 100 acres, 
which constitutes a valuable and highly 
improved farm, now supplied with all 
modern conveniences, and accessories. 



Mr. Gaulke was married in Germany, 
in 1 85 1, to Augusta Graundemann, who 
was born in that country in 1822, and 
they became the parents of si.\ children: 
Fred, who is living in Lincoln township, 
Kewaunee county; Bertha, wife of Her- 
man Holtz, of Casco township; Charles, 
who is also living in Lincoln township; 
Herman; Albert, who is located at Rio 
Creek, Lincoln township; and William, 
deceased. The father of this family is a 
Democrat in politics, and a member of 
the German Lutheran Church. He is 
truly a self-made man, for, although he 
came to this country a poor man, he has 
steadily worked his way upward to a 
position of affluence. 

Our subject came with the family to 
Kewaunee county during his early jouth, 
and acquired his education in the public 
schools of Lincoln township. He has 
carried on agricultural pursuits through- 
out his entire life. At the age of four- 
teen he began working as a farm hand in 
the neighborhood of his own home, and 
was thus employed until his marriage, 
which took place June 21, 1887, the lady 
of his choice being Ernestina I'Circhmann, 
who was born in the town of Casco, 
Kewaunee county. May 7, 18C6. To 
them were born four children — Alma, 
August, and Lewis and John, twins, the 
latter now deceased. 

Upon his marriage, Mr. Gaulke located 
upon the home farm, which he operated 
for two years, removing then to Sturgeon 
Bay, where he worked in a sawmill and 
in a stone quarry for three years. At the 
end of that time he purchased his father's 
farm of eighty acres, which he now 
owns and occupies, and in its manage- 
ment and cultivation he shows such abili- 
ty that he is numbered among the lead- 
ing agriculturists of the county. He takes 
a warm interest in the cause of educa- 
tion, and means to give his children good 
advantages along that line, thus fitting 
them for the practical and responsible 
duties of life. The best interests of the 
community always find in him a friend, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



725 



and his support is withheld from no 
worthy enterprise. He exercises his right 
of franchise in support of the Democratic 
party, and both he and his wife belong to 
the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Gaulke's 
parents, August and Johanna (Pagel) 
Kirchmann, are also residents of Ivewau- 
nee county, living upon a farm in Casco 
township. By birth they are Germans. 



GEORGE FRONEY, a solid farmer 
of Carlton township, I\ewaunee 
count}', was born at Hardegsen, 
Hanover, Germany, February 28, 
1838. His father, August Froney, was 
born in 1 796, and his mother, Caroline 
(Geier) Froney, was born in 1805, and 
both were natives of Hanover. 

In 1847 August Froney brought his 
family to the United States and located 
in Buffalo, N. Y. , where he followed his 
trade of shoemaking two years; he then 
moved to Cleveland, Ohio, opened a 
shoe store, and two years later moved to 
Amherst, Ohio, where he kept a shoe store 
for five or six years. Next removing to 
Elmore, Ohio, he there continued the 
same business until his death, in 1870, 
Mrs. Caroline Froney djing at the same 
town in the same 3'ear. 

George Froney is the third in a family 
of eight children. His boyhood was 
passed in attending school at Buffalo and 
Cleveland until eleven years of age, when 
he became a waiter in the "American 
Hotel " at Buffalo, remaining a year and 
then returning to Amherst, where he at- 
tended school about three years, and then 
worked a year at cabinet making. He 
next commenced work as a carpenter in 
Fremont, Ohio, and here assisted in build- 
ing the house in which ex-President Hayes 
died. From Fremont he went to Urbana, 
Ohio, where he worked a year as a car- 
penter, then returned to Elmore, where 
his parents were then living, and for about 
five years followed his trade, afterward en- 
gaged in the grocery business for a twelve- 
month, when he sold the grocery and 



speculated in real estate until 1868. His 
next venture was in the hotel business at 
Sheboygan Falls. Wis. , but at the end of 
two years he traded the hotel for city 
property, and this he traded for land in 
Carlton township. He at once cleared 
his land, and has been engaged in farming 
ever since, to-day ranking among the most 
substantial farmers in Kewaunee county. 
Mr. Froney was united in marriage, in 
i860, with Miss Rachel Jacobs, daughter 
of John and Rachel Jacobs, natives of 
German}'. John Jacobs was born Octo- 
ber 5, 1805, and died in Amherst, Ohio, 
in 1 88 1; his wife, Rachel (Nippoot) 
Jacobs, was born in 18 10, and died in 
Amherst in 1869. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Froney have been born eleven children, 
to wit: George, Alice, Lizzie, Mary, 
Dora, Albert, Florence and Maynard, 
living; Stella, who was born in 1875, 
died in 1878; Grant and Sheridan (twins), 
born in 1878, died the same year. Mr. 
Froney has proven himself to be a most 
excellent business man, and has won for 
himself and family the esteem of all who 
know them. 



N 



the gen- 



ICHOLAS J. TERENS, 
ial and accommodating clerk at 
the " Read House," in the city of 
Kewaunee, was born in Two 
Manitowoc Co., Wis., February 



Creeks, 
27, 1870, 

Henry M. Terens, his father, was born 
in Prussia March 23, 1839, son of Nich- 
olas Terens, who was born in France in 
1 813. The latter married Addie Pasch, 
a native of Prussia, and they came to 
America in 1847, locating at Two Creeks, 
Wis. , where Mrs. Addic Terens died in 
i860, Nicholas in 1876. Henry M. Ter- 
ens received his schooling in this country, 
lived a short time at Port Washington, 
W'is. , and then accompanied his parents 
to a farm in Franklin, Kewaunee county, 
assisting his father in making shingles. 



fence posts, etc. 
and clearing up 



, and in cutting cordwood 
the farm for cultivation. 



726 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



After ten years of those employments, he 
and his father started a saloon in partner- 
ship at Mishicot, Wis., which they car- 
ried on until Henry M. enlisted in Jan- 
uarj', 1862, in Company H, Second Wis- 
consin Cavalry, in which he served until 
February 4, 1865. Afterward he re- 
turned to Mishicot, but after a short time 
moved to Two Creeks, where he formed 
a partnership \\ith his father in mercan- 
tile business. At the end of three or four 
years, however, he sold his interest and 
bought a farm near Two Creeks which he 
cultivated about eight years, then sold, 
and purchased the "Alaska House," at 
Alaska, Wis., which he conducted until his 
death, November 24, 1886. In all his 
ventures Mr. Terens manifested great 
abilities as a business man. He was a 
Republican in politics and was elected 
treasurer of his township, the people hav- 
ing the utmost confidence in him, and he 
also served as postmaster of Alaska 
during the administration of Garfield 
and Arthur. He was an active mem- 
ber of John M. Reed Post, G. A. R., 
and was altogether a popular and genial 
gentleman. In 1866 he was united in 
marriage, at Mishicot, with Miss Barbara 
Dobry, \\ho was born at Pilsen, Bohe- 
mia, April 2, 1846, daughter of John and 
Annie Dobry, natives of Bohemia, with 
whom she came to Wisconsin in i860. 
John Dobry was born in 1818, and his 
wife in 1825. To the union of Henry M. 
and Barbara (Dobry) Terens eight chil- 
dren were born, in the following order: 
Annie, December 21, 1866; Amelia, 
April 7, 1868; Nicholas J., February 27, 
1870; Isabella, November 26, 1872; 
Henry, April 13, 1874; John, March 17, 
1875; Charles, May 17, 1881; and Char- 
lotte, December 4, 1885. Of these, An- 
nie fell into a well and was drowned May 
31, 1869, and Charles died August 17, 
1881. 

Nicholas J. Terens was educated in 
the pioneer log shoolhouses, but at the 
age of fifteen was compelled, on account 
of the feebleness of his father, to relin- 



quish his studies and assist his parents. 
After his father's death he commenced 
the tinner's trade in Two Rivers, working 
at it two years, and then went to Chi- 
cago, where he worked another two 
jears. He ne.xt traveled through north- 
ern Illinois and Indiana for a short time, 
and on returning to Kewaunee went to 
Peshtigo, where he worked a year or so, 
and then established himself in Kewaunee 
in the tin and hardware business. A 
year later, however, he sold out, and, en- 
gaging with different firms a year longer, 
has since held the responsible position of 
clerk at the "Read House," where his 
affable demeanor has won him hosts of 
friends. Mr. Terens is Master-at-Arms 
of Valiant Lodge No. 120, K. of P., of 
Kewaunee, and is Captain of R. L. Wing 
Camp No. 63. S. of \'. He is a young 
man of most excellent business capacity 
and strictly moral habits, and has won 
the esteem of all who know him. 



IVI 



YRON DEWEY, one of the best 
and most favorably known of 
Ahnapee's farmer citizens, was 
born April 5, 1835, in Jefferson 
county, N. Y. , and is descended, on his 
father's side, from Hollanders who set- 
tled in New Amsterdam (now New York) 
in 1 620. Grandfather Dewey was a 
soldier in the Continental arm}', and lost 
his life in the struggle for American inde- 
pendence. 

Amos Dewey, father of our subject, 
was born among the Green Mountains of 
\'ermont, and was at first a shoemaker 
bj" occupation but later engaging in agri- 
cultural pursuits followed same until his 
death, February 11, 1847, when he was 
aged fifty-one years. W'hen a young 
man he located in the State of New 
York, where he married Zeviah Zeruah 
Beebe, a native of \'ermont, born in 
1797, and of English e.xtraction, her 
father having been born in England in 
1775, whence when a boj- he came to the 
Colonies with his parents; his father en- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



I-I 



listed in the Continental aini}-, and par- 
ticipated in the Re\olutionar\- war. Mr. 
Dewey remained in the State of New 
York until 1842, when he came to Wis- 
consin, and locating in Racine county 
purchased forty acres of land, whereon 
he engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
his decease. Mrs. Dewey survived until 
1889. She was the mother of si.xteen 
children, nine of whom are deceased, the 
others being Joel, of Minnesota; Aaron, 
of Waupaca county. Wis. ; Alvah, of 
Minnesota; Anna, Mrs. William Jenks, 
of Racine, Wis.; HuldaA., Mrs. George 
Sterns, of Waupaca county. Wis. ; Ma- 
tilda, of Milwaukee, Wis. ; and Myron, 
whose name introduces this sketch. 

Myron Dewey came with his parents 
to Wisconsin in childhood. When but 
thirteen years old he lost his father by 
death, and was consequently thrown on 
his own resources at an early age, devot- 
ing himself to general agriculture on the 
home farm for a number of years. When 
twenty years of age he was united in mar- 
riage with Theresa Leggett, who was a 
native of Lower Canada, born in 1836 of 
French descent, and she became the 
mother of two children, Cordelia M., now 
Mrs. George Nutter, of Amesbury, Mass., 
and Alice A., deceased. Four years 
after her marriage Mrs. Dewey died, and 
was buried at Racine, and Mr. Dewey 
afterward married Sarah Van Valken- 
berg, who was born in Michigan City, 
Ind. , September 19, 1838, of Pennsyl- 
vania-Dutch parentage. She is the 
mother of thirteen children, as follows: 
Arthur, born October 3. 1879, died May 
14, 1884; three children died in infancy; 
the living are Alvahro, born December 
18, 1861; Alice, born October 28, 1863; 
William, born April i, 1866; Frank, 
born Augusts, 1868; George, born April 
2, 1870; John, born May 24, 1871; 
Lewis, born April 22, 1874; Earnest, 
born October 12, 1876. and Belle, born 
February 22, 1882. 

After his second marriage Mr. Dewey 
worked as a laborer until December 14, 



1863, when he enlisted in Company K, 
Tenth \\'is. V. I., for three years or during 
the war, and was assigned to Sherman's 
army, taking part in the famous march to 
the sea. Some time after his enlistment 
he was transferred to Company G, Twen- 
ty-first Wis. \'. I., in which he served to 
the close of his term, receiving an hon- 
orable discharge, June 28, 1865. He is a 
member of the G. A. R. post at Ahnapee. 
After his return from the army Mr. Dewey 
came to Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, and 
on January i, 1866, bought forty acres of 
timber land, part of the farm he now 
owns, upon which he located and com- 
menced farming, which he still follows. 
He has since purchased eighty acres more, 
now owning a good farm of 120 acres, the 
larger part of which is improved and un- 
der cultivation. In political faith Mr. 
Dewey is a member of the Republican 
party, and always takes an active interest 
in all questions pertaining to the welfare 
of his town or county; he has filled sev- 
eral local positions of honor and trust, 
having served seven years as chairman of 
the township, was deputy sheriff for two 
years, and for many years a member of 
the district board of education. Mrs. 
Dewey is a member of the Baptist Church. 

KASPAR DURST, who for almost 
a quarter of a century has lived on 
his present farm in the town of 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, is a 
native of Switzerland, born October 19, 
1834. His father, Peter Durst, was also 
born in Switzerland, and was a laborer 
b}' occupation. He married Anne Lu- 
cenkar, of the same nativity, who bore 
him twehe children, seven of whom are 
now deceased, as are also the parents. 
In religious faith they were members of 
the Reformed Lutheran Church. 

Kaspar Durst was educated in the 
common schools of his native country, 
where he obtained a \er\" fair education, 
and wlien a joung man was apprenticed 
to the draper's trade, subsequently fol- 



728 



COMMEMORATIVE BJOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



lowing cartoon draping some twenty-one 
years, after which he came to the United 
States. In Svvit;;erland he married Anna 
Cheasar, a native of that country, and 
like himself a cartoon draper, and to 
them have come six children — four of 
whom were born in Switzerland and two 
in the United States — as follows: Peter 
(of Waterford, Racine Co., Wis.), Henry 
and August, living; and three deceased, 
Henry and two that died in infancy. In 
1870 the family came to the United 
States, coming directly from the port of 
landing to Ahnapee, Kewaunee Co. , Wis. , 
where Mr. Durst purchased eighty acres 
of timber land, the farm he now owns and 
occupies. Here he engaged in cutting 
away the timber, and after clearing the 
land commenced farming, in which he has 
ever since successfully continued. The 
land has all been cleared and improved 
with good buildings, and forty acres have 
been added to the original farm, which he 
has also improved. Since his location 
here Mr. Durst has had many difficulties 
to contend with, accidents and losses by 
fire, and while chopping feed for the stock 
lost his right hand, it having been caught 
in the feed mill. But in spite of all ob- 
stacles he has persevered in his work, 
and has succeeded in establishing himself 
and family in a comfortable home, and in 
acquiring a fine farm, which yields him a 
good income. Mr. and Mrs. Durst are 
members of the Lutheran Church of Ah- 
napee. Politically he is a member of the 
Democratic party, and has been road 
master some seventeen years. 



JAMES McINTOSH, an e.x-Union 
soldier, and now a thrifty farmer of 
West Kewaunee township, Kewau- 
nee county, was born in Kilmarnock, 
Scotland, January 31, 1840, a son of 
Samuel and Janet (Howe) Mcintosh. 

The boyhood of our subject was 
passed in school and in acting as page or 
foot-boy. He started out in life quite 
young, and after about two years of serv- 



ice in aristocratic families shipped as 
steward on board the •' Eliza Leshman," 
bound for Australia. (This vessel was 
afterward wrecked on the north of Ire- 
land coast after Mr. Mcintosh had left 
her). He next engaged as second .-stew- 
ard of the "Lady Kilburn," running be- 
tween Glasgosv and Ayr, and remaineil on 
board about eighteen months, after which 
he engaged with the " Peru," bound for 
Genoa, Italy, and, leaving her at that 
port, shipped aboard the "Emily," 
bound for Alexandria, Egypt. He then 
returned to England, and at London, in 
1854, shipped on the " Polly," bound for 
New Orleans. Here he quit his sea-far- 
ing life and wandered up the countr} . In 
1856 he left Illinois, where he then was, 
and came to Kewaunee, Wis., remaining 
here about a jear, after which he went 
to Oconto, where after a short period he 
shipped again, sailing between Oconto 
and Chicago, and between Cleveland 
(Ohio) and Saginaw Bay, until the spring 
of 1 86 1. Then, at the call of Lincoln 
for volunteers, he enlisted in June, 1S61, 
in the Gailian Guards of Ohio, was mus- 
tered in June 23, in Company C, Twen- 
ty-third O. V. I., and served until hon- 
orably discharged, July 27, 1865. part 
of the time under Gen. K. B. Hayes 
(afterward President). On May i, 1862, 
at Clark's Hollow, he was wounded, and 
he carried the ball somewhere in his 
anatomy until recentl}-. After his dis- 
charge he returned to Kewaunee, and in 
1872 engaged in farming, which vocation 
he has followed ever since. 

In politics Mr. Mcintosh is a Repub- 
lican, and was appointed lighthouse- 
keeper, under President Harrison, at Two 
Rivers Points, but was later transferred 
to Canna Island. Mr. Mcintosh was 
united in marriage, December 13, 1871, 
with Eliza Jane Calhoun, a distant rela- 
tion of the renowned John C. Calhoun, 
and a daughter of Arthur and Elizabeth 
Calhoun, By this union were born 
seven children, in the following order: 
Samuel .A., August 2r, 1872; George J., 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



729 



April 21, 1874; Elizabeth M., March 28, 
1876; William K., February 22, 1878; 
Daniel, March 8, 1880; John, March 13, 
1882, and Nettie, May 8, 1884. Mr. Mc- 
intosh is honored by his neighbors, not 
only for the gallant part he has taken in 
defending the integrity of his adopted 
country, but for his upright walk through 
life and his usefulness as a citizen. 



F 



ELIX ENGLEBERT is the eldest 
son of John B. and Mary (Pierard) 
Englebert, who were natives of 
Belgium, where the father was a 
wagon-maker. His family consisted of 
the following named children: Felix (our 
subject). Desire, Joseph (who died in 
Ahnapee, Wis.), Gustav (of Brussels 
township), Charles (also of Brussels), and 
John B. (who died in Chicago soon after 
coming to the United States). 

It was in the spring of 1856 that this 
family left Antwerp for New York on the 
vessel "David Hodly," the sea voyage 
consuming fifty-eight days, during which 
time there were nearly si.xty deaths on 
board, most of them being children. 
The destination of the Englebert family 
was Dayton, Ohio, but after three or four 
daj's spent there they concluded to go to 
Chicago, where they spent the summer, 
then coming to Green Bay, Wis. While 
in Chicago the father was employed in a 
brick yard where two of his sons assisted 
him, and Felix worked in a bakery. After 
a few weeks in Green Bay they came to 
Brussels, Door Co., Wis. (where many 
of their countrymen were then located), 
the entire distance, thirty miles, being 
traveled by the whole family on foot. 
The father secured eighty acres of land, 
heavily wooded, in Section 20, Brussels 
township, on which he at once built a log 
house, using brush for the roof of same, 
and under this rude shelter the family 
passed the winter, the father and sons 
clearing away the timber as rapidly as 
possible and getting out lumber for a new 
house. On this place they lived for the 



next five years, then, selling t|ie same, 
purchased another piece of land in Sec- 
tion 28, which was also uncleared, and 
their hardships of the previous five years 
were repeated. It was on this farm tliat 
the father spent the remainder of his life, 
dying there January 20, 1892; the mother 
died October 27, 1883, and they are 
buried in Brussels. One child was born 
to them after their coming to this coun- 
try, Mary, now Mrs. Eugene Hautelet, of 
Brussels. Mr. Englebert was a Republi- 
can in politics, and was atone time justice 
of the peace, discharging the duties of 
that office in his native language. Physi- 
cally he was very strong and robust. 
During his residence in this country he 
had accumulated a comfortable little prop- 
erty, and at the time of his death was a 
well-known and respected citizen. 

Felix Englebert, our subject, was six- 
teen years of age when he came to this 
country, previous to which he attended 
the common schools of Belgium, but he 
has never received any instruction in the 
English language, acquiring his knowl- 
edge of the latter wholly by practice and 
observation. He being the eldest son the 
brunt of the hard work fell upon his 
shoulders, and he knows exactly what it 
is to convert a forest into a well-culti- 
vated farm. He lived at home until his 
marriage, which occurred November 15, 
1863, in Green Bay, Wis., to Miss Hen- 
rietta Gefebore, also a native of Belgium. 
By this wife he had three children, as 
follows: Julia J., Charles and Henrietta 
M. Mrs. Henrietta Englebert died Feb- 
ruary 17, 1 87 1, in Green Bay, and on 
February 28, 1876, in Lincoln, Wis., he 
married for his second wife. Miss Julienne 
Francart, also a native of Belgium. The 
children of this marriage are: Frank (who 
died in infancy), Frank J., Marie J. (de- 
ceased), Marie v., Sophia R., Marie J., 
Clemence A. and John B. 

After his first marriage Mr. Englebert 
moved, in the spring of 1864, to Chicago, 
after having spent the winter in the pine 
woods. In Chicago he worked in a brick 



730 



COMMEMORATIVE lilOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 



yard for six months, then removed to St. 
Peter, Minn., where he wa.s emplojed by 
a merchant for three and one-half years. 
He then came to Door county, Wis., and 
bought land, but after spending two years 
on this new farm he sokl out and went to 
Green Bay, where he was again employed 
in a brick yard for two years, and later in 
a feed store until 1877. He then came to 
Brussels township. Door county, where 
in Section 19 he purchased eighty acres 
of timber land, and erected a house of 
logs, which was the first one in this sec- 
tion. Of his farm thirty-five acres are 
now cleared, the work having been done 
entirely by himself and family. In pol- 
itics Mr. luiglebert is a Republican. He 
has been chairman of the township for 
two terms (four yearsj, and has been 
treasurer of School District No. 4 for 
seven years. He and his family arc mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church. 



EUGENE CORDIEK. Foremost 
among the systematic farmers 
of Egg Harbor township, Door 
county, and respected as one of 
the most deserxing of its prosperous self- 
made men, stands the subject of this 
sketch. He was born February 6, 1833, 
in France, son of John Cordier, who 
died when Eugene was but thirteen years 
of age, and being the eldest son, the lat- 
ter became practically the mainstay of 
the family, and worked hard to do his 
part. 

On .\pril 22, 1S55, Mr. Cordier, be- 
lieving he could advance himself in the 
New World, took passage at Havre de 
Grace on a vessel bound for New York, 
landing at that city in thirty-three days, 
and thence continuing westward h\ boat to 
Detroit, Mich. He found work on the 
Wabash railroad (then in course of con- 
struction) near Lockport, Ind. , but after 
a time was seized with the fever and 
ague, and his illness, which lasted eighteen 
months, exhausted all his savings. On 
his recovery he went to Chicago, 111., 



where he passed one winter, working in 
the McCormick Reaper Factory, and in 
the following spring came to Green Bay, 
Wis., and hired out to a butcher named 
Jeffrey. Failing to receive his wages, 
however, he came, in the fall of 1857, to 
Union township, Docjr county, here, in 
the midst of what was then a vast wilder- 
ness, pre-empting and locating upon a 
tract of wild land, on which, during his 
four-years' residence there, he made vari- 
ous improvements. Selling out, he em- 
barked in the lumber business in the 
northern ])art of Door coimty, which he 
followed successfully for eighteen years, 
buying land all over the county, cutting 
off the timber, and then selling; frequently 
holding such large tracts that his taxes dur- 
ing this time amounted to as nuich as $400 
perjcar, on unimproved land. About 1876 
he purchased in Section 2, Egg Harbor 
township, seven forty-acre tracts of land, in 
its primitive condition, and here he has ever 
since resided, retaining 200 acres of his 
original purchase, sixtj' of which have 
been cleared and put under cultivation. 
In 1884 Mr. Cordier erected a very pleas- 
ant home, one of the most comfortable 
farm residences in the townshi]>. He has 
met with well-merited success, and he 
now ranks among the leading farmers of 
his township. Having been denied the 
adxantages of schooling in his early days, 
and receiving no aid from an}' source to 
conmience life, he has by reading and 
observation acquired a practical educa- 
tion, by energy and industrx' accumu- 
lated a comfortable competence, and has 
the confidence and respect of his neighbors 
and fellow citizens. 

On December 31, 18S2, Mr. Cordier 
was married, in Egg Harbor, to Miss 
Sophia Cote, who was born in 1851 in 
Lower Canada, six miles from St. Paul, 
daughter of Alexander Cote, a farmer; 
she came to li\e with her brother in Door 
county. Wis., and here met Mr. Cordier. 
To their union have been born three chil- 
dren, Joseph and Louis, living, and Mary 
S., who died in infancy. They have also 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



731- 



an adopted son, named CieorRe. Mr. 
Cordier is a Republican politically, his 
first Presidential vote beinjj cast for Abra- 
ham Lincoln, and he takes an active in- 
terest in local party affairs, having served 
as chairman of his township. The family 
are devout Catholics in relif,nous belief. 

On July 17, 1892, Mr. Cordier set out 
with his family on a trip to his native 
country, \isiting the home of his early 
boyhood, but he found only four persons 
living there whom he had previously 
known. The journey, which took them 
through Canada and England, as well as 
France, lasted four months. 



HENRY .ANSCHUTZ, one of the 
leading and representative farm- 
ers of Door county, and a promi- 
nent and influential citizen, was 
born on July 14, 1859, in 15ay Settlement, 
Brown Co., Wis., son of August An- 
schutz, a native of Germany, who on emi- 
grating to America became a farmer of 
Brown county. Wis. Upon the old home- 
stead our subject spent his early boyhood 
days and in the public schools of the 
neighborhood accjuired his education; but, 
as his parents were in limited circum- 
stances, his advantages in that direction 
were somewhat meagre. 

Mr. Anschutz began to earn his own 
livelihood when quite 3'oung, and in 1879 
he came to Door county, securing work 
in Jacksonport township at wood cutting. 
He and his brother Fred worked together, 
and by earnest and untiring labor he got 
a start in life, securing some capital, with 
which in 18S0 he made his first purchase 
of land, becoming owner of an eighty- 
acre tract on Section 21, Jacksonport 
township. This was then covered with 
timber, but Mr. Anschutz cleared a place, 
built a log cabin and began the further 
development of his farm. Its boundaries 
he has extended from time to time imtil 
he now owns 280 acres of gooil land, 
eighty acres of which are under cultiva- 
tion, and the farm is one of the best im- 



proved in the township. Mr. Anschutz 
is a natural mechanic, built his own barn 
and residence, and has made nearly all 
the improvements upon the place with his 
own hands, also working to some extent 
at carpentering in the neighborhood. 

In the fall of 1 880, in Jacksonport, 
Door count\-, Mr. Anschutz was joined in 
wedlock with Miss Mary Bley, a native of 
Canada, and a daughter of John Bley. 
Their union has been blessed with a family 
of seven children — four sons and three 
daughters, namely: John, Mabel, George, 
Alice, Albert, Charles and Mary. Politic- 
ally Mr. Anschutz is a Republican, hav- 
ing supported that party since he attained 
his majority. He has been honored with 
a number of local offices, the duties of 
which he has discharged with promptness 
and fidelity, has several times served as a 
member of the town board, and for 
twelve years was school clerk. He is 
now serving his second term as chairman 
of the township board, and is among the 
youngest members of the county board; 
but his age is no detriment to efficient and 
faithful service, which has won him the 
commendation of all concerned. Four- 
teen years ago Mr. Anschutz came to 
Jacksonport township a poor boy, but his 
diligence and perseverance have brought 
to fiim a comfoi'table property, and he is 
now one of the substantial farmers of the 
counnunity, and one of its public-spirited 
and progressive citizens. 

PETER ARNDT, who is numbered 
among the early settlers of Ke- 
waunee county, was born in Lux- 
emburg, Germany, in 1839, son 
of Michael Arndt, a farmer and dealer in 
horses, who did a successful business. 
There were but two children in the fami- 
ly — Stephen, who is still living in Lux- 
emburg, Germany, and our subject. The 
latter received but limited educational 
privileges, never attending school after he 
was twelve years of age, from which time 
until eighteen years of age he was em- 



COiTMBMOIiATIVE BIOGBAPHWAL RECORD. 



ployed at farm labor; he was then drafted 
into the army, in which he served for three 
years, and at the age of twent}--one, not 
wishing longer to be a soldier, he deserted 
and came to America, his brother furnish- 
ing him the money for this purpose. 

Mr. Arndt landed in New York and 
made his way to Milwaukee, \\^is., where 
he was employed for six months, after 
which he came to Luxemburg, Wis., and 
worked for a lumberman for a similar 
period. He then entered the war of the 
Rebellion, as a substitute for John Tyler, 
who paid him $700, and became a mem- 
ber of Company K, Fourteenth Wis. V. I. 

The first engagement in which he par- 
ticipated was at Mobile, and at that place 
was taken sick and sent to New Orleans, 
where he lay in the hospital for one 
month. He was then granted a twentj'- 
days' furlough and returned home, later re- 
ceiving another furlough of twenty days, 
after which he went to Madison, Wis., 
and was mustered out of the service, for 
he was physically disabled for duty, and 
during the succeeding year was able to 
work scarcely at all. 

Mr. Arndt was united in marriage with 
Catherine Galontine, and then purchased 
eighty acres of timber land, erecting 
thereon a log house i6x 20 feet, in which 
he made his home for three years, when 
it was replaced by a more commodious 
structure. His first crop was potatoes, 
and his only farm implements were an 
axe and grub hoe; but with these he 
managed to clear a little piece of land and 
afterward bought, at $2 per bushel, eight 
bushels of wheat, from which he harvested 
a crop of nearly i 50 bushels, cutting the 
same with a cradle, and selling it 
at $1.50 per bushel, thus realizing 
considerable. He kept on clearing his 
land and extended the boundaries of his 
farm by an additional purchase of fifty 
acres, making in all 130 acres, the greater 
part of which is now under a high state of 
cultivation and well improved, the owner 
being a practical and progressive farmer, 
one whose success in life is due to his 



own efforts. In his political views Mr. 
Arndt is a Democrat, and for eight years 
filled the office of supervisor, also serving 
as constable for a time. He and his wife 
hold membership with the Catholic 
Church. In their family are nine chil- 
dren, namely: Anna, Catherine, Marj', 
Nicholas, Theresa, John, Joseph, Law- 
rence and Michael. 



JOHN MEUNIER is one of the self- 
made men of Kewaunee county, who, 
by his own efforts, has steadily 
worked his way upward from a 
humble position to one of affluence, and 
is now recognized as one of the thrifty, 
substantial and representative farmers of 
Lincoln township. 

He was born in France October 27, 
1827, son of Bernhard Meunier, who was 
born in Prussia in 1794, was educated in 
the German language, and in his youth 
learned the weaver's trade. When a 
young man he married Margaret Weber, 
who was born in France in 1786, and re- 
moving to that countrj'he made his home 
there for about ten years, following the 
weaver's trade, after which he returned 
to Prussia. In 1835 he again went to 
France, where he spent two years; then 
once more returned to Prussia, where he 
died in 1856. His father, Jacob Meunier, 
was a successful teacher and a man of 
good education, having studied for the 
priesthood. The family have always ad- 
hered to the Catholic faith. 

Our subject was the third in a family 
of three sons and two daughters, was ed- 
ucated in France, and also has a knowl- 
edge of the German language. When a 
young man he learned the trade of mak- 
ing mirrors, following same until twenty- 
five years of age, when, on the 5th of 
June, 1854, he embarked on an English 
vessel bound for the United States, ar- 
riving in New York City on the 2nd of 
August. He then made his way to Port 
Washington, Wis. , where he carried on 
agricultural pursuits until 1859, at which 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



733 



time he went to Ahnapee, Wis. Entering 
eighty acres of timber land in the town 
of Lincohi, Kewaunee county, he at once 
began to clear and improve it, since which 
time he has successfully carried on agri- 
cultural pursuits. He has added to his 
first purchase a tract of 120 acres, and 
now has a valuable farm under a high 
state of cultivation, improved with good 
buildings and all modern accessories. 

In 1 86 1 Mr. Meunier was married, in 
Paris, France, to Annette Weber, who 
was born in Luxemburg, Germany, Sep- 
tember 22, 1829, and their children are 
Michael, of Marinette, Wis. ; John, who 
is living in Menomonie, Wis. ; Lawrence, 
at home; John Batis, also of Marinette; 
Katherine, wife of Henry Bastar, of Glad- 
stone, Mich. ; and Annette, wife of Will- 
iam Culligan. The children have been 
provided with good educational advan- 
tages, and thus fitted for the practical and 
responsible duties of life. Mr. Meunier 
came to this country a poor man, and he 
has prospered through earnest effort, good 
management and perseverance. He is 
independent in politics, supporting the 
man best qualified for office, and has 
served as pathmaster. He has also done 
much toward organizing school districts, 
and for the past twenty-four years has 
served as school director. When he came 
to this county it was a wild and unsettled 
region, and he underwent the hardships 
of frontier life, but he is now surrounded 
by the comforts of civilization, and has a 
good home. 



GOTTLIEB MOSIMANN is a pros- 
perous farmer in Nasewaupee 
township, Door county, and owns 
a fine place of eighty acres in 
Section 23, sixty acres of which he has 
cleared himself. 

Mr. Mosimann was born in the Canton 
of Berne, Switzerland, in 1840, son of 
Andrew and Magdalena (Weis) Mosimann, 
who were born in the same Canton; the 
father was a silversmith in that country. 

43 



In 1848 he and his family boarded a vessel 
at Havre, landing after a voyage of six 
weeks at New York harbor. They went 
on to Buffalo, and then by the lakes to 
Manitowoc county. Wis., where Mr. Mos- 
imann bought a small tract of wooded 
land which he undertook to clear for a 
homestead; but the work was harder than 
he was accustomed to, and in 1868 he 
gave up the place and removed to Pet- 
tis county, Mo., where he bought an 
improved farm located fourteen miles 
from Sedalia. Mrs. Mosimann died there 
in 1882. She was the mother of seven 
children, of whom two are deceased — 
Anna and Mary Ann, the latter dying in 
Pettis county. Mo., in 1884. Those liv- 
ing are Gottlieb (our subject); Elizabeth, 
wife of Jacob Becker, of Pettis county. 
Mo. ; Magdalena, wife of Herman Meyer, 
of Sedalia, Mo. ; John, married and re- 
siding in Sedalia, and Lena, the wife of 
Lewis Timmer Schute, of Pettis county, 
Missouri. 

Gottlieb Mosimann was eight years 
old when he accompanied his parents to 
Wisconsin. He received a good practical 
education in the public shools of Manito- 
woc, and when out of school assisted his 
father with the work on the farm. In 
March, 1862, he enlisted from Manito- 
woc county, in Company K, Second Reg- 
iment Wis. V. I., army of the Potomac; 
he was taken sick at Fredericksburg, Va. , 
and getting no better was honorably dis- 
charged, returning home the same j'ear. 
He soon recovered his health, however, 
and in 1863 re-enlisted, this time in Com- 
pany G, First Regiment Wis. V. C. for 
three years. He was placed in the army 
of the Cumberland, and took part in the 
battles of Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Chattahoochee River, Peach Tree Creek, 
Atlanta, and many minor engagements; 
he also participated in Wilson's raid. 
He was honorably discharged at Nash- 
ville, Tenn., and returning home in July, 
1865, began to farm in earnest. 

In 1 868 Mr. Mosimann was married 
in Manitowoc county, Wis. , to Miss Katie 



734 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Goetz, who was born in the Rhine Prov- 
ince, Prussia, daughter of Phillip and 
Maggie Goelz, who came from Prussia 
and settled in Manitowoc county at an 
early date; both died in Nasewaupee town- 
ship. After his marriage Mr. Mosimann 
went to Pettis county. Mo., following 
farming there until i S74, when he returned 
to Wisconsin and bought the farm he now 
owns and occupies in Nasewaupee town- 
ship. Door county. He is a member of 
Henry Schuyler Post, G. A. R. . at Stur- 
geon Bay, and takes an active interest in 
politics, voting with the Republican party. 
He is the father of ten children, all of 
whom are living, as follows: Mary (who 
is married to William Suher, of Menom- 
inee, Mich.), Lena, Robert, Nicholas, 
Joseph, Dressie, John, Andrew, Peter 
and Delia. 



THOMAS PANTER is a highly es- 
teemed citi/en of Door county, 
and has many warm friends 
throughout the conmiunity in 
which he has passed the greater part of 
his active life. A native of England, he 
was born May 4, 1835, '" Northampton- 
shire, son of James and Lucy (Tillie) 
Panter; the father was a watchman for 
twenty-five years. In the famil}' were 
seven children — William, James, John, 
Thomas, Levi, Reuben and Joseph. They 
all remained at home until they had 
arrived at years of maturity, and the 
school privileges which they received 
were somewhat meager. 

The knowledge which our subject has 
gained has been mostly obtained through 
his own efforts in leisure hours, but by 
reading and obser\atioii he has m'ade 
himself a well-informed man. He re- 
mained under the parental roof until he 
had attained his majority, when, in May, 
1S56, he started for the New World. 
He was married on April 26, of that year, 
to Miss Rebecca Coe, daughter of Samuel 
and Mar}' fBeaver) Coe, and bidding 
adieu to his young wife he sailed for New 



York from Liverpool, reaching his destin- 
ation after a voyage of five weeks and 
six days. The vessel on which he took 
passage was the "Andrew Foster," and 
as he stepped from its gang plank he felt 
that he was indeed separated from his 
old home and interests. He made his 
way direct to Dover, Racine Co., Wis., 
where he engaged in railroad work until 
1862, at which time he came with his 
family to Baileys Harbor, having been 
joined by his wife in 1858. 

On his arrival in Door county Mr. 
Panter purchased 1 20 acres of land, 
which forms a part of his present farm, 
and began the development of the primi- 
tive tract, which had thitherto been in- 
habited only by bears, deer and Indians; 
he has seen as many as twenty-five deer 
within forty rods of his own home. In 
those early days he went through all the 
experiences and hardships of frontier life, 
living in a log cabin 16x20 feet, which 
continued to be their home for twenty 
years. Mr. Panter at once began clear- 
ing his land, but the work went slowly 
at first for his only farm implement was 
an axe; yet as time passed the place was 
cleared and cultivated, the timber being 
cut in cord wood, some of which he sold 
at five dollars per cord. In Milwaukee 
he bought the first oil lamp he ever saw, 
which was regarded as quite a wonder 
throughout the neighborhood, and the 
two gallons of oil which he purchased at 
the same time lasted all winter. Mil- 
waukee was the principal trading pt)int 
and to that place Mr. Panter went by 
boat, for there were no roads cut through, 
the only paths being Indian trails. 

Mr. Panter was instrumental in found- 
ing the towns of Jacksonport, which 
originated in a fishing town founded by 
P. G. Hibbard and J. T. Wright. He 
helped to cut all the roads in the \icinity, 
and bore his part in the other work of de- 
velopment and upbuilding. The first 
crop of oats which he sowed yielded a 
very large return, and was harvested with 
a cradle. Mr. Panter to-day owns 160 



CO}dMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



735 



acres of land, and upon the eighty acres 
which he has cleared there remains not a 
stump, it being in the best condition for 
cultivation of any land in the township. 
To our subject and his wife have been 
born seven children: Julia, Mary L. , 
Samuel J., Florence, Delia, Charles and 
Edmond. In his political views he is a 
Republican, and his fellow townsmen, 
recognizing his worth and ability, have 
several times called upon him to fill po- 
sitions of honor and trust, he having 
served as member of the site board for 
five years and as assessor for two years, 
discharging the duties of that office in a 
creditable and acceptable manner. He 
is public-spirited and progressive, the 
best interests of the connnunity find in 
him a friend, and his support is given to 
all worth}' enterprises calculated to prove 
of public benefit. His success in life is 
due to his own efforts and the assistance 
of his estimable wife, and they well de- 
serve the prosperity which has come to 
them. 



JOHN W.\EGLI is a native of Switz- 
erland, born June lo, 1830, son of 
Benedict Waegli, who was born in 
the same country .August i, 1804, 
and came to the United States in 1851, 
locating in the State of New York. Here 
he remained two years, and then came to 
Wisconsin, stajingoneyear in Milwaukee, 
after which he moved to Waukesha 
county, where he died in October, 18S2. 
His wife bore the maiden name of Annie 
Miller, and was born July i, 1804. 

John Waegli, their son, attended the 
public schools of his native land until 
seventeen years of age, when he began 
learning the carpenter's trade, and he fol- 
lowed same in the old country until he 
came to America with his parents, he 
being then twenty-one. Here he still 
followed his vocation about fifteen \ears, 
and then acted as o%erseer of Sandy Bay 
Pier until 1874, when he bought land in 
Carlton township, Kewaunee count}', and 



has been engaged in farming ever since, 
being now recognized as one of the lead- 
ing agriculturists of the township and a 
representative citizen. All he has he has 
gained by his perseverance and sound 
judgment, and he has won the full con- 
fidence of his fellow-citizens, whom he 
has served two different terms as chair- 
man of the township and also as assessor. 
He was united in marriage, April i, 1858, 
with Miss Frances Hummel, who was 
born in Switzerland in 1840. This union 
has been blessed with eleven children, 
viz.: Charles, Frank, John, Louis, Ru- 
dolph, Guido, Lillic, Philip, Benedict, 
Stella and Nettie. Mr. Waegli has now 
a comfortable property, and holds a well- 
merited position in the esteem of his 
neighbors. 

HENRY M. AWE, farmer and fruit 
grower of Ahnapee township, 
Kewaunee county, is a native of 
the Fatherland, born September 
II, 1859, in Prussia, but, coming to Wis- 
consin with his parents in childhood, he 
has passed the principal part of his life on 
the farm in Kewaunee county, which he 
now owns and occupies. 

Frederick Awe, father of Henry M. , 
was born in 1824 in Prussia, where he 
was reared and educated, receiving a good 
literary training, and when a young man 
followed the profession of teacher for a 
time. Afterward engaging in the hotel 
and milling businesses, he continued thus 
until 1865, in which year he removed to 
the United States, making his first home 
in this country in Manitowoc county. Wis. , 
where he worked as a laborer for some 
eighteen months, after which he followed 
agricultural pursuits until about 1867, 
when he embarked in the saloon business. 
He conducted same for some two years, 
when he resumed agriculture, remaining 
in Manitowoc county for about two years 
longer, and then, removing to Kewaunee 
county, purchased the farm in Ahnapee 
township which is now the propert}' of 



736 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his son, Henry M. The farm, beinj,' yet 
uncleared at that time, it required several 
years of hard labor to transform it to a 
condition of fertility, and he followed 
general farming there until 1892, when he 
sold the farm to his son, Henry M., re- 
moving to Forestville, Door Co., Wis., 
where he now lives retired. 

In Germany Mr. Awe was united in 
marriage with Sophia Derbald, also a 
native of Prussia, born in 1822, who be- 
came the mother of eight children, as 
follows : Philippina, wife of James E. 
Bristol, of Union township. Door Co., 
Wis., who is a fisherman by occupation; 
Bernard, of Forestville, Door county; 
Gustav, of Oshkosh, Wis.; Henry M., 
whose name opens this sketch; Minnie, 
Mrs. Leopold Colebeger, of the town of 
Sevastopol, Door county; Amelia, Mrs. 
William Herman, of Nadeau, Mich. ; John, 
deceased, and a daughter that died in 
infancy. The mother of this family 
passed away in 1890 in Ahnapee, Ivewau- 
nee county. Mr. Awe is a Republican in 
political faith, and is actively interested in 
local affairs, having served in several 
public positions. He attends the Luth- 
eran Church. 

Henry M. Awe was educated in the 
common schools of Manitowoc count)-, 
obtaining a liberal education, and received 
under his father's tuition a thorough train- 
ing in agriculture, which he has adopted 
for his life vocation. On September 12, 
1892, he was married to Clara Benhard, 
who was born January 22, 1873, daughter 
of Robert and Bertha Benhard, natives 
of Germany, the former born August 25, 
1827, the latter October 1 1, 1847. Mr. 
and Mrs. Awe have one child, Alfred, 
born November 6, 1893. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Awe purchased the home farm 
from his father, comprising 160 acres of 
excellent land, whereon he is engaged in 
general farming and fruit raising, having 
now sixteen acres in fruit trees. He is an 
energetic, progressive young man, and 
bids fair to become one of the most pros- 
perous men in his section. Like his 



father, he is a Republican politically, and 
in Church connection is a Lutheran. The 
paternal grandfather of our subject was a 
hunter by occupation; the maternal grand- 
father was a brick and tile maker. 



JAMES S. HALSTEAD is a wide- 
awake and enterprising business 
man, who for the last thirty years 
has been connected with lumber in- 
terests, and is now engaged in that line of 
trade in Jacksonport, Door county. He 
was born in Ontario, Canada, July 4, 
1849, and is one of the famil}' of thirteen 
children — seven sons and six daughters — 
born to William and Sarah (Gibbons) 
Halstead; the former is a native of Nova 
Scotia, has always been a hard working 
man, and for more than a quarter of a 
century engaged in the lumber business. 
He is now living a retired life, making 
his home with our subject. 

James S. Halstead was reared under 
the parental roof and acquired a good 
education, for his early advantages, which 
were those of the common schools, were 
supplemented h\ a three-years' course in 
an advanced school. At the age of six- 
teen he engaged in lumbering, first cut- 
ting logs, and his faithful service won him 
promotion from time to time until he be- 
came superintendent of the camp. His 
employer's interest he ever made his own, 
and his industry and efficiency were such 
that he was enabled to command a good 
position. In 1871 Mr. Halstead was 
joined in wedlock, in Canada, with Miss 
Mary Nugent, and while still a resident 
of that country two sons were born to 
them — George and William J. In the 
spring of 1874 Mr. Halstead brought his 
family to the United States and took up 
his residence in Jacksonport, Wis., where 
he has since made his home. At the 
time of his arrival here his cash capital 
had been reduced to $31.70, but he at 
once engaged in the cedar business and 
his financial condition soon began to im- 
prove. He is now engaged in getting out 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



lyi 



timber on Chamber's Island for the Wis- 
consin Chair Co., of Port Washington, 
Wis. ; and his thirty years' experience in 
the lumber business well fits him for such 
work. 

Mr. Halstead continued to reside in 
Jacksonport until May, iSSi, when he re- 
moved to Section 22, Jacksonport town- 
ship, purchasing forty acres of land all in 
its primitive condition. The improve- 
ments upon it have been placed there by 
his own hands, and stand as a monument 
to his thrift, enterprise and progressive 
spirit. Since coming to the United 
States the family circle has been increased 
by the birth of seven children — Thomas, 
Henry, Agnes, Edna, Alice and Ruth, 
all at home; and Robert, who died in 
infancy. In his political views Mr. Hal- 
stead has always been a Republican, and 
takes a warm interest in the success and 
growth of his party. He served as town- 
ship clerk for about ten years, was elected 
treasurer in 1888, and since filled that 
office with credit to himself and satisfac- 
tion to his constituents. He is also 
justice of the peace, notary public and 
school treasurer, and he and his wife are 
members of the Episcopal Church. A 
highly respected man, his straightforward 
career and honorable, upright life have 
gained him universal confidence and es- 
teem. 



JOHN BUETTNER, farmer and ex- 
soldier, of Pierce township, Ke- 
waunee county, was born Decem- 
ber 26, 1846, near New York City, 
son of John and Margaret Buettner, na- 
tives of Germany. They landed in New 
York in 1846, and after remaining there 
eighteen months came to Wisconsin and 
located in Milwaukee, in which city John, 
the father, died of cholera. Mrs. Buett- 
ner, soon after her husband's death, mar- 
ried his brother, an industrious farmer. 

John Buettner, our subject, was the 
elder of two sons who constituted the 
family of John and Margaret Buettner. 



He was educated in the common schools 
of Wisconsin, and chiefly reared on his 
stepfather s farm, on which he remained, 
giving all the assistance that he could, 
until 1863, when he enlisted in Company 
C, Fourteenth Wis. V. I. , serving in the 
war of the Rebellion until October, 
1865, when he received an honorable 
discharge. His chief engagements were 
at Nashville, Mobile and Spanish Fort. 
Returning to the home farm, he worked 
for his parents until 1875, when he pur- 
chased the place, operating it on his own 
account until 1881, in which year he sold 
it and moved to Sheboygan. There he 
worked in the chair factory about seven 
months, when he came to Pierce town- 
ship and purchased the farm he now oc- 
cupies. He has brought the place into a 
high state of cultivation and developed a 
farm that has won for him a reputation 
as being one of the most skillful and 
thrifty farmers in the township. In con- 
nection with his farm he has also run a 
sawmill since 1882. In politics he is a 
Republican, and has been honored by 
being elected chairman of the town board 
seven different times. Mr. Buettner was 
united in marriage, in 1875, with Mary 
Shomer, and the union has been blessed 
with eleven children, viz. : Casper, John, 
Bernard, Philip, Peter, Henry, William, 
Annie, Mary, Rosie and Katie. Mr. 
Buettner has made a success of his life 
work, and has won for himself and family 
a tine standing in the community. 



CHARLES LUEBCK is one of the 
representative and enterprising 
farmers of Kewaunee county, one 
whose entire life has here been 
passed, for he was born in the township 
which is still his home — Luxemburg — and 
on the farm which he now owns, March 
I, 1868. John and Caroline (Schneider) 
Luebck, his parents, were both natives 
of Germany, and had but two children — 
Ida and Charles. In 1853 they left the 
Fatherland and sailed for .America, taking 



7.V^ 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



up their residence in Luxemburg town- 
ship, Kewaunee Co., Wis., where Mr. 
Luebck bought fort\' acres of land in its 
most primiti\'e condition. The county 
seemed to be ahnost on the border of 
civilization, and the city of Kewaunee 
contained at that time only one store and 
one tavern, while the township was 
sparsely settled and bore little resem- 
blance to its present improved condition. 
After a time Mr. Luebck was enabled to 
purchase an additional tract of land of 
eighty acres, and transformed his farm 
into rich and fertile iields. 

Our subject was only three years of 
age at the time of his father's death and 
the mother was thus left with her family 
to support. When he was only eight 
years of age a great deal of farm work 
devolved upon him; but he also received 
able assistance from his sister, who when 
a girl of fourteen did all the plowing upon 
the farm. Thus they toiled together 
under great disadvantages, and heavy 
were the burdens which rested on their 
young shoulders; but they maintained the 
family, succumbed not to discourage- 
ment, and brighter days followed. Mr. 
Luebck is now the owner of i6o acres of 
land, much of which is under a good 
state of cultivation, and also has a saloon, 
which he has conducted since 1893. In 
his political views he is a Democrat, and 
is a faithful member of and liberal con- 
tributor to the Lutheran Church. 



THOMAS HLINAK, brewer, Ke- 
waunee, was born in Bohemia 
December 19, i860, the fifth in a 
family of fifteen children, of whom 
three sons and three daughters only are 
now living. The father, John Hlinak, 
was born in 1830, was a blacksmith, and 
married Katie Unhlicek. In 1874 the 
family came to America and settled on a 
farm in West Kewaunee, where the father 
still lives, and where the mother died in 
1889. 

Thomas Hlinak, having attended the 



common schools of Bohemia until his de- 
parture for America at the age of four- 
teen, devoted his time to assisting on the 
farm here until he was nineteen, when he 
went west for a year; he then went north 
and for two years worked in the lumber 
district. Again returning to Kewaunee, 
he bought some property and engaged in 
business for a jear, and for the following 
six years was employed as a fireman on a 
railroad in Michigan. In March, 1893, 
he again returned to Kewaunee and pur- 
chased a half interest in the Bavarian 
Brewery, the product of which is daily 
gaining in favor. 

Mr. Hlinak is a Democrat in his polit- 
ical proclivities, but is not an active par- 
tisan and never held an office. He is a 
member of the C. S. P. S., and, with his 
wife, of the Catholic Church. In Novem- 
ber, 1886, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Klimesh, daughter of Mat. 
Klimesh, an early settler of the county of 
Kewaunee, and this union has been blessed 
with two children-— one son and one 
daughter — named respectively Wenzel and 
Libbie. Although Mr. Hlinak is still a 
young man, he has succeeded in securing 
a solid grasp on the ladder that leads to 
wealth, and is rapidl)' nearing the top- 
most rung, where he will find ease and 
comfort. 



ADOLPH EBEL, a well-known 
farmer of West Kewaunee town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was born 
in Prussia, German}", October 14, 
1835, son of \\' illiam and Augusta Ebel. 
Adolph attended the common schools 
of his native land (including a course 
of three years in the high school) until he 
reached the age of si.xteen, when he learned 
the baker's trade, following same in the old 
country until nineteen years old, and in 
1855 came to America, and directly to 
Milwaukee, Wis. There he worked at his 
trade a short time, thence going to Chi- 
cago, and afterward returning to Mil- 
waukee, and in 1857 came to Kewaunee 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAl^HICAL RECORD. 



739 



county, locating in Luxemburg township, 
where he was employed in farming and 
lumbering until 1863. Removing to 
Pierce township, same county, he con- 
tinued farming and logging until 1864, 
when he came to West Kewaunee town- 
ship and bought and settled upon the 
farm he has ever since occupied and cul- 
tivated. His life is another illustration of 
what industry and economy can accom- 
plish. Coming to this country in the pio- 
neer days without money, but willing to 
endure the hardships and privations of 
backwoods life, he has by perseverance, 
tact, and good business management, 
secured a good home. In a short time 
after arriving in the country he declared 
his intention of becoming a citizen, affili- 
ating with the Democratic party, and 
since his settlement in West Kewaunee 
township he has figured quite prominently 
in the local politics of his township. He 
has been elected supervisor several times, 
has served two 3'ears as a member of the 
county board, and has held the office of 
town clerk ten or twelve years. After 
the division of the township in 1877 he 
was a member of the first board of super- 
visors, and is clerk of the township to- 
day, in all public positions proving him- 
self to be honorable, faithful and capable. 
Mr. Ebel was joined in wedlock, April 
10, 1862, with Helen Bohne, who was 
born near Milwaukee, October 2, 1845, 
daughter of Frederick and Theressa 
Bohne, natives of Saxony, who came to 
the United States in 1844. To the mar- 
riage of Mr. and Mrs. Ebel have been 
born seven children: Fred H., May 10, 
1 863 ; Minnie T. , March 27, 1 867 ; Charles, 
March 17, 1869; Emma C, July 17, 
1870; Adolph A., January 6, 1873; Hat- 
tie, June 26, 1884; and Helen, September 
25, 1887. Of these, two are deceased: 
Fred H., who died March 16, 1883, and 
Charles, who died April 7, 1869. Fred- 
erick Bohne, father of Mrs. Ebel, died at 
Kewaunee June 10, 1874, and Theressa 
Bohne, her mother, died at the same 
place Januarj- 25, 1894. 



LOUIS BASSINE, a practical j-oung 
agriculturist of Brussels township. 
Door county, was born there Sep- 
tember 6, i860, son of Clement 
Bassine, a native of Belgium who came 
to this country, settling in Brussels town- 
ship, Door Co., Wis., in 1856. 

Before leaving Belgium, Clement Bas- 
sine was married to Mary Theresa Dacos, 
by whom he had one child born in Bel- 
gium, Mary T., and seven born in this 
country, of whom Louis, our subject, is 
the only one who attained maturity. The 
father had but barely funds enough to 
bring his family to America, and when he 
arrived in Wisconsin he secured forty 
acres of land in Section 29, Brussels 
township. The family was among the 
first in that section, and they were obliged 
to undergo many inconveniences ere they 
could be comfortable to any degree. Mr. 
Bassine erected a log cabin in which they 
lived for some time. For the first three 
years they had no horses or cattle and 
were obliged to do all the work by hand. 
About 1870 Mr. Bassine secured another 
forty acres, in Section 19, and from that 
time on he has gradually been accumulat- 
ing more land until at the present time 
he has 200 acres, ninety acres of which 
are under cultivation. In 1882, having 
bought forty acres in Section 30, he built 
thereon a good substantial dwelling, where 
they have since resided. He and his es- 
timable wife are members of the Roman 
Catholic Church, and are greatly respected 
as pioneers who have done much to open 
up a new country to civilization. 

Louis Bassine, our subject, had but 
limited opportunities for an education. 
Being an only son, and his father not be- 
ing able to afford hired help, he was 
obliged to work, shoulder to shoulder, 
with him. Aside from the three years 
which he was permitted to spend in the 
public schools of Green Bay, he has spent 
his life on his father's farm. On Novem- 
ber 25, 1882, he was married to Miss 
Leona Gelard, a native of Belgium, who 
came to this country when but two }ears 



740 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 



old, and the young couple took up their 
residence on the home farm, where they 
have since lived. They have three chil- 
dren: Octavia, Joseph and Frank. Like 
his father, Mr. Bassine is a Republican, 
politically, and he has filled the office of 
school clerk since the organization of Dis- 
trict No. 4; in 1890 he was elected chair- 
man, serving as such four years. He is 
a rising young man and verj' popular 
among his associates. 



JACOB CRASS, deceased, was one of 
the honored pioneers of Door county 
who located here at an early day, and 
was prominently connected with the 
work of development and improvement, 
bearing his part in all enterprises calcu- 
lated to prove of public benefit. He was 
born in Germany in 1824, and as his 
parents were people of small means, he 
early started out in life for himself. When 
a young man he crossed the ocean to 
America and made his way to Wisconsin, 
settling in Sevastopol township. Door 
county, where he spent his remaining 
days. 

At the time of his arrival the county 
was just being opened up to civilization; 
almost the only roads were the Indian 
trails or paths through the forests, the 
few settlers were widely scattered and 
deer and wolves were very frequently 
seen. The land which Mr. Crass secured 
was entirely wild, not a furrow having 
been turned or an improvement made 
upon it, but he was anxious to secure a 
good home, and out of the forest he hewed 
the farm which at length became a valua- 
ble property. In earlier years he had 
learned the trades of a gunsmith and 
blacksmith, and was in fact a natural 
mechanic, his abilities along this line 
proving of much benefit in the work of 
developing his land and making farm im- 
plements. His first home was a rude 
shanty, which stood near the site of the 
present residence. 

When the Civil war broke out Mr. 



Crass laid aside the plow and hoe and 
responded to the country's call for aid, 
enlisting in Company H, Twelfth Wis. 
V. I., and, when his first term had e.xpired, 
he re-enlisted and continued in the service 
until after the close of the war. He was 
a faithful and brave soldier, always loyal 
to the old flag and the cause it repre- 
sented, and took part in a number of 
important engagements. He was never 
wounded, but the exposure and hardships 
incident to war brought on rheumatism, 
which rendered him almost helpless in his 
later years. 

On July 4, 1869, Mr. Crass was mar- 
ried in Sevastopol township to Mrs. 
Margaret (Cole) Melville, widow of 
Thomas Melville. She was born in 
County Cork, Ireland, June 20, 1830, 
daughter of Gregory Cole, and in the 
Emerald Isle married Thomas Melville, 
who died there, leaving one child, Thomas, 
now a resident of Sevastopol. In 1862 
the mother, with her son, came to the 
United States, landing in New York on 
the 3d of July, and made her waj- to 
Milwaukee, Wis., where she supported 
herself and son until coming to Door 
county with her uncle, William Cole. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Crass came the following 
children : Jacob, born April 26, 1S70, 
who now manages the home farm; Maggie, 
born July 7, 1871, and William H., born 
January 5, 1879, who died on the 23d of 
March following. 

Mr. Crass was ever a hard-working 
man, and his success in life was not due 
to a fortunate combination of circum- 
stances, but resulted from earnest labor 
and perseverance. In politics he was a 
stalwart Republican, believed in the pro- 
tection of American industries, and took 
an interest in the success of his party, but 
never sought office for himself, preferring 
to devote his time and attention to his 
business interests. He served, however, 
as a school officer, and was a warm friend 
of the cause of education; in religious 
belief he was a Lutheran. He died 
November 24, 1888, and was buried in 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



741 



Bear Side cemetery. His widow and her 
two children still reside on the old home- 
stead, which comprises 1 20 acres of land, 
now under a high state of cultivation and 
improved with all the accessories and 
conveniences of a model farm. Although 
only eighteen years of age at the time of 
his father's death, the son assumed the 
management of the business affairs, and 
has displayed marked ability in the dis- 
charge of the duties which fell upon his 
young shoulders. 



OLE A. ANDERSON, a well-to-do, 
respected resident of Egg Harbor 
township, Door county, was born 
February 22, 1844, in Norway, 
son of John C. Anderson, a farmer of 
that country. 

The father of our subject emigrated 
with his family to America in 1854, and 
came west immediately, via the Great 
Lakes, sailing from Buffalo on the steamer 
"Columbia." He settled in Door coun- 
ty, Wis., first locating at Ephraim, and 
died in 1889, at Sister Bay; Mrs. Ander- 
son now lives with her son, Ole A. They 
were the parents of five children, namely: 
Andrew J., Capt. Michael (of the schooner 
"Annie Doll," who has his home in Mil- 
waukee), Ole A., Mary and Maria. 

Ole A. Anderson had few opportuni- 
ties in his boyhood for obtaining a good 
education, as few schools flourished in 
the home neighborhood at that time, and, 
having plenty of work to do at home, he 
attended them only as circumstances per- 
mitted. Up to the time of his marriage 
he obtained his livelihood sailing and fish- 
ing, and after that event located on land 
one mile south of Ellison Bay, where he 
engaged in farming, also getting out ties 
and cordwood. He lived in that vicinity 
until 1 89 1, when he removed to his pres- 
ent home near Horse Shoe Bay, and here 
he has since been engaged, in partnership 
with his brother, Capt. Michael Anderson, 
in getting out cordwood. Mr. Anderson 
formerly owned 160 acres of land in 



Liberty Grove township, and he now has 
a half interest in 400 acres in Egg Harbor 
township. He has worked hard to get a 
start in the world, and the prosperity and 
success which have attended his efforts 
are well deserved, as all who know him, 
and are acquainted with his steady indus- 
trious habits, will agree, and he is much 
respected by his fellow citizens. While 
in Liberty Grove township he served as 
supervisor, but he has no aspirations for 
political preferment, giving his entire time 
and attention to his business interests. In 
political sentiment he is a Republican. 

In 1874 Mr. Anderson was married, 
in Ellison Bay, to Miss Gertie Anderson, 
a native of Sweden, and to their union 
was born one child, John O., who lives 
at home. Mrs. Anderson died in 1890, 
in Milwaukee, to which city she had gone 
for medical treatment, and her remains 
now rest at Sister Bay, Door county. 
Mr. Anderson is a Lutheran in Church 
connection. 



FRED LEISCHOW, agriculturist 
and cheese maker, and one of the 
most widely known farmer citi- 
zens of the town of Ahnapee, Ke- 
waunee county, is a Prussian, born June 
I, 1850, in Pomerania. 

His father, John Leischow, was a 
native of the same country, born in 18 19, 
where he attended school, receiving a 
good German education. He was reared 
on a farm. When a young man he mar- 
ried Minnie Raedke, who was born in 
Prussia in 18 18, and she became the 
mother of eight children, of whom three 
are deceased and five are living, as follows: 
Augusta, Mrs. Ferdinand Miller, of the 
town of Forestville, Door Co. , Wis. ; 
Caroline, Mrs. Ferdinand Maedke, of the 
town of Ahnapee; Fred, whose name 
opens this sketch; Albert, of the town of 
Ahnapee, and Bertha, ^Irs. August 
Froemming, of Ahnapee. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Leischow followed agricultural 
pursuits, also working as a roofer, until 



742 



commemohative biographical record. 



1868, in which year he emigrated to the 
United States, whither two daughters had 
preceded him. Coming directly to Ke- 
waunee county, Wis., he purchased in 
the town of Ahnapee an eighty-acre tract 
of timberland, upon which he located, 
and without delay began the work of 
clearing the place for cultivation. Later 
he purchased 100 acres more, all of which 
he improved, and he became one of the 
prosperous men of his township. Po- 
htically he was a Republican, and in re- 
ligious connection he was a member of 
the Lutheran Church. He died in May, 
1892, and his remains now rest in the 
Forestville cemetery. 

Fred Leischow was educated in the 
common schools of his native country, 
and when eighteen years of age came 
with his parents to the United States, 
continuing to work on the home farm up 
to the age of twenty-four years, when he 
married and started in life for himself. 
Purchasing from his father the farm of 
eighty-five acres which he yet owns and 
occupies, he engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits, in which he has met with well-mer- 
ited success. He has since bought more 
land, and now owns 1 20 acres, well im- 
proved and in a high state of cultivation, 
the result of his labors entitling him to a 
place among the best farmers of his town- 
ship. In addition to his agricultural in- 
terests, he owns and operates a cheese 
factory, which does an extensive and 
profitable business. Mr. Leischow gives 
his own affairs the strictest personal at- 
tention, but he also takes a lively inter- 
est in the welfare of the community in 
which he lives, and he has filled the office 
of chairman for si.\ years, has served as 
supervisor, and for the last nine years has 
been clerk of his school district. In po- 
litical connection he is a Republican. In 
religious faith the family are members of 
the M. E. Church of the town of Forest- 
ville. 

Mr. Leischow was united in marriage 
with Caroline Kaaee, a native of Ger- 
many, born in 1854, and they are the 



parents of ten children, as follows: Lizzie 
(Mrs. Louis Batcher, of Door county. 
Wis.), Leonard, Amelia, Frederick, 
Lydia, Annie, Alma, Gerhard, Louis and 
Harrv. 



JACOB J. KULHANEK. an enter- 
prising young farmer of Franklin 
township, Kewaunee county, was 
born in Bohemia, May i, 1863, a 
son of John and Katie Kulhanek, who 
immigrated to the United States in 1871, 
coming directly to the town of Mont- 
pelier, in Kewaunee county, where the 
father purchased land and at once com- 
menced farming, so continuing until 1881, 
when he sold his farm and purchased the 
one his son Jacob now owns and occupies. 
Jacob J. Kulhanek was the fifth born 
in a family of si.x children, and was but 
eight years of age when brought to 
America by his parents. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools of Franklin, 
but ended his school days at the age of 
fourteen years, and worked on the home 
farm until si.xteen, when he started in 
life for himself, commencing in a saw- 
mill in Menomonie, where he worked 
about two years and then returned home. 
About a year later he obtained a situa- 
tion as night watchman in a large saw- 
mill at Garden Bay, Mich., where he re- 
mained, interchanging positions, for about 
five years. During this period his father 
had given him the farm, and when he 
returned home, at the expiration of the 
time mentioned, he took charge and has 
been engaged in its cultivation ever since, 
prospering greatlw Mr. Kulhanek was 
married September 12, 1881, to Miss 
Annie Rabitz, daughter of Mathias and 
Mary Rabitz, natives of Bohemia who 
came to the United States in 1857. Mrs. 
Annie Kulhanek was born in the town- 
ship of Franklin in 1865, and is now the 
mother of four bright children, namely: 
Mathias, Mary, Jacob and Annie. The 
family are members of the Catholic 
Church, and Mr. Kulhanek is a member 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



743 



of the Roman Catholic Bohemian Society 
of Wisconsin, and of the C. F. P. S., a 
Bohemian Benevolent Society of the town 
of Franklin. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and, as such, has served as township 
assessor, and also filled several minor 
offices; for three years he has served as 
justice of the peace, and is still filling that 
position in a most satisfactory manner. 
He is one of the most highly respected 
young men of the township, with every 
prospect of a bright future. 



M 



daughter 
marriage the 



ATHIAS NYGARD is a native 
of Norway, born April 27, 
1856, and is the only son of 
Mathias and Anna (Semson) 
(Peterson) Nygard. They also had a 
Christine, and by his second 
father had three sons — 
Peter, Simon and Antone. By occupa- 
tion he was a farmer, and followed agri- 
cultural pursuits throughout his entire life. 
Mr. Nygard received a common-school 
education, and spent his boyhood and 
youth upon his father's farm, early becom- 
ing familiar with the work of cultivating 
land. His time was thus passed until 
1872, when he sailed for the United States 
on a vessel which dropped anchor in the 
harbor of Baltimore, Md. , his passage be- 
ing paid by Mathias Mathison, who is now 
a resident of Cla3'banks township. Door 
county. Our subject came at once to 
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. , and for about three 
months worked for George Bosford, after 
which he went to .\rthur Bay, where he 
was employed in lumbering for about 
eleven months. His next place of resi- 
dence was Claybanks township, and he 
lived with John Mathison for a short time, 
going then to Sturgeon river, where he 
was employed in a sawmill during the 
four succeeding summers. He then re- 
turned to Claybanks township, but at that 
time had no intention of locating here; 
however, he finally purchased a store 
building and the ground on which it stood. 



and opened a small mercantile establish- 
ment in partnership with John Mathison, 
they continuing together for two years, 
when Mr. Nygard bought out Mr. Mathi- 
son, and has since been alone in business. 
He has a full and complete stock of gen- 
eral merchandise and a well-arranged 
store, and his customers come from many- 
miles around. In 1888 he built a cheese 
factory, which he has since operated in 
connection with his other interests. 

Mr. Nj'gard holds membership with 
the Lutheran Church, and contributes lib- 
erally to its support. Since becoming an 
American citizen he has supported the Re- 
publican party, and is a warm advocate of 
its principles; but has never sought or 
desired political preferment, his time and 
attention being fully occupied by his busi- 
ness interests. He is a man straightfor- 
ward and honorable in all dealings, and 
his earnest desire to please his customers, 
his courteous treatment and his honorable 
career have won him success. 



LOUIS SCHWEDLER is one of the 
worthy and representative citizens 
that Germany has furnished to 
Kewaunee count}'. He was born 
in the Kingdom of Prussia January 5, 
1818, and is a son of John G. and Julia 
(Scharf) Schwedler, the father a minister, 
and is the only living member of a family 
of thirteen children, those deceased being: 
Rhinehart, Adolph, Adolphine, Minnie L., 
Frank S., Eliza A., Augusta, Adelaide, 
Ewald, Arnold, Arthur and Albert. 

When our subject was a youth of 
thirteen he entered school, having pre- 
viously been taught by his father, who 
was a well-educated man. At the early 
age of five years he could read and write, 
and at the age of si.xteen he completed a 
high-school education. In 1843 he wed- 
ded Louise Manisel, and about that time 
secured the position as manager over a 
large estate in Germany of 2,000 acres, 
receiving as a compensation for his serv- 



744 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



ices $600 per annum. He was also in 
the German army for three years, doing 
duty in the cavalry service. 

In 1S48 he bade adieu to friends and 
Fatherland and sailed for America, land- 
ing at New Orleans after a voyage of 
fifty-three days. He at once started 
north, traveling until he had reached 
Washington county. Wis., where he pur- 
chased forty acres of wild land, heavily 
covered with timber. There were no 
roads, nothing but Indian trails, wild 
animals were frequently seen, and the 
county was just opening up to civiliza- 
tion. Milwaukee was the nearest trading 
point, a distance of forty miles, and it 
required about a week to make the jour- 
ney to and from that place, for he had 
only an o.\-team, and those animals are 
not noted for their speed. After living 
upon the farm in Washington county for 
nine years, during which time he cleared 
and improved eighty acres of land, Mr. 
Schwedler came, in 1856, to Luxemburg 
(then a part of Casco) township, Kewau- 
nee county, and purchased, on Section 14, 
160 acres of land, for which he paid $80. 
There was not a space cleared large 
enough to erect a house, so he had to cut 
down the trees ere he could build his first 
home, i8.\20 feet in dmiensions, in 
which he lived until 1865. He plowed 
his land with an ox-team, and his imple- 
ments were an axe, a plow and a grub 
hoe. Two years later he purchased forty 
acres of his present farm, and in 1865 sold 
his first farm and went to Neenah, Wis., 
where he purchased a house and lot, his 
son being employed in a foundry at that 
place. After two years, however, he 
returned to Luxemburg township, and, 
locating upon his forty-acre farm, built a 
log house, which was his home until 1880, 
when it was replaced by his present 
residence. The boundaries of his farm 
he has extended from time to time, having 
purchased forty acres in 1868, forty acres 
in 1 87 1, and forty acres in 1877, making 
in all 160 acres of land. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Schwedler have been 



born eleven children — Adelaide, Mary 
(deceased), Oscar, Awald (deceased), 
Herman, Albert (deceased), Louis, Ru- 
dolph, Robert (deceased), Ida and Adelia. 
Since becoming an American citizen the 
father of this family has been a stanch 
Republican, and has served as assessor 
and pathmaster. A progressive and pub- 
lic-spirited man, betakes a warm interest 
in everything pertaining to the welfare of 
the community, and well deserves repre- 
sentation in the history of his adopted 
county. 



J 



ACOB KOZINA, an active and en- 
terprising young farmer of Franklin 
township, Kewaunee Co. , Wis. , was 
born in Bohemia August i, 1862. 
His parents, Thomas and Mary Ko- 
zina, natives of the same country, came 
with their children to the United States 
in 1869, making their way directly to 
Franklin township. Here the father 
bought the farm now owned in part and 
occupied by their sen Jacob, the subject 
of this sketch, and followed farming 
until 1892, when he sold part of the 
homestead, having already deeded eighty 
acres to Jacob. Our subject is the fourth 
in a family of six children, and was but 
seven years of age when brought to 
America. His education was therefore 
secured partly in the old country and 
partly in this, but he left school at the 
age of fourteen years and worked with 
his father until twenty-three, when the 
eighty acres were deeded to him; since 
then he has followed the vocation of 
farming continuously, and is now one of 
the representative agriculturists of the 
township. 

On June 2, 1S85, Mr. Kozina mar- 
ried Miss Frances Wishka, who was born 
in the town of Carlton, Kewaunee Co., 
Wis., April 24, 1868, and is a daughter 
of Joseph and Josie Wishka, who came 
from Bohemia to Carlton township in 
1865. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ko- 
zina has been blessed by the birth of four 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



745 



children, namely: Peter, Joseph, Annie 
and Francis. The family are members 
of the Catholic Church, and Mr. Kozina 
is a member of the Bohemian Roman 
Catholic Central Union. In politics he 
is a Democrat, and has held the office of 
town treasurer about three years. He is 
a successful man in his vocation, is a 
useful citizen, and enjoys the esteem of 
all his fellow-citizens, regardless of creeds 
or politics. 



JOHN CHATER, retired farmer, was 
born May 7, 18 17, in Northampton- 
shire, England, son of James and 
Mary (Smith) Chater, in whose 
family were six children — Elizabeth, Mary 
Ann, Sarah, John, Martha and Anna. 
The father died when our subject was 
only five years old, and this compelled 
John, when he was yet quite young, 
to earn his own living. He was only 
about seven years of age when he began 
to aid his mother in the support of the 
family, his first work being what was 
called quill winding. Later he learned 
the weaver's trade, which he followed for 
about fourteen years, earning quite a good 
livelihood in that way, for he was an ex- 
pert workman. 

On January 7, 1840, Mr. Chater was 
united in marriage with Miss Julia 
Buford, daughter of William and Anna 
(Loseby) Buford, who were the parents 
of five children, namely: Elizabeth, Julia, 
Martha, George and Fred. In 1862 our 
subject, having determined to try his for- 
tune in America, sailed from Liverpool, 
England, and after a voyage of fourteen 
days landed at New York, whence he 
made his way to Door county. Wis., and 
located in Waterford, this State. In the 
following November he came to Baileys 
Harbor and purchased 135 acres of land, 
three miles south of the town, upon which 
he built a log house 18x24 feet, the best 
residence in the township at that time. 
His wife crossed the Atlantic about three 
years later, landing at Quebec and com- 



ing at once to Baileys Harbor, whence 
she walked to the farm. Many hours she 
spent in tears in those early days, for the 
new home was in such contrast to her old 
one with its comforts and conveniences. 

Mr. Chater worked hard from morn- 
ing until night, and after a time waving 
fields of grain were seen where once were 
barren fields, and the bounteous harvests 
greatly added to the income of the owner. 
His first crop was millet, and his sales 
from three acres netted him over one 
hundred dollars. Mr. Chater continued 
to make his home upon the farm until 
1887, when failing health forced him to 
abandon agricultural pursuits, and he has 
since lived retired, enjoying the rest which 
he has so truly earned and richly de- 
serves. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Chater was born a 
daughter — Matlida — now the wife of 
James Riding, who lives on her father's 
farm. Our subject exercises his right of 
franchise in support of the Democratic 
party, taking a deep interest in the growth 
and success of same, and keeping well in- 
formed on the issues of the day. He is 
numbered among the pioneer settlers 
of Door county, aided in laying out a 
number of its roads, and has been other- 
wise identified with its progress and de- 
velopment. 



JOHN WRABETZ, of Kewaunee, was 
born in Moravia, a province of Aus- 
tria, June 9, 1839, son of Frank 
and Anna (Kalab) Wrabetz, who 
were married in 1837. The family came 
to America in 1853, but the father being 
taken ill a few days before landing, he 
was taken to a hospital on Long Island, 
N. Y. , where he died after an illness of 
seven days, leaving his widow with two 
sons and one daughter, John being the 
eldest. 

The family at once came to Milwau- 
kee, Wis. , there remaining together until 
1859, when John went to Chicago for 
two years, or until the spring of 1861, 



746 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



when he came to Kewaunee, reaching 
here April 26. .He opened a wagon 
shop, having learned the trade under his 
father, who was a wagon-maker, and 
conducted it until August 15, 1862, when 
he enlisted in the Twenty-seventh Wis. 
V. I., with which he served in all its 
marches and engagements until Sejjtem- 
ber 29, 1865, when he was honorably 
discharged from the \\' estern Department. 
In the fall of the same \ear he returned 
to Kewaunee, built a new shop, resumed 
his old trade, and carried it on until 1881, 
when he sold out and bought an interest 
in a stone quarry, which he held until the 
spring of 189^, when he sold. In Feb- 
ruary, 1894, he purchased his present 
meat market in Kewaunee, and is now 
doing a thri\ing trade. 

Mr. Wrabetz was married in .\pril, 
1866, to Miss Mary Herbek, who l)ecame 
the mother of si.\ sons and six daughters, 
of whom three sons and four daughters 
are still living; the mother was called 
away in February, 1883. Mrs. Anna 
Wrabetz, mother of our subject, died in 
Milwaukee in 1889. Mr. W'rabetz is a 
solid Republican and cast his first vote 
for Lincoln. As the candidate of this 
party, he was elected sheriff of Kewaunee 
count)' in 1868, and served one term; as 
city treasurer he served four terms, and 
he has also tilled the office of alderman. 
He is a member of no Church, nor of any 
secret organization, but his popularity 
rests on his own jiersonal merits. 

FKlCDliRICK SCHUMACHFK, a 
])rosperous farmerof Carlton town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was born 
at Hohenbrunzow, Germany, Jan- 
uary I, 1854. His father, Frederick, Sr. , 
was a native of the same place, born 
March 25, 1825. His grandfather, Chris- 
topher, was born in 1797, and died in 
1862; his grandmother, Christina (Arnst) 
Schumacher, was born in 1799, and died 
in 1882. 

After leaving school, at the age of 



fourteen, Frederick, Sr. , began working 
out for strangers at farm work, and was 
thus employed until twenty years old, 
when he was called to join the standing 
army for three years, and was then dis- 
charged. The German revolution broke 
out about this time, and he was again 
called to serve his country for a year; 
after his second discharge he re-engaged 
in farm labor until October 10, 1863, 
when he brought his family to the United 
States, and, locating in Chicago, 111., 
worked there for seventeen years at what- 
ever he could find to do. He then rented 
a farm in Cook county. 111., which he 
culti\ate(l some seven years, and again 
went to Chicago, where he now resides. 
He had married, in 1850, Caroline Bau- 
mann, who was born in Granshendorf, 
Germany, March i, 1828, and to this 
marriage have come six children, viz. : 
Rika, Frederick, Caroline, Bertha, Mary 
and William. 

Frederick, Jr., the subject of this 
sketch, passed three jears in the com- 
mon schools of his native country, and 
being but nine years of age when he 
reached Chicago, he there attended the 
public schools about five years, securing 
a good education. After this he followed 
teaming for about nine years, when he 
joined his father in farming on the rented 
land. When the father returned to 
Chicago our subject came to Carlton 
townjihip, Kewaunee Co. , Wis. , and 
bought the farm he now occupies, which 
was gained by hard labor and good man- 
agement. 

Mr. Schumacher was first united in 
marriage, July 9, 1882, with Annie Gierz, 
daughter of Fred and Lena Gierz. She was 
born in Hohenbrunzow August 7, 1858, 
came to the United States in 1882, and 
died in Carlton township December 22, 
1893. ^'it' bore her husband three chil- 
dren, viz.: Herman, born May 19, 1883; 
Annie, August 18, 1884, and Martha, 
September 30, 1886. The second mar- 
riage of our subject was to Augusta Kealke, 
on March 28, 1894. This lady was born 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



747- 



in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Gerniany, No- 
vember 7, 1865. Her father was John 
Kealke, who was born in Furstensee, 
Germany, in January, 1820, and died in 
Mecklenburg-Strelitz June 4, 1883; her 
mother was Minnie (Stegnian) Kealka, 
who was born in Godendorf, Germany, 
November 21, 1823, and died August i, 
1884. Mr. Schumacher is a member of 
the Lutheran Church at Sandy Bay, and 
he and his family enjoy the respect of all 
who know them. 



CONRAD WACKTLER, a pioneer 
citizen of Wisconsin, now resid- 
ing in Nasewaupee township. 
Door county, was born in Wur- 
temberg, Germany, in 1827. His parents, 
Conrad and Elizabeth (Brodbeck) Wack- 
tler, were agriculturists in Gerniany, and 
of their family three are now living: 
Michael (residing in Germany), Barbara, 
and Conrad (our subject). The father 
died in his native country in 1829, and 
the mother followed him in 1837. 

Conrad Wacktler was educated in the 
public schools of German}-, and at the age 
of twenty-one 3ears entered in the German 
army, fighting in the conflict which raged 
between his country and Denmark over 
the possession of Schleswig-Holstein. 
After the close of the war he returned 
home and carried on farming until 1852, 
when he emigrated to the United States, 
taking passage on a sailing vessel, the 
voyage occupying six weeks. He went 
at once to Albany, New York, where he 
found employment in a tannery; remain- 
ing there but a short time he went to Port 
Washington, Wis., where he learned the 
carpenter's trade; but at the end of three 
years he gave that up and moved to Gib- 
son township, Manitowoc county, there 
following his former occupation of farm- 
ing until 1862, when he enlisted in Com- 
pany F, Fifteenth Wis. V. I. , Fourteenth 
Army Corps. He fought in the battle of 
Island No. 10, was with Sherman on his 
famous march to the sea, and took part 



in a number of fierce conflicts, receiving 
an honorable discharge at Nashville, 
Tenn., in 1865, after which he returned 
to his home in Manitowoc county. 

While living in Port Washington Mr. 
Wacktler was married to Miss Elizabeth- 
Broadbeck, a native of Germany, whose 
parents lived and died there. She has borne 
him four children, three of whom are living. 
Wilhelm, who resides at home, looks 
after the farm and conducts a saloon; 
Henry, also living at home, and Gustav, 
who is married and lives near his parents. 
Catherine died at the age of eighteen 
years. Mr. Wacktler is a member of the 
G. A. R. at Sturgeon Bay. In politics he 
is a Republican, and takes much interest 
in securing good capable men for officers. 
He and his estimaljle wife are members 
of the Lutheran Church. 



FRED LEONHARDT is one of 
Wisconsin's native sons, born 
January 29, 1858, in Sheboygan 
county, and is the youngest in a 
family of four children, whose parents were 
Adam and Anna Margaret (Schneider) 
Leonhardt. The father was a successful 
agriculturist. The children are Peter, 
now living in Oconto, Wis. ; Mary, wife 
of Theodore Youngerman, a resident of 
Marinette, Wis. ; Anna, wife of A. Adels- 
beck, who lives in California, and Fred. 
Fred Leonhardt well deserves repre- 
sentation in the history of his adopted 
county. His mother died when he was 
only two and a half j-ears old, and in his 
early childhood he had few advantages. 
When only thirteen years of age he went 
into the lumber woods, where he was 
employed as a teamster for two winters, 
after which he began learning the shoe- 
maker's trade, serving a two-years' ap- 
prenticeship; but on the expiration of 
that period he was compelled to abandon 
the work on account of failing health, 
and in order to provide for his own main- 
tenance he then again turned his atten- 
tion to teaming, which he followed for a 



74S 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



number of years. The greater part of 
his life has been spent in Wisconsin, and 
his career has been one of usefulness. 
In 1880 he removed to \'oseville, where 
he began working for George Peterson, 
and while at that place he was united in 
marriage to Miss Harriet Richardson, the 
wedding being celebrated on Christmas 
Day, 1882. The lady is a daughter of 
Lorenzo and Chloe A. (Porter) Richard- 
son, well-known people of Door county. 
After their marriage the young couple 
came to Baileys Harbor and Mr. Leon- 
hardt bought 100 acres of land at three 
dollars per acre — a timber tract which 
was entirely unimproved. They lived in 
Mr. Richardson's home for seven years 
and then mo\ed to their present residence, 
which is noted for its hospitality and good 
cheer. Mr. Leonhardt now has twenty 
acres under a high state of cultivation. 

Four children blessed the union of 
our subject and his wife, but the second 
child died in infancy, and Lorenzo A. died 
at the age of two years. Ashire F. , the 
eldest, and Aaron L., the youngest, are 
still under the parental roof. Mr. Leon- 
hardt is a Republican, and alvvaj-s sup- 
ports that party by his ballot, but he has 
never sought office for himself, preferring 
to give his time and attention to his busi- 
ness interests. Whatever success he has 
achieved in life is due to his own efforts, 
and is the reward of diligence and earnest 
application. 



E HENRY HERRICK is of Bo- 
hemian parentage, his parents, 
Joseph and Annie Herrick, having 
been natives of Bohemia, whence 
they emigrated to the United States be- 
fore he was born. His father was a 
wagon- maker in his own country, and 
now follows that trade in Lincoln town- 
ship, Kewaunee Co., Wis. There were 
six children in the family — four sons and 
two daughters: Joseph, Jr., E. Henry 
(our subject), James, \\'illiam, Mary (now 



Mrs. Frank Nowak, of Milwaukee), and 
Lillie (who is still at home). 

E. Henry Herrick was born October 
14, 1868, in West Bend, Washington 
Co., Wis., where up to the age of ten 
years he attended the German parochial 
schools, later attending the public schools 
of Lincoln. At the age of eighteen years 
he left home and went to northern Mich- 
igan, where he secured a position as sca- 
ler in a lumber camp. When summer 
came he went home, but the following 
winter he returned and became foreman 
for the same jobber in the lumber camp. 
Again returning home he was married, 
on September 6, 1890, to Miss Rosa 
Naze, of Brussels township, daughter of 
Eugene Naze, who is at present (1894) 
township treasurer of Brussels. After 
Mr. Herrick's marriage he located in 
Rosiere, Brussels township, where he 
went into partnership with his father-in- 
law in the farming, cheese-making and 
mercantile businesses, which under his 
careful management are rapidly increas- 
ing. He has but one child, Louisa, who 
was born August 21, 1893. 

Mr. Herrick holds allegiance to the 
Republican party, and has been sent by 
them as a delegate to the Republican 
county convention from Brussels town- 
ship. He is an unusually bright young 
man, and is most popular with all classes 
of people with whom he comes in con- 
tact in business and social relations. He 
speaks four languages: English, Ger- 
man, Bohemian and Belgian, an accomp- 
lishment which has proved of the utmost 
value in business. He is a member of 
the Roman Catholic Church, and is most 
active in promoting all measures which 
will benefit the communitj'. 



w 



Ignatz 



HECK, an enterprising and 
prosperous young jeweler of Ke- 
waunee, was born in Bohemia, 
February 12, 1863. His father. 
Heck, was a substantial farmer in 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 



749 



the old country, as was his father before 
him. Ignatz married a farmer's daugh- 
ter, who bore him twelve children, of 
whom six still survive. About the year 
1880 this family came to America, set- 
tling on a farm in Pierce township, Ke- 
waunee Co., Wis., where the father still 
lives. 

W. Heck attended school in his na- 
tive land until fourteen years of age, and 
became fairly educated both in Bohemian 
and German. He then began learning 
the jewelry business in the city of Par- 
dubitz, Bohemia, serving three years, 
and then came to America with his par- 
ents, he being then seventeen years old. 
On arriving here he at once located in 
Kewaunee, and for seven years worked 
for others, then establishing a store for 
himself, he met with much success, and 
in 1 89 1 built his present block, one of 
the finest in the city; part of it is occu- 
pied by the postoffice, and the remainder 
by his jewelry store and as his family 
residence. Mr. Heck is also interested 
in the Kewaunee Furniture Factory, of 
which he is treasurer, and likewise in the 
Bohemian Printing Co., which was estab- 
lished in 1890, and is altogether a most 
progressive young business man. 

Mr. Heck was united in marriage in 
Kewaunee, August 18, 1886, with Miss 
Anna Dolensky, a native of Kewaunee 
county and a daughter of Frank Dolen- 
sky, an early settler. This union has 
been blessed with two children — Anna 
and Otto. In politics Mr. Heck is en- 
tirely independent, but has served as 
alderman. He is a member of the Royal 
Arcanum, and of the Bohemian Turners, 
and socially he and his family are highly 
esteemed by the entire community. 



WILLIAM BARTEL is a wide- 
awake and progressive citizen 
and the owner of a tine farm in 
Sevastopol township, Door 
county, which has been placed under its 
present high state of cultivation through 
43 



his own efforts. He was born in Ger- 
many September 4, 1849, and is the 
second son in a family of seven children, 
six sons and one daughter. The father, 
William Bartel, was a farmer in Germany 
who had a comfortable income, and in 
the schools of that country the children 
were educated. 

Our subject remained under the pa- 
rental roof until about twenty-six years of 
age, when his father gave him money 
with which to come to America, and in 
December, 1875, he crossed the Atlantic, 
sailing from Bremen on the steamer 
"America," which after a voyage of six- 
teen days dropped anchor in the harbor 
of New York. Making his way to Mil- 
waukee, Wis. , he there secured work with 
the Chicago & North Western Railway 
Company near Granville, this State. He 
worked hard, saved his money and thus 
got a start in life and on the 29th of June, 
1878, came to Door county, and soon 
after became the owner of eighty acres of 
timber land.. Here in the midst of the 
forest he hewed out a farm, for his prop- 
erty was covered with a heavy growth of 
timber which had to be cleared away ere 
he could plow and plant his land. The 
boundaries of this farm he has extended 
until he now has 184 acres, of which 
eighty acres are under cultivation and yield 
to him a good income. His home is a 
comfortable residence, and the improve- 
ments of a model farm are there found. 

Mr. Bartel was married, February 28, 
1878, in Ozaukee county. Wis., to Miss 
Margaret Herrbold, who was born in that 
county July 12, 1850, and is a daughter 
of Jacob Herrbold, a German farmer, 
who in his younger years emigrated to 
America. Their union has been blessed 
with three children, one son and two 
daughters — George, Susie and Louisa, all 
yet under the parental roof. The parents 
are highly respected people and are con- 
sistent members of the Lutheran Church, 
and in his political views Mr. Bartel has 
always been a Democrat, but he has 
never sought or desired official preferment. 



75° 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He has been the architect of his own for- 
tune, and has built wisely and well. He 
started out in life for himself with very 
limited circumstances, worked as a rail- 
road laborer, chopped wood at fifty cents 
a cord, and scorned no labor which would 
yield him an honest living. Steadily has 
he worked his wa\' upward, overcoming 
the difficulties and obstacles in his path 
by perseverance and diligence, and to-day 
he is numbered among the well-to-do 
farmers of his adopted county. 



HENRY BULTMANN, a well-to-do 
farmer of West Kewaunee town- 
ship, Kewaunee county, was born 
in Munster, Germany, September 
II, 1838, and is a son of Joseph and 
Annie Bultmann. 

Henry was reared to farming, and was 
educated in a Catholic school in the old 
country. He worked for his father on 
the home farm until about twenty-eight 
years old, and on March 7, 1868, emi- 
grated to the United States, locating first 
at Effingham, 111., but shortly afterward 
removing to St. Louis, Mo. In the au- 
tumn of 1 869, however, he came to Wis- 
consin, settling in Kewaunee, where for 
six years he worked in the sawmills. He 
then bought the farm he still owns in 
West Kewaunee township, where he has 
since resided and which he has ever since 
successfully cultivated, adding yearly to 
his store of worldly goods, and now pos- 
sessing as neat a farm as any of its size in 
the township. Mr. Bultmann was united 
in marriage February 14, 1S69, with Miss 
Gertrude Huttar, who was born August 
25, 1843, daughter of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth Huttar. To their union have been 
born four children, as follows: Henry, 
May 28, 1873; Anton, February 26, 1876; 
Bernard, April 17, 187S, and Annie, Sep- 
tember 13, 1884. Mr. Bultmann is a 
Democrat in his political affiliations, and 
in his religious faith is a devout Catholic. 
He has led an industrious and upright 
life, and he and his family are highly es- 



teemed in their community, where Mr. 
Bultmann is looked upon as a valuable 
and useful citizen. 



HERMAN SCHLUESSEL, who is 
one of the well-to-do farmers and 
substantial citizens of Brussels 
township. Door countj', was born 
in Germany August 11, 1853, son of Mar- 
tin Schluessel, a retired farmer of Ahna- 
pee, who was also born in Germany. 

W'hen Herman was thirteen years of 
age the family emigrated toAmerica, sailing 
from Hamburg to New York. They came 
west to Milwaukee, W^is. , where our sub- 
ject remained with his mother while his 
father went on farther to look up a loca- 
tion, and deciding to settle in the town of 
Gibson, Manitowoc county, they lived on 
a farm there for the ne.xt nine years, at 
the end of that time removing to Ahna- 
pee, Kewaunee county. During this 
period Herman also worked for neighbor- 
ing farmers, and the wages thus obtained 
he gave to his parents, with whom he re- 
mained until 1873. About this time he 
concluded to get a home for himself, and 
in Section 24, Brussels township. Door 
county, he purchased 100 acres of land, 
then all wooded, and he himself cut the 
first tree that was felled on the property. 
He erected a small cabin on his clearing, 
and did his own cooking for some time. 
On October 15, 1875, he was married, in 
Cooperstown, Manitowoc count}', to Miss 
Hulda Ueker, a resident of that county, 
and daughter of Frederick Ueker, a re- 
tired farmer. After their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Schluessel immediately com- 
menced housekeeping in the log cabin 
where Mr. Schluessel had been living, but 
in 1893 they built one of the best farm 
residences to be found in Brussels town- 
ship. They have a family of bright chil- 
dren, named as follows: William, Annie, 
Hannah, Henry, Minnie. Gustav, Fred 
and Matilda, all living; John died when 
si.\ months old. 

At the present time Mr. Schluessel has 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



73' 



1 50 acres of land, all but two acres under 
cultivation, and this is the largest cleared 
farm in the township. For two years he 
conducted a general store on his farm, 
and in the spring of 1889 he began the 
manufacture of cheese, in which he has 
continued up to the present time, his 
daughter Annie aiding him materially in 
this enterprise. Mr. Schluessel is a Re- 
publican in politics, and in religion he 
and his entire family are members of the 
Methodist Church of Forestville. In up- 
rightness of character and honesty of pur- 
pose Mr. Schluessel stands prominent 
among his townspeople. 



HERMAN KLEIMANN, a sub- 
stantial farmer of West Kewau- 
nee township, Kewaunee county, 
was born in Germany November 
'5- 1837, son of Casper and Mary Klei- 
mann. 

During his boyhood our subject at- 
tended the Catholic schools of his native 
country, and lived on a farm until 1864, 
when he came to the United States, com- 
ing directly through from the seaboard 
to Illinois, where he worked on a farm 
for about four years. He then came to 
Kewaunee county. Wis., where, a short 
time after his arrival, he purchased his 
present farm, which he has cleared, and 
by carefully attending to his business has 
secured for himself a good home. After 
becoming naturalized he cast his vote 
with the Democrats, but he has never 
sought public office. On April 10, 1866, 
he was united in marriage with Mary Os- 
pring, y^ho was born near Chicago, 111., 
August 28, 1850, daughter of Andrew and 
Eva Ospring. Fifteen children, all still 
living, have been the result of this union, 
and were born in the following order: 
Lizzie, April 15, 1868; Casper, March 
18, 1870; August, April 29, 1872; Will- 
iam, October i, 1874; Mary, February 
24, 1876; Lucy, October 29, 1878; Annie, 
August 7, 1880; Clara, February 7, 1882; 
Trissie, September 19, 1883; Katie, April 



20, 1885; Theodore, January 8, 1887; Gus- 
tie, March 14, 1888; Isabelle, December 
25, 1890; John, April 28, 1892, and Julia, 
November 28, 1893. Mr. Kleimann and 
family are adherents of the Catholic 
Church, and are much respected by their 
neighbors. He is a most industrious man, 
and is one of the best farmers in West 
Kewaunee township. 



THEODORE PETERSON, an in- 
dustrious, rising young farmer, of 
Egg Harbor township. Door coun- 
ty, is a native of Sweden, born 
September 10, 1866, third son of Peter 
Peterson, a farmer. The family consisted 
of eight children — five sons and three 
daughters — of whom Theodore is the fifth 
in the order of birth. 

Our subject was given a good com- 
mon-school education, and until about 
eighteen years old assisted his father on 
the home farm, afterward working for 
others for some two years. In Novem- 
ber, 1886, he sailed from Gottenborg, 
and ten days later landed at New York, 
coming westward immediately to Green 
Bay, Wis., and thence by stage to Stur- 
geon Baj', where he arrived early in De- 
cember. For the remainder of that win- 
ter he was engaged in cutting cordwood, 
in Gibraltar township, Door county, and 
he was employed at various kinds of 
labor until the fall of 1889, when, in 
partnership with his brother, he bought 
the farm of eighty acres, lying in Section 
20, Egg Harbor township, on which he 
now lives. He is a thrifty, industrious 
worker, and under his management the 
farm has undergone many changes and 
improvements, and is yearly becoming 
more valuable. With a reputation for 
thorough honesty in all his dealings, he 
has the good will of all who know him, 
and being yet young has a prosperous 
career before him. 

In May, i 893, Mr. Peterson was mar- 
ried, in Egg Harbor township, to Miss 
Maggie Rossau, who was born in Gibraltar 



752 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 



township, Door county, daughter of John 
Rossau, a native of Holland, and to this 
marriage has come one child, Albert. Mr. 
Peterson is a Republican in politics and 
cast his first Presidential vote for Har- 
rison. In religious faith he and his wife 
are members of the Lutheran Church. 



LUKE KILLOREN is one of Ire- 
land's honest sons now numbered 
among the leading agriculturists of 
Door county. He was born in 
County Sligo in 1834, and is a son of 
John and Mary (Karens) Killoren, the 
father a farmer by occupation. In the 
family were eleven children — Dominick, 
John, Patrick, Thomas, Andrew, Bridget, 
Luke, Mary, and three who died in infancy. 
The career of Luke Killoren is not 
one of brilliant or e.xciting episodes, but 
is that of a man who has lived a quiet 
life, performing faithfullj' the duties which 
have come to him, and living at peace 
with all. He attended school until about 
seventeen years of age, and afterward 
aided in the labors on his father's farm 
until his marriage to Miss Margaret Egan, 
daughter of John Egan, whose family 
consisted of the following named children 
— John, James, Patrick, Allie and Mar- 
garet. In 1850 the young couple bade 
adieu to the old home and sailed for the 
New World, hoping thereby to benefit 
their financial condition. After eight 
weeks and three days spent upon the 
Atlantic they first set foot on American 
soil at Boston, whence they went to 
Salem, Mass., and there for one year Mr. 
Killoren was employed as a common 
laborer. He then removed to Lowell, 
Mass., and during the succeeding si.\ 
years was employed in a cotton factory at 
two dollars per day; but again they 
changed their place of residence and this 
time sought a home in the West, locating 
in Wisconsin. Mr. Killoren purchased 
ten acres of land for seventy-five dollars, 
built a log cabin, 16 x 20 feet, and cleared 
five acres of the land, but during most of 



the time worked for the farmers in the 
neighborhood. After seven years he came 
to Gardner township. Door county, and 
worked in a sawmill for ten years, when, 
in 1879, he purchased the 104 acres of 
land constituting his present farm. It 
was then covered with a heavy growth of 
timber, but he at once began to clear it, 
and with the assistance of his sons has 
placed about fifty acres under cultivation. 
Mr. and Mrs. Killoren have had a 
family of eight children — Anna (deceased), 
Anna, John, Thomas and Maggie (twins), 
Lizzie, James and William. The mem- 
bers of the family all belong to the Cath- 
olic Church, and are well-known and 
highly respected people of the community 
in which they reside. Mr. Killoren votes 
with the Democratic part}', but has never 
been an aspirant for public ofTice, prefer- 
ring to give his time and attention to his 
business interests. Such in brief is the 
record of his life; much might be said of 
the hardships through which he has 
passed and the trials that he has borne, but 
with persistent effort he has worked on 
and gained for himself and family a com- 
fortable home, won the respect of all 
with whom he has been brought in con- 
tact, and gained a place among the 
valued citizens of the community. 



FRANK MILECHAR was born in 
the town of Carlton, Kewaunee 
county, March 18, 1859, and is 
still a resident of his native town- 
ship. His father, Joseph Milechar, was 
born in Bohemia and by vocation was a 
farmer. 

Frank, the youngest in a family of six 
children, was also reared to agriculture, 
and still follows that pursuit. He was 
educated in the public schools of Kewau- 
nee county, which were necessarily re- 
stricted in their means and methods in 
his early day, but he succeeded fairly well 
in acquiring a substantial fund of infor- 
mation. When he had reached the age of 
twenty-four years he was presented by 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOOEAPHICAL RECORD. 



753 



his father with the farm he now owns and 
has ever since cultivated, making many 
necessary as well as desirable improve- 
ments. Mr. Milechar has thriven, and he 
is now considered to be one of Carlton's 
representative men. A Democrat in pol- 
itics, he has served as a member of the 
town board, as town treasurer, as con- 
stable, as a member of the board of edu- 
cation, and has filled other minor offices, 
always serving the people with ability and 
honesty. In religion he is devoutly Cath- 
olic. On January 17, 1882, he married 
Miss Annie Wannek, daughter of George 
and Mary Wannek, natives of Bohemia, 
and this union has been blessed with the 
birth of seven children, viz. : Albina, 
Adolph, Emil, Frank, Anton, Mary, and 
one whose name is not given, all living 
except Frank, who died in 1892. 



JACQUES NEUVILLE is a progress- 
ive and public-spirited citizen, one 
who labors for the best interests of 
the community in which he resides, 
and whose worth is recognized by many 
friends who hold him in high esteem. He 
was born May 13, 1840, in Belgium, and 
is a son of J. Joseph and Mary J. (Del- 
saou) Neuville, the father a farmer by 
occupation. In the family were children 
as follows: Adolph, Nicholas, Catherine, 
Elnore, Henry, Jacques, Julian, Joseph 
and Andrew. 

Mr. Neuville attended school until 
thirteen years of age, when he began 
learning the mason's trade, serving a 
three-years' apprenticeship. On the ex- 
piration of that period the family, except- 
ing Adolph, crossed the briny deep to 
New York, and thence came direct to 
Green Bay, Wis., and on to Gardner 
township, Door county. The father had 
died when Jacques was only five years of 
age. The mother purchased 160 acres of 
land at seventy-five cents per acre, and 
the sons built a log cabin, 22x22 feet, 
carrying all the timber on their shoulders. 
They at once began to clear the land, and 



their first crop consisted of potatoes and 
two bushels of spring wheat, their har- 
vests increasing with the amount of cleared 
land until they were able to reap abund- 
antly. The work was continued as rapidly 
as possible, but the task was an arduous 
one, for they had no team and the farm 
implements of that day were very crude. 
No roads had been made in this locality, 
nothing but Indian trails marked their 
paths; the woods were full of wild game 
of all kinds, and Nicholas Neuville at one 
time had a yoke of cattle killed by the 
wolves which were very numerous in this 
region. Jacques often walked to Green 
Bay, a distance of thirty miles, and like 
his brothers shared in the hard labor of 
the farm, working from early morning un- 
til night. The children remained at home 
until their marriage, and when the last 
one left the parental roof the mother went 
to Bay Settlement, Brown Co., Wis., to 
live with her son Julian. Her death oc- 
curred about 1884. 

On May 3, 1862, Jacques Neuville was 
united in marriage with Theresa Salun, 
and on November 16, 1864, our subject 
left his young wife to aid in the defense 
of the Union, enlisting in Company K, 
Fifth Minnesota V. I., with which he 
served until the close of the war. He 
then returned to his home, and having 
previously purchased forty acres of land 
in Gardner township, began the work of 
developing his farm, the boundaries of 
which he has since extended until it 
now comprises 120 acres, of which 
eighty acres are cleared. Nine chil- 
dren bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
Neuville, namely: Flora, Isadore, Rose, 
Eliza, Mellory, Josephine, Louie, Mary 
and Ananias. The parents and children 
are members of the Catholic Church, and 
in politics Mr. Neuville is a Republican. 
He has served as supervisor for a number 
of years, has been school clerk and school 
director, and is a warm friend of the cause 
of education, which he believes to be one 
of the prime factors in the promotion of 
good government. 



754 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 



CHARLES LUTGEN. a thriving 
young farmer of West Kewau- 
nee township, Kewaunee county, 
was born at Kewaunee Septem- 
ber 13, 1865, and is a son of John Lut- 
gen, who was born in Bremen, Germany, 
August 4, 1S28. 

At the age of thirteen John Lutgen 
came to America, and for a while lived 
in Milwaukee, Wis., thence moving to 
Two Rivers, Wis., where he was em- 
ployed in lumbering about six 3-ears, at 
the end of that time buying a farm at 
Saxonburg, Manitowoc county. He fol- 
lowed agriculture until 1854, when he 
came to Kewaunee, being one of the 
pioneers of the county, and he helped to 
build the first sawmill in Kewaunee, also 
assisting in erecting the first German 
Lutheran church of the same place, of 
which Church he is a faithful adherent. 
He was the first man to enlist from 
Kewaunee county during the Civil war, 
and served until discharged on account of 
disability, his eye-sight having failed; in- 
deed, a short time after his discharge he 
became totally blind, and so remained 
for three years, when his sight was re 



stored. 



Engajrme: 



in lumberinsr until 



1880, he then located on a farm now 
owned by his son Charles, and here fol- 
lowed the vocation of farming about 
eight years, when he retired. He is a 
member in good standing of the G. A. 
R. post at Kewaunee, and has been for 
many years. John Lutgen was married, 
in 1849, to Margaret Rife, who was born 
February 15, 1831, daughter of John and 
Elizabeth Rife, and died March 11, 1892, 
the mother of ten children, viz. : John 
(deceased), Henry (deceased), Johnnie, 
Minnie, Mary (deceased), Martha (de- 
ceased), Charles, Hattie, Edward, and 
one that died in infancy unnamed. 

Charles Lutgen, the seventh in 
order of birth of the above-named chil- 
dren, was educated in the public schools 
of Kewaunee county, and worked on the 
home farm until twenty-two years old. 
In 1889 he engaged in farming on his 



own account, and has been very success- 
ful. On September 15, 1888, he was 
united in marriage with Emma Bielke, 
who was born March 31, 1867, and she 
has borne him two children— Henry, 
born September 29, 1889, and Maggie, 
born June 22, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. 
Lutgen are in the full enjoyment of the 
esteem of all who know them. 



M 



ICHEL BOTTKOLwas born in 
October, 1831, in the Rhine 
Province of Germany, which 
was also the birthplace of his 
parents, Michel and Mary (Bartholmas) 
Bottkol. In the family were six chil- 
dren, of whom three sons and one daughter 
are j'et living. 

In 1856 the father emigrated to the 
United States, leaving Germany in April 
and reaching New York on the 7th of 
June. From there he proceeded to Mil- 
waukee, Wis., whence, after a short 
time, he came to Kewaunee county, 
where he purchased 200 acres of land in 
Lincoln township, which he at once began 
to clear and improve, there carrying on 
agricultural pursuits with good success for 
a number of years. Removing to Ahna- 
pee, he there died in 1888, having sur- 
vived his wife two years. They were 
members of the Catholic Church, were 
highly respected people, and in politics 
the father was a Democrat. 

Our subject, who is the eldest son in 
the family, was educated in the public 
schools of his native land, after which he 
came with his parents to the United 
States, locating in I\ewaunee county in 
1866. He is numbered among the early 
settlers, and became familiar with the 
hardships and trials of frontier life. About 
six years after his arrival here, in con- 
nection with his brothers, he assumed 
the management of the old home farm 
and continued its cultivation until 1887, 
when he embarked in general merchan- 



disinc 



the saloon business and in 



the manufacture of cheese, carrying on 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



755 



operations along these lines in connection 
with his brothers, George and Mathias. In 
1 866 he was united in wedlock with Mary 
Gakinet, who was born in Belgium in 1843, 
and of their children are named the follow- 
ing: Mary, who died in early life; Katherina, 
now the wife of Emil Rasor, of Marinette, 
Mich. ; Michael, living in Menomonie, 
Wis. ; Annie, who is the wife of Joseph 
Holzbach, of Manitowoc, Wis., and Clara. 
In 1 87 1 the Bottkol brothers built a 
saw and grist mill which they operated 
until July, 1894, when it was destroyed 
by fire, causing quite a loss, for there was 
little insurance upon it. The family has 
been very successful — one of the most 
prosperous in the township — and its mem- 
bers have a reputation for honesty and 
uprightness that have been earned by 
fair dealing, and of which they may be 
justly proud. Our subject is a Demo- 
crat in politics, a Catholic in religious 
belief, and is a public-spirited and pro- 
gressive citizen, whom Kewaunee county 
could ill afford to lose. 



JOHN MADDEN is one of the enter- 
prising and successful farmers of 
Door county, one who may truly be 
called a self-made man, for his 
prosperity in life is not the result of fort- 
unate circumstances or an inheritance 
from wealthy ancestors, but has been 
achieved through persistent effort, dili- 
gence and good business management. 

Mr. Madden was born March 18, 1826, 
in County Cork, Ireland, and is a son of 
Jeremiah and Mary (Mahony) Madden, 
the former a successful farmer. Their 
children, nine in number, were Margaret 
(deceased), Mary, Ellen, James, Mar- 
garet, John, Jeremiah. Johanna and 
Honora. The educational privileges 
which our subject enjoyed were very 
limited, for his father died when he was 
only ten years of age, leaving the mother 
with eight children to support. Her 
father, John Mahony, also lived with 
them for about five years, or until his 



death, which occurred at the advanced 
age of ninety-nine. When John was a 
lad of fourteen the mother with four of 
her children crossed the broad ocean, and 
after a voyage of seven weeks and three 
days landed at Quebec, Canada, where 
they remained for about three months. 
They then removed to Kingston, Ontario, 
and during the succeeding ten years John 
was employed as a farm hand, after 
which the family moved west to Strat- 
ford, Ontario, where he worked at day 
labor. Seven years later the Maddens 
sought a home in Wisconsin, locating in 
Claybanks township. Door county. 

On September 22, 1848, Mr. Madden 
was united in marriage with Louise Vlier, 
daughter of John and Mary (Meshien) 
Vlier, a lady of French descent, who is 
one of eleven children, namely: Joseph, 
Edward, Omer, Matilda, Harriet, Charles, 
Oliver, Louise, Angeline, Mary and Dan- 
iel. Mr. and Mrs. Madden came to Clay- 
banks township and purchased 120 acres 
of land in its primitive condition, covered 
with a heavy growth of timber, which was 
still the haunt of bears, wolves, deer and 
Indians, while Indian trails were the only 
paths in the neighborhood. In the entire 
township there were only one horse and 
one yoke of oxen, and three years had 
passed before Mr. Madden could afford to 
purchase a team. He lived on the 
"beach" in ahouse 14X I4feet, in which 
there was not a single window and only 
one door, but in this home he commenced 
his successful life work. Those early «lays 
formed a period of labor and hardship 
unknown to the younger generation, but 
as time passed the earnest efforts of our 
subject were crowned with prosperity, and 
to-day he is the owner of 200 acres of 
valuable land, constituting one of the fine 
farms of the neighborhood. 

In Mr. Madden's family are eight chil- 
dren — Ellen, James, Mary, Jerry, John, 
Nora, Louise and Eugene, the last named 
now attending college at Marquette, Wis. 
John, who was graduated from the State 
Normal School of Oshkosh, Wis., after- 



756 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHJCAL RECORD. 



ward went to the medical college in Ann 
Arbor, Mich., and during the year 1893 
studied in Germany; he is now located in 
Milwaukee, Wis., a talented and able 
young physician, successfully engaged in 
practice. The family are members of the 
Roman Catholic Church. In politics, Mr. 
Madden is a Democrat, and for four years 
has served as supervisor; he is also a 
member of the school board, and the cause 
of education finds in him a warm friend, 
while to every enterprise calculated to 
prove of public benefit he gives his 
hearty support and co-operation. 



CHRISTOPHER LEONHARDT, 
for the past thirty years or more 
a popular and well-known resi- 
dent of Sturgeon Bay, Door 
county, is a native of Germany, born 
September 16, 1837, his father's birth- 
day, in Selzen, Grosse-Darmstadt, where 
his father and grandfather were also born, 
the latter of whom, by name Jacob Leon- 
hardt, owned a si.\ty-acre farm in that lo- 
cality, and there passed his entire life. 

Jacob Leonhardt, father of our sub- 
ject, who was the eldest but one in the 
family of eight children — three sons and 
five daughters — of Jacob Leonhardt, was 
born September 16, iSoi, and was reared 
to agricultural pursuits on his father's 
farm in Germany. In 1S27 he was mar- 
ried in the Fatherland to Miss Anna M. 
Berwing, also a native of Selzen, and 
nine children blessed their union, all 
save the youngest, Elizabeth, born in 
Germany, to wit: Henry, John, Jacob, 
Christine, Maggie, Christopher, Mary, 
Peter and Elizabeth. Of these, four are 
yet living, a brief record of whom is as 
follows: Henry is living on the old 
homestead in Germantown township, 
"Washington Co., Wis. ; Jacob is a farmer 
of Menomonee Falls, Waukesha Co., 
Wis. ; Christine is the wife of Andrew 
Zimmerman, also a farmer in Waukesha 
county. Wis. ; Christopher is the subject 
proper of this sketch. In 1843 the fam- 



ily came to the then Territory of Wis- 
consin, where, in Germantown township, 
Washington county, the father purchased 
a partly improved farm of eighty acres, 
their settlement being among the early 
ones, the first in that locality having been 
made in 1840. This farm they cleared 
and improved till it came to be looked 
upon as second to none in the township, 
and here the father died April 18, 1857, 
the mother in May, 1870. 

Christopher Leonhardt was, as will be 
seen, six years old when the family immi- 
grated to Wisconsin, and at the common 
schools of Germantown township, Wash- 
ington county, he received a fair educa- 
tion. On the home farm he remained 
until he was twenty-seven years old, 
when he came to Sturgeon Bay, arriving 
on the loth day of June, 1864, and im- 
mediately erected the dwelling on the 
northeast corner of Pine and Cedar streets, 
where he and his family now reside. For 
seven years he kept the hotel which he 
had opened shortly after coming here, and 
in 1872 he put up a frame building on the 
northwest corner of Pine and Cedar 
streets, at that time the largest in the 
city, on the site where he is now in busi- 
ness; but in 1884 this was burned, and he 
at once erected his fine brick building. 
Mr. Leonhardt has dealt largely in real 
estate — both city and farm property — and 
at the present time owns the two valuable 
corner lots in Sturgeon Bay already re- 
ferred to, besides several other lots and 
farm property. 

On August 12, i860, our subject was 
married to Miss Catherine Lorch, born in 
Selzen, Germany, who, in 1856, came 
with her widowed mother, one sister, 
Christine, and one brother, Peter, to 
Wisconsin and to Door county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lorch had four children, as follows: 
Casper, the eldest son, came to America 
in 1 8 52, and was burned to death in the 
great forest fires which swept over Door 
county in October. 1871; Peter died in 
Door county in 1880; Catherine is the 
wife of Mr. Leonhardt; Christine is the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 



757 



wife of Joseph Zettel, a farmer of Sevas- 
topol township, Door county, where he 
raises a vast amount of fruit, being the 
owner of the largest orchard in Wiscon- 
sin. Of this family, Mrs. Catherine 
Leonhardt and Mrs. Christine Zettel are 
the only survivors. The father, Christo- 
pher Lorch, died in Germany in 1849, 
the mother in Door county in 1877. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Leonhardt were born ten 
children, seven of whom are living: Cath- 
erine, Henry, Minnie, Julia, Peter, Louisa 
and Lottie; Lizzie, Adolph and Mary 
died when young. In politics our sub- 
ject is a stanch Republican, and he has 
held various offices of honor and trust, 
to wit: treasurer (to which he was elected 
in 1874, and which he held three terms), 
member of the town board nine years, 
trustee of the village, and also president 
one term; assessor and treasurer for the 
city; alderman one term; member of the 
county board, four years; school treas- 
urer, one year; and in 1883 he was a 
member of the State Assembly. Since 
its organization in 1868 he has been pres- 
ident of the Cemetery Association, and he 
has ever taken an active interest in all 
matters pertaining to the general welfare 
of his adopted city and county. Socially 
he is a member of the F. & A. M., and 
Sons of Hermann, in which latter organ- 
ization he belongs to the National Lodge 
and the local Grand Lodge, and was 
twice a delegate to the National Lodge, 
and seventeen years to the Grand Lodge. 



FERDINAND JONES, more pop- 
ularly known as " Harry " Jones, 
captain of the schooner "Eliza- 
beth," is one of the best-known 
citizens of Egg Harbor township. Door 
county. He is a native of the Father- 
land, born September 13, 1842, in Ham- 
burg, son of August Jones, ship carpenter. 
During his boyhood our subject at- 
tended the common schools of his native 
country. From his childhood he was 
fond of sailing, and when thirteen years 



old he commenced to work about vessels, 
afterward sailing on the ocean for over 
thirteen years, during which time he 
visited many Mediterranean ports, the 
East Indies, West Indies, Rio Janiero, 
China, California, and other places. In 
1857 he shipped at Hamburg on the 
"Sunshine," bound for Boston and New 
York, and leaving the vessel at the latter 
city he made his home there for some 
time. Later he went westward to Chi- 
cago, and commenced sailing the Great 
Lakes, but shortly afterward coming to 
Door county, W'is., he bought a forty- 
acre tract of totally wild land in Bailey 
Harbor township, on which he erected 
the first house, and began to clear the 
land for cultivation. After following farm- 
ing there for a few years, however, he 
sold the place and removed to Chicago, 
where he found employment for about a 
year around docks and vessels, and then 
returning to Door county purchased land 
in Section 31, Egg Harbor township, 
where he has ever since had his home. 
This farm contains 160 acres, eighty of 
which have been placed under cultivation 
by Mr. Jones, who has made all the nu- 
merous improvements which beautify the 
place and add to its value as a farm and a 
home. In 1890 Mr. Jones bought the 
schooner "Elizabeth," which plies be- 
tween Egg Harbor, Green Bay, Menomo- 
nee, and other bay ports, trading, and of 
which he himself is captain, sailing dur- 
ing the season, and remaining on his farm 
in winter. Mr. Jones has been blessed 
with robust health, having never had need 
of a doctor's services, and he has used 
his strength to advantage, working hard 
all his life, and by persevering industry 
has established himself in the comforta- 
ble home he now enjoys. He is well- 
known in this section of Door county, 
and has the respect of all who have come 
in contact with him in any way. 

Mr. Jones was married, in Baileys 
Harbor, to Dora Dow, a native of Meck- 
lenburg, Germany, and they are the par- 
ents of the following children: Louis (of 



rss 



COMilEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 



Baileys Harbor), Adolph, Caroline, 
Emma, August, Martha, Alvina, Eddie, 
Herman and Fritz, living, and two — one 
son and a daughter — deceased. In re- 
ligious connection Mr. Jones is a Lu- 
theran. Politically he is a stanch member 
of the Republican party, but devotes 
little time to politics, though he has 
served as a member of the township 
board. 



M 



ARION FREN'CH, the popular 
and genial host of the "Wis- 
consin House," of Ahnapee, 
was born in Terre Haute, Ind., 
February 9, 1S46, and comes of a family 
of German origin, which was founded in 
America by his grandfather, Peter French, 
a native of Germany, who when a young 
man became a resident of Knoxville, 
Tenn. In that locality he owned four 
large plantations, kept many slaves and 
conducted a large and lucrative business. 
He died in Kno.wille before the Civil 
war, and willed all his property to seven 
of his children, disinheriting his eighth 
child, Frederick, who had followed the 
dictates of his heart and married the 
daughter of a poor widow. The grand- 
father was an aristocrat of the old Euro- 
pean school, very proud of his family. 

Frederick French, who was born in 
Kno.wille, turned his attention to farm- 
ing in order to support his family, and 
afterward removed to Terre Haute, Ind., 
where he became the owner of two large 
farms on the west branch of the Wabash 
river. In spite of the aid refused him by 
his father he became a prosperous man, 
was a leader in the community, and had 
considerable influence among his neigh- 
bors. His last days were spent with his 
second daughter in Shelby county. 111., 
where he died at the age of seventy-eight. 
His faithful wife, who bore the maiden 
name of Polly Hensle}', died two years 
previous, when seventy-four 3-ears of age. 
Marion French was the seventh in 
order of birth in their family of eight 



children, and was reared on the home 
farm, where his physical training devel- 
oped a strong constitution. His literary- 
education was acquired in a Methodist 
Episcopal seminary in Paris, 111., and at 
the age of eighteen, accompanied by his 
brother Jordan, he started on a long trip 
through the ^^'estern States, traveling for 
two years, dealing in stock, which he 
would ship to Chicago. At length the 
brothers returned to Shelbyville. 111., 
where Jordan located. Marion had 
studied mineralogy and geology in Paris, 
111., and now started on a prospecting 
tour through the northern part of Canada 
and British Columbia, having most of the 
time no companion. At length, near 
Port Arthur, in the Thunder Bay district 
on the northern shore of Lake Superior, 
he located almost 12,000 acres of mining 
land, on which was located gold, silver 
and iron ore, purchasing the same from 
the Canadian Government. He then or- 
ganized a stock company in Chicago with 
a capital of $1,000,000, and among the 
stockholders were noted bankers and real- 
estate men of that city. Mr. French 
owns one-fourth of the stock, became 
superintendent and general manager of 
the company, and showed much ability 
in opening up the mines, surveying and 
prospecting 5,000 acres of land and lo- 
cating ten silver mines and one iron ore 
mine. Two of the silver mines were 
found to contain e.xcellent ore, but the 
distance from market and transportation 
was so great as to render the operation 
of the mines unprofitable, and the work 
has been temporarily abandoned until 
such time as railroads shall be built 
through that country, when the stock- 
holders in the company will undoubtedly 
reap a rich return from their investment. 
Our subject spent about ten years alto- 
gether in the mining district. 

On October 22, 1874, Mr. French 
was married in \'igo count}', Ind., to 
Miss Margaret Ella — a lady of Scotch de- 
scent, and they have one son. Earl 
Marion, who was born in Antwerp, Ohio. 



COMMEMOIiATIVE BWGRAPUICAL RECORD. 



759 



In 1890 Mr. French formed a partner- 
ship with George Smith, son of ex-Gov- 
ernor Smith, of \'ermont, the old war 
Governor, and owner of the Vermont 
Central railroad. Their office was lo- 
cated in the Guarantee Loan Buildinf(, in 
Minneapolis, Minn., and the partnership 
was continued until the death of Gov. 
Smith, when Mr. French removed to 
Milwaukee, Wis., where he soon became 
known as a mining expert, and did con- 
siderable work for mining companies of 
that cit)'. On May 12, 1893, he came 
to Ahnapee, leased the "Wisconsin 
House " for five years, and is now suc- 
cessfulh' conducting the same, managing 
it so ably that it has found great favor 
with the traveling public, while he is 
recognized as one of the most popular 
landlords in northeastern Wisconsin. 



JOSEPH PAULU, a pioneer farmer 
of ^^'est Kewaunee township, Kewau- 
nee county, was born in Bohemia 
May I, 1834, son of Joseph and 
Frances Paulu, the former of whom was 
born in Bohemia in 1809, and the latter 
in 1S12. 

Joseph Paulu, Sr. , arrived in the 
United States in 1857, coming direct to 
Kewaunee count}', ^^'is., and locating on 
a farm in West Kewaunee township, fol- 
lowed farming there until his death, in 
1867. Joseph Paulu, the subject of this 
sketch, attended school in his native land 
until sixteen years of age, and then learned 
the trade of mason, following it until 1854, 
when he entered the army and served ten 
years, six months and thirteen days. On 
his final discharge he came directly, in 
1865, to I-iewaunee, Wis., and immediate- 
ly settled on the farm he at present owns 
and occupies in West Kewaunee township. 
This farm he soon cleared of timber, and 
has so cultivated and improved it that he 
is regarded as one of the representative 
farmers of the county. 

Mr. Paulu was united in marriage, in 
1864, with Miss Mary Eucharda, who was 



born in Bohemia in 1841, and to this 
union have been born seven children, viz. : 
John, Frederick, Joseph, Frank, Anton, 
Ferdinand and Mary, of whom Anton, 
born September 28, 1874, died May 24, 
1889, and Ferdinand died in infanc}' in 
1876. In politics Mr. Paulu is a Demo- 
crat, and in 1S80 was elected treasurer of 
West Kewaunee township, serving two 
years; he has been agent for the German 
Insurance Company of Kewaunee about 
fifteen years, and is now agent for the 
Bohemian Farmers' Insurance Company 
of Casco, I\ewaunee count}-. He is a 
member of the C. S. P. S., a Bohemian 
benevolent society, and is also a member 
of S. C. F., a Bohemian Society of Ke- 
waunee and Manitowoc counties, of which 
society he has been president for 
ten years. Mr. Paulu has not only been 
successful as a farmer, but his integrity 
and upright walk through life have won 
for him the respect of all who know him. 



JAMES RIDINGS is a native of Eng- 
land, born June 3, 1837, and comes 
of an old English family. His 
grandparents were John and Martha 
Ridings, the former a weaver, who oper- 
ated a hand loom. He was quite radical, 
very pronounced in his views, and was 
twice imprisoned for his speeches against 
the government. In his family were 
five children — John, Joseph, Dan, Ann 
and Nancy. The first named, the father 
of our subject, was also a hand-loom 
weaver, having learned the trade of his 
father. When he reached manhood he 
married Grace Barrett, and by their union 
were born two sons — Robert, in 1834, 
and James, in 1837. The mother died 
when our subject was only five years of 
age, and thus deprived of her tender care 
his early childhood was not one of entire 
ease. 

When quite young Mr. Ridings began 
to earn his own living, and in consequence 
could not attend school, save on Sundays, 
at which time he acquired a knowledge of 



760 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 



the common English branches. On June 
30, 1866, was celebrated his marriage 
with Miss Matilda Chater, daughter of 
John and Julia Chater, and the same 
year he sailed with his bride from Liver- 
pool, England, landing in N^wYork City 
after a voyage of ten days. His father, 
however, always remained in his native 
land, dying there in 1S68. Five children 
grace the union of Mr. and Mrs. Ridings — 
Ida (now the wife of William Bradley, of 
Baileys Harbor), Fred, Hannah, Clara 
and Matilda. Upon his arrival in this 
country Mr. Ridings came direct to 
Baileys Harbor, where his wife's parents 
were living, and worked on his father-in- 
law's farm for two years, after which he 
purchased forty acres of land in Section 
30, Bailey Harbor township, at ten dol- 
lars per acre, and after erecting a log 
house began clearing the farm, which was 
covered with a heavy growth of timber, 
through which yet roamed wolves and 
other wild animals. His farm implements 
were crude, but he worked hard, in course 
of time placing much of his land under 
cultivation, and the once barren tract was 
made to yield to him a golden tribute in 
return for the care he bestowed upon it. 
There he lived until 1883, when Mr. 
Chater, being unable longer to work, 
traded farms with our subject. His life 
has been a busy and useful one, and 
having made the most of his opportunities 
and privileges he has steadily worked his 
way upward. For three years he has 
served as assessor of his township, dis- 
charging his duties with promptness and 
fidelity; in his political views he is a stal- 
wart Democrat, while in religious belief 
both he and his wife are Methodists. 



VALENTINE HOFFMANN is one 
of the oldest residents, in point of 
occupation, of Kewaunee county, 
having settled here in 1855. before 
the county was organized. 

He was born in Saxony, Germany, 
January 20, 1832, the only son in a family 



of five children. At the age of six years 
he lost his father, and his mother died in 
German}' in 1852; the father was a 
veterinary surgeon. The eldest sister of 
Valentine left her native land in 1846, 
and, coming to America, located at Balti- 
more, Md., to which city our subject 
followed in 1849. He attended school 
in Germany from the age of six to four- 
teen years, according to law, and after- 
ward learned the weaver's trade. Resid- 
ing six years in Baltimore, he came to 
Wisconsin, and after passing six months 
in Racine, came to Kewaunee, where for 
four years he worked in sawmills in sum- 
mer and in the woods in winter. He 
next clerked in Hitchcock's general store 
two years, or until 1862, when he enlisted 
in Company A, in a regiment of Wis- 
consin Volunteer Infantry, and after a 
service of three years, one month and 
twentj'-nine days, was honorably dis- 
charged in September, 1865, with the 
rank of corporal. He took an active and 
gallant part at the fall of Vicksburg; was 
at Spanish Fort and Mobile, Ala., and at 
Little Rock, Ark., and in numerous 
skirmishes and minor battles, in one of 
which, Salem Bottom, where the fight 
lasted from 7 a. m. until 4 p. M., he 
received a slight gunshot wound, but did 
not leave the field. This was his only 
casualty, but after his return to Kewaunee 
he was ill a long time. After his recovery 
he again clerked for Mr. Hitchcock two 
years, and then for eight months for 
Duvall & Co. He then engaged in farm- 
ing for eighteen months in West Kewau- 
nee in partnership with his wife's brother, 
then sold his interest and returned tO' 
Kewaunee, where for the past twenty- 
one years he has carried on a first-class 
saloon. 

Mr. Hoffmann was married in April, 
1862, to Miss Lovisia Helwich, a native 
of Prussia, who came with her parents to 
Kewaunee in 1855. To this marriage 
have been born eight children, of whom 
seven are still living, one having died in 
1884. All the survivors live under the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 



761 



parental roof with the exception of \Jizz\e 
(who was married to Charles Deda, who 
died in 1891) and Ezra (who is married, 
and is at the head of his own household). 
Charles Hoffmann, the third child in 
the above family, was born in Kewaunee 
November 13, 1868, and is now an active 
member of the younger Democratic ele- 
ment. He has been supervisor of his 
ward four terms, city clerk two years, 
justice of the peace, and at present is 
deputy postmaster. He is also captain of 
the Sons of Veterans, and is recognized as 
one of the leiding young men of Kewaunee. 



CHRISTIAN JACOBSON. The 
population of this country is large- 
ly formed of the sons of other 
lands; but no country has furnish- 
ed more valuable citizens to the United 
States than has Norway, within the bor- 
ders of which occurred the birth of our 
subject, on November 1 1, 1843. His pa- 
rents were Jacob and Dora Woolson, the 
latter of whom died when her son Chris- 
tian was two and a half years old, leaving 
the following children — Eric, Dora, Peter, 
Toriston, Dannine, Jacob and Christian. 
Mr. Jacobson was in his early life a 
sailor, and spent a number of years on 
the high seas. In 1870 he crossed the 
Atlantic to America, and made his way 
to Sioux City, Iowa, where for one year 
he resided. During the succeeding four 
years he traveled all over the United 
States, working during this time at day 
labor, and in 1875 he went to Michigan, 
spending the succeeding seven years in 
the city of Menominee, where he was em- 
ployed in a sawmill. In 1882 he arrived 
in Claybanks township, Door Co., Wis., 
and he purchased forty acres of land on 
Section 8, which he at once began to 
clear and place under cultivation. His 
agricultural labors at that place continued 
for two years, when he went to Manito- 
woc, Wis., and worked in a shipyard, but 
after a time he returned to his farm. His 
second period of residence thereon was of 



three years' duration, and in 1890 he 
bought forty acres of land where he now 
lives. 

In 1879 Mr. lacobson was united in 
marriage with Miss Carrie Marren, who 
died in 1883, and, after living single for 
two years, he married Carrie Modson. 
His three children are Dora, Gunda and 
William. The family is connected with 
the Lutheran Church, and in his political 
views Mr. Jacobson is a Republican, 
warmly advocating the principles of that 
party; but political preferment has had 
no attraction for him, and he has never 
sought the support of his fellow townsmen 
for public office. He desires rather to 
give his entire time and attention to his 
farming interests, and along this line is 
meeting with a fair degree of success, 
which is certainly well-merited, and which 
proves the wisdom of the determination 
which he formed in 1870, to seek a home 
in the land of the free. 



preparatory 

of nineteen 

School at 



PROF. M. McMAHON. the accom- 
plished superintendent of the city 
schools of Kewaunee, is a native 
of Chicago, 111., although his early 
life was passed on a farm in Manitowoc 
county, Wisconsin. 

He there received his 
education, and at the age 
entered the State Normal 
Oshkosh, which he attended two years. 
After an examination by the State Board 
of Examiners he was granted a life cer- 
tificate to teach in any school in the State 
of Wisconsin, and in 1874 took charge of 
the Kewaunee city schools, in which he 
has since continuously taught until the 
present time, with the exception of four 
years, from 1881 to 1885, when he had 
charge of the schools at Durand, Wis. 
In the last named year he resumed charge 
of the Kewaunee schools. He has always 
taken a great interest in school work, 
independently of his immediate position, 
in which he has labored so long and so 
persistently. That his abilities as an in- 



762 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



structor have been fully recognized by the 
citizens of Kewaunee is evident from the 
pertinacity with which they cling to him, 
and many are the young men and young 
women of the citj', now grown to mar- 
riageable age, who look back to the days 
of their childhood and adolescence and 
bless the kind and patient teacher who 
moldcil their growing intellects to forms 
of usefulness as well as ornamentation to 
society and happiness to themselves. 

Mr. McMahonwas married in Decem- 
ber, 1875, to Miss Bertha Brandes, daugh- 
ter of Charles Brandes, Sr. , mention of 
whom is made on another page of this 
volume, and this union has been blessed 
by the birth of two children — Edna and 
Mattie. The family mingle with the 
most refined residents of Kewaunee, and 
in this circle are accorded the highest 
position attainable. 



FREDERICK DAMMAN was born 
in Mecklenburg, Germany, Octo- 
ber 24, 1S36, son of Charles and 
Mary Damman, who were also 
natives of the same countr\', the father be- 
ing a farmer. In 1862 the latter sailed 
for the New World, and took up his resi- 
dence in Milwaukee, Wis. , where he lived 
until called to the home beyond, in 1890. 
His wife died in Milwaukee in 1886. 
They reared a family of four children: 
Mary, now the wife of Lewis Casborn, of 
Ahnapee township, Kewaunee Co., Wis.; 
Fredericka, wife of John Buchholz, of 
Forestville township; Sophia, wife of 
Frederick Hals, of Milwaukee, Wis. ; and 
Frederick. 

Our subject is a well-known farmer of 
Door county. In his youth he became 
familiar with all the duties of farm life, 
aiding his father in the cultivation of the 
home farm, and he was educated in the 
common schools, having by reading and 
observation in his later years become a 
well-informed man. When seventeen 
years of age he crossed the broad Atlantic 
to America, making the voyage in the 



sailing vessel "Gladwin," which reached 
New York after a six-weeks' voyage. For 
one year he worked as a farm hand near 
Albany, N. Y. , and then came to Wiscon- 
sin, settling in Milwaukee, where he fol- 
lowed any honest emplojment he could 
find. In 1 86 1 he removed to Kewaunee 
county. Wis., locating in Ahnapee town- 
ship, where he developed a farm of si.xty 
acres. In 1878 he removed to his pres- 
ent farm of sixty acres, forty acres of 
which are in Forestville township. Door 
county. This place he cleared of the 
timber with which it was covered, then 
plowed and planted the land, and in 
course of time gathered abundant harvests 
which rewarded the care and labor that 
he had bestowed upon them. His is now 
one of the desirable farms of the neigh- 
borhood, and the improvements seen 
thereon are a monument to the thrift and 
enterprise of the owner. 

Mr. Damman takes a deep interest in 
political affairs, keeps well informed on 
the issues of the day and by his ballot 
supports the men and measures of the 
Republican party. Socially, he is con- 
nected with William A. Nelson Post No. 
227, G. A. R. , for during the war of the 
Rebellion he went to the defense of the 
Union, enlisting in 1864 as a member of 
Company E, Seventeenth Wis. V. I., 
and was with the army of the West; he 
marched from Chattanooga to Atlanta, 
then was in the entire Atlanta and Caro- 
lina campaigns, and took part in the Grand 
Review in Washington, where, "wave 
after wave of bayonet-crested blue," the 
victorious armies of the North marched 
in triumph before the nation's Chief E.x- 
ccutive. The war having closed and his 
services being no longer needed, Mr. 
Damman was honorably discharged in 
Madison, W^is. , in June, 1865. 

In Milwaukee, Wis., in 1856, our 
subject was united in marriage with Miss 
Sophia Bedke, who was born in Germany, 
daughter of Joachim Bedke, one of the 
pioneer settlers of Milwaukee, who died 
in that city in 1876. In 1868 Mr. Dam- 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



763 



man was called upon to mourn the death 
of his wife, who passed away in Kewau- 
nee count}', Wis., leaving two children — 
Josephine, now the wife of Matt Schaus, 
by whom she has five children; and Fred, 
who resides in Milwaukee. Mr. Danmian 
was again married in Kewaunee county, 
in 1869, this time to Anna Jorkey, who 
was also a native of the Fatherland. By 
the second union have been born nine 
children, namely; Mary (wife of Frank 
Clear, of Milwaukee, Wis.), Lena (wife of 
Ed Dengle, of that city), George (who is 
married and lives in Milwaukee), Emma, 
Henry. John, Louisa, Hermann and 
Anna. The family is one of prominence 
in the community, and its members have 
many warm friends. 



IVI 



ATHL\S MEYER, agent at 
Ahnapee of the Van Dycke 
Brewing Company of Green 
Bay, Wis., is a native of the 
"Badger State, " born August 14, 1868, 
in Port Washington, son of Leo Meyer. 
Leo Meyer was born in Baden, Ger- 
many, where in the common schools he 
obtained a good education, and when 
a young man was apprenticed to the 
weaver's trade, which he followed until 
he came to the United States, in 1862. 
The Civil war being then in progress, he 
soon enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Wis. 
V. I , and going to the front served until 
the close of the conflict, when he received 
an honorable discharge. He was wounded 
in a skirmish at Big Shanty, Ga., while 
with Sherman's army on its march to the 
sea, and was sent to the hospital at Madi- 
son, Wis, after his recovery returning to 
his command, where he was promoted to 
the ranks of corporal and sergeant. He 
was permanently disabled, having received 
a wound in the left arm which deprived 
him of the use of that member, and he now 
draws a pension. He is a member of the 
G. A. R. After his return from the army 
Mr. Meyer began working at the tinsmith 
trade in Port Washington, remaining 



thereuntil 1871, when he came to Ahna- 
pee, Kewaunee county, and here at once 
established the tinshop and hardware 
business in which he still continues. He 
was married, at Port Washington, to 
Elizabeth Furst, a native of that place, 
who is of German extraction, and their 
marriage was blessed with thirteen chil- 
dren, viz.: Mathias; Susan, Mrs. Frank 
Kohlbeck, of Ahnapee; John, an engineer 
on a boat for the Manistee Lumber Co. ; 
Emil, a tinner by trade, who lives at 
Ahnapee; Annie; Julius, a tinner, of Ahna- 
pee; Leo; Carl; Amelia; Lucy; Leonia; 
Julia, and Adeline. Politically Mr. Meyer 
is a Democrat. In religious faith he is a 
Catholic, and socially he is a member of 
the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin and 
the German Central Beneficial Society. 

Mathias Meyer was educated in the 
public schools, receiving instruction in 
both the German and English languages. 
When a young man he learned the tin- 
ner's trade, an occupation he followed 
nearly twelve years, since when he has 
been agent for the Van Dycke Brewing 
Company, of Green Bay, having charge 
of the branch at Ahnapee, where the com- 
pany is doing an extensive and ever-in- 
creasing business. Mr. Meyer's energy 
and capability are recognized by all who 
have dealings with him, and are fully ap- 
preciated by his employers. The com- 
pany is known throughout this section of 
Wisconsin as manufacturers of first-class 
Wiener and lager beer, and a very fine 
grade of bottled goods; and by putting 
their business in the hands of so competent 
a man as Mr. Meyer they have established 
a most profitable trade in Ahnapee and 
the surrounding country. 

On June 17, 1890, Mr. Meyer was 
united in marriage, in Ahnapee, to The- 
resa Grassel, daughter of Ignatz and Bar- 
bara Grassel, natives of Austria, in which 
country Mrs. Meyer was also born. One 
child, Julia, born June 18, 1891, has 
come to this union. Politically Mr. 
Meyer is a Democrat, and in religious faith 
he is a member of the Catholic Church. 



764 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Socially he is connected with the Catholic 
Knights of Wisconsin, the Catholic Order 
of Foresters, and the Sons of Veterans. 



M 



ARTIN N. KNUDSEN, keeper 
of the Porte Des Morts Light- 
house, was born June 27, 1854, 
in Denmark. His father, Peter 
Knudsen, received a good education in 
the public schools of Denmark, and 
served an apprenticeship to the weaver's 
trade, following this business in Denmark 
until his emigration, in 1857, to the 
United States. He first located in Ra- 
cine, Wis., where he followed various 
pursuits until his enlistment in the 
Twenty-second W^is. X. I., but he was 
shortly afterward taken sick and sent 
home. After his recovery he re-enlisted 
in the Sixteenth Wis. V. I., and now 
draws a pension of eight dollars per month 
from the government. 

At the close of the war Mr. Knudsen 
returned to Racine, and worked there at 
coopering until 1866, when he removed 
to Washington Island, Door Co., Wis., 
and continued at his trade. There he 
remained for ten years, after which he 
went to Pomeroy, Iowa, remaining there 
eighteen years, farming and shoemaking, 
and in 1894 located permanently at New- 
port, Wis., where he now resides. His 
wife was also born in Denmark, and they 
have had eight children, three of whom 
are deceased; those living are: Martin 
N., our subject; Peter, of Newport, 
Wis., who is a member of the firm of 
Johnson & Knudsen, dealers in general 
merchandise, wood, etc. ; Nelson, of 
Beaver Island Harbor Lighthouse of St. 
James (Mich.); W'illiam, in the lighthouse 
service, and residing in Pomeroy, Iowa; 
and Mary, who married Charles E. 
Young, keeper of Chambers' Island 
Lighthouse. The parents are respected 
members of the Baptist Church. 

Martin N. Knudsen, our subject, was 
educated in the common schools of this 
country, and when a young man followed 



his father's trade of coopering. Later he 
became a fisherman, and subsequently a 
sailor. In 1 866 he came to Washington 
Island with his parents, and thereupon 
began the business of farming, which vo- 
cation he still continues to follow. He 
now owns fifty acres of improved land, on 
which he raises excellent crops, and has 
met with well-deserved success in his 
farming operations. 

Mr. Knudsen belongs to the Repub- 
lican party, and for many years has tilled 
the office of justice of the peace, also 
serving as a member of the board of ed- 
ucation. He received his present ap- 
pointment as keeper of the Porte Des 
Morts Lighthouse (Washington Island) in 
1 889, previous to which he was keeper of 
the South Manitou Station from June, 
1882, to September, 1889, proving a 
most trusty and able man for that re- 
sponsible place. In religious matters he 
is, like 'his father, a strong believer in the 
doctrines of the Baptist Church. His 
wife, Theresa (Koyen), who was born Feb- 
ruary 24, 1855, in Denmark, has borne 
him four children, viz: Edward W., 
Agnes M., Martin Arthur and Mertie M. 



CAPTAIN ANTON HANSEN, the 
owner and master of the three- 
masted schooner " F. H. Will- 
iams," having his residence in the 
city of Kewaunee, was born in Laurvig, 
Norway, March 20, 1837. His parents 
were Soren and Matilda Hansen, whA 
came to the United States in 1853, and 
settled in Ephraim, Door Co., Wis. 
Soren Hansen was born in Norway, De- 
cember 24, 1800, and was one of the first 
settlers of Door county, where he died in 
November, 1890. 

Anton Hansen has passed his entire 
life upon the water. He was first em- 
ployed as a cook on the " Familia," a vessel 
plying between England and the Scandi- 
navian peninsula. Since his arrival in 
America he has been sailing on the Great 
Lakes, his first shipment being on the 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



765 



"Transit," sailing between Manitowoc, 
Wis. , and Chicago, 111. , on board which he 
remained one year, since when he has 
sailed on a number of vessels, holding 
various positions, but chiefly before the 
mast for eight or ten years, and then as 
first mate about nine years. He then 
became owner of the "Glenn Cuyler, " 
which he sailed about four years, when 
he disposed of her and bought the ' ' In- 
dustry." This vessel he sold four years 
later, and took command of the "Min- 
nehaha," holding that position about nine 
years, when he purchased the " F. H. 
Williams," the first vessel that ever en- 
tered the harbor of Kewaunee. 

In 1864 Capt. Hansen was united in 
marriage with Lena Hansen, and this 
union was blessed with five children, viz. : 
Matilda Isa, Hans, Jacob, Sena and 
Lewis. Mrs. Lena Hansen died in 1876, 
and in 1879 the Captain married Rena 
Hansen, to which union have also been 
born five children: Alvin, Lena, Samuel, 
Alice and Arthur. Capt. Hansen is one 
of the most successful navigators on the 
lakes, always satisfying the owners by the 
faithful manner in which he performed 
his duty to them, and as an owner him- 
self he has won the confidence of ship- 
pers and the esteem of other owners. 
Underwriters have suffered very little in- 
deed at his hands. 



JE. HARRIS, one of the brightest 
young business men of northern Wis- 
consin, and one of the most progress- 
ive, is a native of Sturgeon Bay, 
Door Co., Wis., born June 23, 1866, son 
of Joseph Harris, Jr., who for some years 
was editor and publisher of the Sturgeon 
Bay Advocate, later of the Republican. 

He received his education at the city 
schools of his native place, and in 1882 
commenced to learn the printing business 
in the office of the Advocate at Sturgeon 
Bay. After serving his apprenticeship, and 
rising from the plutonic degree of " devil" 
44 



to the more seraphic one of "jour," 
he worked in various offices throughout 
the State until 1890, in which year he 
bought of his father a half interest in the 
Sturgeon Bay Republican, in the follow- 
ing year taking over the other half, by 
purchase, and changing the name to The 
Democrat. From that time he had full 
charge of the paper until August, 1894, 
when he sold out and accepted a position 
on the Green Bay Gazette. 

In January 1890, Mr. Harris was mar- 
ried to Miss Mary Darling, also a native 
of Sturgeon Bay, daughter of John Dar- 
ling, and two children have been born to 
them: Harry and Lottie. Politically Mr. 
Harris is a Democrat of the first water, 
and takes a zealous interest in the affairs 
of the party. 



ALBERT JOSEPH DWORAK is 
the owner of a good farm of eighty 
acres of land in Casco township, 
Kewaunee county, all of which he 
has cleared and developed, transforming 
the wild land into rich and fertile fields, 
and placing upon it good improvements 
in the shape of neat and substantial build- 
ings, all of which attest the thrift and 
enterprise of the owner. 

He was born April 22, 1840, in 
Bohemia, the birthplace of his father, 
Mathias Dworak, who was born in 1795. 
The grandfather, Mathew Dworak, was a 
native of Bohemia, a farmer by occupation, 
and he and his wife were adherents of the 
Catholic Church, to which their descend- 
ants also belong. Mathias Dworak was 
reared on the old home farm, acquired a 
good education in the common schools of 
his native land, and remained in Bohemia 
until 1855, when he emigrated to the 
United States. In his early manhood he 
wedded Mary Richa, who was born in 
Bohemia in 1803, and they became the 
parents of six children — Joseph, now of 
Milwaukee, Wis. ; Katherine, married in 
Bohemia to Bartholomes Smitke, who 
came to this country with his family, 



766 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGMAPHICAL RECORD. 



locating in Milwaukee, where his wife 
died in 1858; Mary, who became the wife 
of Martin Behringer, a resident of Mil- 
waukee; Annie, who married Frank Lukes, 
of Casco township, and died in 1862; 
Rosa, who married a Mr. Beyer, of Mil- 
waukee, and died in that city in 1864; and 
Albert J., the subject of these lines. On 
coming to this country the father located 
in Milwaukee, Wis., working there as a 
common laborer until his removal to 
Casco township, Kewaunee county, where 
he purchased eighty acres of timber land. 
This he at once began to clear, culti- 
vating and improving the same until 1 864, 
when he returned to Milwaukee, where 
his death occurred in 1 872 ; his wife passed 
away in 1884. 

The gentleman of whom we write was 
educated in the city of Neuhaus, Bohemia, 
in the German language, after having 
attended the common schools of his native 
province. He was a youth of sixteen 
when he accompanied his parents on their 
emigration to America, and like the other 
members of the family, became a resident 
of Milwaukee, Wis., where he worked as 
a common laborer until 185S, after which 
time he came to Casco township, Kewau- 
nee county. Here he aided his father in 
clearing the land which had been pur- 
chased, soon after took charge of the 
home farm, and has since followed agri- 
cultural pursuits, owning eighty acres of 
the old homestead, which he has trans- 
formed into a valuable property. Mr. 
Dworak votes with the Democratic party, 
has served as chairman of the town board 
four years, and for fourteen years has 
filled the office of clerk and justice of the 
peace of the township, in the various 
positions which he has tilled proving a 
most capable and acceptable officer. 

In 1 86 1 Mr. Dworak was united in 
marriage, in Casco township, with Miss 
Mary Lukes, who was born in Bohemia 
in 1843, and they have four children liv- 
ing — Henry, Albert, Annie and Emma. 
They also lost eight children, all of whom 
are buried at Slovan, Wis. Mr. Dworak 



and his famih' are members of the Cath- 
olic Church, and he belongs to the Order 
of Catholic Knights of Wisconsin. 



JAMES HAMILTON LOCKHART 
came to Forestville township. Door 
county, in 1856, and secured 240 
acres of timber land. Indians were 
then in large numbers in that vicinit}-, and 
had their camping ground on some of the 
land on which our subject located. On 
his arrival here Mr. Lockhart commenced 
the improvement of his land, and erected 
a small log cabin; but in 1857 he returned 
to Essex county, N. Y., where he had 
resided for some years previously. 

Our subject was born in County Ar- 
magh, Ireland, February 14, 1833, sonof 
Thomas and Elizabeth (Aikens) Lockhart, 
both of whom were natives of the same 
county, his father being a farmer. The 
mother dying about 1839, the father, the 
next year, was united in marriage with 
Margaret Henderson, and in 1847 took 
passage with his family on a sailing ves- 
sel for the United States, landing after a 
voyage of forty-seven days at Boston, 
Mass. Here he remained for a time 
working in a printing office, subsequently 
locating in Essex county, N. Y. , where 
he opened up a small farm of twenty 
acres to which he afterward added 200 
acres. His death occurred in 1850. By 
his first marriage there were five children — 
James Hamilton, our subject; Anna, who 
died young; Robert, who resides in For- 
estville township; Henry Hamilton, who 
died at the age of six years; and Anna, 
who died at the age of three years and 
six months. By the second marriage 
there was one child, Ellen, now the wife 
of David Carr, residing in the town of 
Chesterfield, Essex Co., New York. 

James H. Lockhart remained at home 
until twelve years of age, and then went to 
Port Patrick, Scotland, where he lived for 
a little more than a year. Leaving that 
place, he shortly afterward went to the 
County of Durham, England, where he 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



767 



was engaged in mining for two and a half 
years. He then concluded to come to the 
United States, and leaving Whitehaven 
went to Newry, Ireland, where he visited 
with relatives a short time, and then set 
sail on April 28, 1850, from Belfast, land- 
ing in the city of Quebec on August i. 
Leaving Quebec, he set out on foot for 
Montreal; meeting a friend there, he stayed 
four weeks, going thence to Essex county, 
N. Y. , to the home of his father, and work- 
ing on the home farm until after he was 
twenty-one years of age. Determining to 
make a home for himself, he made several 
trips to different parts of the country, and, 
as already stated, in 1856 came to Door 
county. Wis., locating 240 acres of gov- 
ernment land. In 1859 he received an 
offer of $100 per month and expenses, and 
went to Marquette county, Mich., where 
he remained some time engaged in burning 
charcoal. In the winter of 1859-60 he 
went to Houghton county, Mich. , where 
he made a contract to cut 1,000 cords of 
wood, and, after completing his job, en- 
gaged in the spring of i 860 in the char- 
coal business in the same county, where 
he remained until 1865, during which 
time he followed different lines of busi- 
ness. In the fall of that year he returned 
to Door county, and in 1867 settled on 
the farm, which he improved, in connec- 
tion therewith engaging in the lumber 
business, also in buying and selling real 
estate. For the last sixteen years he has 
conducted a mercantile business. 

In 1863, in Houghton county, Mich., 
Mr. Lockhart was united in marriage with 
Miss Lydia F. Bailey, who was born in 
Windham, Cumberland Co., Maine, 
daughter of William and Emma (Reed) 
Bailey, who were also natives of Maine, 
of English ancestry; the mother died in 
Maine in November, 1S61, and in 1865 
the father settled in Superior, Wis. , and 
died in Door county in 1890. On No- 
vember 25, 1890, Mr. Lockhart married 
for his second wife, in Manitowoc, Wis., 
Mrs. Helen Ward, iicc Summers, who 
was born in Jackson county, Iowa, daugh- 



ter of Caleb and Nancy Jane (Gregg) 
Summers, the former a native of Indiana 
and the latter of Kentucky. They were 
early settlers of Jackson county, Iowa, 
where they were married and where Mr. 
Summers yet resides. Mrs. Summers 
died January 26, 1886. There daughter 
Helen was married in 1876 to Theodore 
D. Ward, and to that union was born one 
child, Justin Grey, who died November 
18, 1879. By his first marriage Mr. 
Lockhart became the father of eleven chil- 
dren, five of whom are now living — 
Wellington G., Bertha, Walter S., Wil- 
mot and Willie. The deceased are Ros- 
well, Martha, Wallace, Grace and two 
who died in infancy. By his present wife 
there is one child, Daisy June. 

Politically Mr. Lockhart has been a 
Republican, and voted in 1856 for John 
C. Fremont, the first candidate of that 
party for President; he is now, however, 
acting with the Populist party. He was 
instrumental in establishing the postoffices, 
Maplewood and Forestville, and was the 
first postmaster of the former place, serv- 
ing thirteen years and six months. He 
has been quite active in all matters per- 
taining to the welfare of Forestville town- 
ship, and assisted in organizing the town- 
ship and also the school district in which 
he resides. 



PAUL HOVERSON, of Franklin 
township, Kewaunee county, was 
born in Norway, August 8, 1826, 
and is the second of three children 
born to Hover and Emily Eversson, also 
natives of Norway. 

Paul passed the first fifteen years of 
his life in school and on a farm, alternate- 
ly, and after he had finished his schooling 
continued to work for his father on the 
home place until he reached the age of 
twenty. He then began tailoring, at 
which trade he worked about six years, 
when he embarked for the United States, 
and came through directly to Manitowoc, 
W' is. , working there for two years or so 



768 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



at whatever he could find to do, and then 
bought a tract of land, on which he lo- 
cated and which he cleared of timber. At 
the end of three years he sold this prop- 
erty and came to Franklin township, Ke- 
waunee county, buying the farm he now 
occupies. This farm was then a wilder- 
ness, and the township was without roads 
or even organization, he being one of the 
first settlers. Since then, however, he 
has brought his farm under cultivation, 
and it is now one of the best tilled in the 
township. Mr. Hoverson was naturalized 
soon after coming to the country, and has 
several times been elected from Franklin 
township to the board of supervisors of 
of the county, and been made its chair- 
man. 

Mr. Hoverson married Miss Sarah 
Knudson, who was born in Norway Octo- 
ber 6, 1 82 1, and to this union have been 
born nine children, as follows: Emily, 
January 5, 1850; Hover, August 21, 1852; 
Julia, August 7, 1 854; Sarah, May 17,1856; 
Emily Maria, April 8, 1858; Ole, August 
2, 1 860; Mary, October i, 1862; Bertha, 
April 3, 1866; and Paul, October 13, 
1868; all of whom survive with the ex- 
ception of Hover, who died March 18, 
1853. The family are members of the 
Lutheran Church, and enjoy the respect 
of all their neighbors and the community 
at large. 



FRED HEUER, a prosperous farm- 
er citizen of the town of Ahnapee, 
Kewaunee county, was born Oc- 
tober 28, 1842, in the Kingdom 
of Prussia. He is a son of Fred and So- 
phia (Runke) Heucr, also natives of Prus- 
sia, the former of whom was born March 
25, 1808, and came to the United States 
in 1856, locating near Milwaukee, Wis., 
where he worked as a laborer some three 
years. Thence coming to the town of 
Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, he pur- 
chased eighty acres of timber land which 
he at once commenced to clear, and fol- 
lowed farming from that time until his 



death, on October 25, 1872. He landed 
in the United States a poor man, but by 
constant labor and the exercise of all his 
native thrift he acquired a comfortable 
property, and was a successful farmer. 
Mr. and Mrs. Heuer had seven children 
as follows: Minnie, Mrs. Brandt, of 
Lincoln township, Kewaunee Co. , Wis. ; 
Ferdinand, of Ahnapee township; August, 
who died in the army; Fred, subject of 
this sketch; Earnestina, Mrs. Girke; Ber- 
tha, Mrs. Zastrow, of the town of For- 
estville, Door Co., Wis. ; and Gustie, Mrs. 
Rader, of the town of Pierce, Kewaunee 
county. 

Fred Heuer was educated in the com- 
mon schools of Germany, and was four- 
teen years of age when he came with his 
parents to the United States, since when 
he has been almost continuously engaged 
in agricultural pursuits, working first for 
other people. On January 28, 1863, he 
enlisted in Company E, Fourteenth Wis. 
V. I., and remained in the army until 
October, 1865, fighting under Sherman, 
with whom he made the famous march to 
the sea. He participated in the engage- 
ments around .Atlanta, and many other 
battles and skirmishes in which Sher- 
man's army was engaged, and he is now 
a pensioner. He is a member of the G. 
A. R. Post at Ahnapee. 

Mr. Heuer started in life for himself 
with no capital but his strength and a 
willing pair of hands, and he has had 
many difficulties to overcome on his road 
to prosperity, but by hard work, together 
with good business management, and a 
careful attention to his business interests, 
he has accumulated a neat property, 
now being the owner of a good farm of 
200 acres, well cultivated and improved. 
Mr. Heuer's marriage to Rosa Damas took 
place December 8, 1866, and has been 
blessed with eight children, of whom 
Regina and Frederick are deceased; the 
others are Seraphine (Mrs. Bangert, of 
Eagle River, Wis.), Rosa, Alma, Earnest, 
Arthur and Arnold. Mrs. Heuer was 
born in Prussia, Germany, June 4, 1849, 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



j6g 



daughter of Fred and Rosina (Stebana) 
Damas, natives of the same country who 
came to the United States in 1854, lo- 
cating in Milwaukee, Wis., where Mr. 
Damas followed his trade, that of brick- 
maker. In 185S they came to Ahnapee, 
where he purchased land and engaged in 
agricultural pursuits, which he still fol- 
lows. He and his wife are members of 
the Lutheran Church, as are also Mr. 
and Mrs. Heuer. Mr. Heuer is a Repub- 
lican in political affiliation. 



WILLIAM MAACK, present asses- 
sor of the town of Ahnapee, 
Kewaunee county, and one of 
its well-known agriculturists, is 
a native of the Kingdom of Prussia, born 
May 22, 1846. He is a son of Hans and 
Liesette (Baade) Maack, also natives of 
Prussia, the former of whom was born in 
1818 and died October 15, 1890, in Ran- 
toul, 111. Mrs. Maack was born in 1821, 
and died February 8, 1892, in Nebraska; 
her remains now rest bj' those of her hus- 
band, in Illinois. She was the mother of 
five children, viz. : Henry, of Rantoul, 
111.; William, our subject; Louisa, Mrs. 
Alexander McHarry, of Rantoul, 111. ; 
Wilhelmina, Mrs. Fred Trennt, of Buf- 
falo county, Neb. ; and a daughter that 
died in infancy. Hans Maack was edu- 
cated in the common school of his native 
country, and when a young man learned 
the brewer's trade, following same until 
1868, when he came to the United States, 
and locating at Rantoul, 111., here pur- 
chased a small farm, whereon he engaged 
in agricultural pursuits until his death. 
He and his entire family were members 
of the Lutheran Church. 

William Maack, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, received a common- 
school education in his native country, 
and when twenty years of age, in 1866, 
came to the United States, preceding his 
parents by some two years. He located 
in Rantoul, 111., where he worked at farm 
labor some five years, and then married 



Bertha Pieplow, who has borne him six 
children, as follows: Albert, Louisa, 
Clara, Emma, Ida and Paulina. Mrs. 
Maack is a daughter of Joachim and Maria 
(Evert) Pieplow, natives of Mecklenburg, 
Germany, where Mrs. Maack was born 
December 2, 1852. After his marriage 
Mr. Maack purchased a small farm and 
followed general agriculture there until 
1883, when he sold and came to Wiscon- 
sin, settling in the town of Ahnapee, Ke- 
waunee county, where he purchased i 20 
acres of land. Here he has since con- 
tinued farming with marked success, im- 
proving his property year by year, and he 
has gained an enviable reputation as a 
thorough agriculturist and a worthy, re- 
spected citizen. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, for a number of years has tilled 
with honor the office of supervisor, and at 
present is serving as assessor of the town- 
ship with his customary faithfulness and 
ability. 



JOHN ANDERSON, a well-to-do 
farmer of Carlton township, Kewau- 
nee county, was born October 12, 
1839, in Sweden, son of Andraes 
Johnson and Christiana Anderson, also 
natives of Sweden. 

Our subject received his education in 
the schools of his native country, and on 
commencing to work engaged for two 
years in cutting slate, and afterward, for 
one year, in painting. Subsequently, for 
three summers, he sailed from different 
ports of Sweden; and then, for four years, 
sailed on the ocean. In 1862, having 
heard and read so much of the unlimited 
opportunities for advancement offered in 
the undeveloped regions of the United 
States, he emigrated, shortly afterward 
taking up his residence in Carlton, Ke- 
waunee Co., Wis., and for fifteen years 
after his arrival followed the Great Lakes. 
In 1877 he abandoned a sea-faring life, 
and, making a permanent settlement on a 
tract of eighty acres which he had pur- 
chased in Carlton township, has trans- 



770 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 



formed the place into one of the neatest 
and most fertile farms in the town of 
Carlton, hip^hh' improved, and provided 
with all necessary buildings. During the 
winter season he is also engaged in lum- 
bering, and he is known as one of the 
most industrious, progressive farmers of 
his section. It is to such sturdy, earnest 
workers that this section of Wisconsin 
owes her steady advancement and her 
ever-increasing prosperity in the develop- 
ment of her agricultural interests. Mr. 
Anderson is a member of the Lutheran 
Church in religious connection, and poli- 
tically he is independent. 



FREDC. WALLNER, of the Bava- 
rian Brewing Co. , Kewaunee, was 
born in Bavaria, November 2, 
1 86 1, son of George and Anna 
(Rab) Wallner. He was but five years of 
age when his father, who was a physician, 
was called from earth, leaving a widow 
and three children, of whom Fred C. 
was the eldest. The widow kept her 
little family together some five years, 
when she married Andrew Gump, a 
mechanic, and in 1884 they came to 
America, locating at Milwaukee; but Mr. 
Gump, not liking this country, returned 
to his old home a year later and there 
died in 1886. Six children were the re- 
sult of this marriage. Mrs. Gump still 
retains her residence in Milwaukee. 

Fred C. Wallner came to America 
alone at the age of about nineteen years, 
or in 1 88 1, making his first stop at Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, but two months later re- 
moving to Milwaukee, where for six years 
he worked for the Philip Best Brewing 
Co. He then came to Kewaunee as fore- 
man for the Borgman & Deda Brewing 
Co., and after holding this position one 
year bought one-quarter interest in the 
business; in 1889 he bought an additional 
quarter, or Mr. Borgman's share, this 
gentleman retiring; and the firm name 
then became the Wallner & Deda Brew- 
ing Co., so continuing until March, 1893, 



when Thomas Hlinak bought out Mr. 
Deda's stock, the style now being The 
Bavarian Brewing Co. The firm is doing 
an excellent trade, employing five men, 
and its members understand the business, 
as Mr. Wallner began learning it in 
Bavaria when but fifteen years of age, 
and has devoted his entire attention to it 
ever since. 

Mr. Wallner was first married, in 1882, 
to Miss Katy Fritz, an American, who 
bore him two children — Felix, who lives 
with his father, and one that died in in- 
fancy. The second marriage of Mr. 
Wallner was in 1889, to Miss Carrie 
Deda. Her father, Charles Deda, was 
born in Germany in 1824 and came to 
America in 1856, first locating in Mil- 
waukee, Wis. ; the year following he came 
to Kewaunee, and here kept a hotel five 
years; he was town register of deeds four 
years, school clerk nine years, and in the 
interval, in 1868, bought the Bavarian 
Brewery. He was married, in 1857, to 
Miss Josephine Cihacak, a native of Aus- 
tria, and three children were born to this 
union — Carrie, Mr. Wallner's present 
wife, being the youngest; Anna, the eldest 
child, is married to Henry G. Borgman 
and resides in Antigo, Langlade Co., 
Wis. ; Charles, the second born, died 
December 28, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. 
Wallner have been blessed with two 
children — Aurea and Wilfried. Both 
parents are faithful members of the Cath- 
olic Church, and in politics Mr. Wallner 
is a Democrat, but reserves to himself 
the right to vote for the man he deems 
best suited for the office to be filled. 



ERNEST WOLSKE, a native of 
Germany, was born in the King- 
dom of Prussia in 1843, son of 
Samuel and Catherine Wolske, who 
were also natives of Prussia. The father 
was a carpenter by trade, and throughout 
his entire life followed that occupation in 
Germany, where he died in 1S72, having 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



771 



for eight years survived his wife, who 
passed away in 1864. This worthy couple 
were the parents of six children — John 
and Samuel, both of whom died in the 
Fatherland; Michael, who is married and 
follows farming in Forestville township, 
where he located in 1867; Caroline, wife 
of Albert Zettle, of Egg Harbor, Wis. ; 
Minnie, and Ernest. 

Ernest Wolske spent his boyhood days 
under the parental roof, and was educated 
in the public schools of his native land. 
He entered upon his business career as a 
teamster and was thus employed until 
1867, when he determined to try his for- 
tune beyond the Atlantic, and sailed from 
Bremen in a vessel, which after a voyage 
of twelve weeks reached the harbor of 
Quebec, Canada. He then went to Man- 
istee, Mich., working there in the lumber 
woods for a short time, after which he 
came to Door county, Wis., locating in 
Forestville township. Here he worked as 
a farm hand for John Stoneman until 1869, 
when he purchased and located on his 
present farm, then an eighty-acre tract of 
wild timberland. It is situated in Section 
34, Forestville township, and with the 
exception of eight acres is all now under 
a high state of cultivation. In 1871 Mr. 
Wolske erected a good home and now 
has two good barns, one 30 x 56 feet, the 
other 27x60 feet, thus furnishing ample 
accommodations for his stock and grain. 
In the township which is still his 
home Mr. Wolske was married in 1871 to 
Miss Emeline, daughter of John and 
Louisa (Krueger) Kum, natives of Ger- 
man}', who in i860 became residents of 
Door county, where Mr. Kum died in 
1 8 So; his widow is still living in Forest- 
ville township. Of the children born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Wolske five are living; 
Otto, Louis, John, Paulina and Ernestine; 
and three are deceased; Albert, who died 
when about sixteen years of age; Amelia, 
who died at the age of six months; and 
Elsie, at the age of two months. The 
mother of this family was called to the 
home beyond June 19, 1890, and her 



death was widely and deeply mourned, for 
she was a lady who had many friends. 

Mr. Wolske has served his fellow- 
townsmen as assessor for one term, and has 
several times been a member of the town 
board. He votes with the Democratic 
party, and is a member of the Lutheran 
Church, in which he is now serving as 
trustee. His public and private life are 
alike above reproach, and his many ex- 
cellencies of character have won him high 
regard, while his faithfulness to all duties 
has made him a valued citizen. 



LUDWIG SCHUMACHER, who 
has been a resident of Door county 
since 1857, was born in Bavaria, 
Germany, in 1832. His father, 
Henry Schumacher, lived and died in 
Germany on a farm. Two of the family 
came to this country, our subject in 1841 
and Andrew in 1846. The latter was 
a clergyman and preached in Chicago 
until 1 86 1, whenheenlistedin the Twenty- 
fourth Regiment,- 111. V. I., for three years. 
Ludwig Schumacher, our subject, at- 
tended the public schools of Germany, 
and when nineteen years of age came to 
the United States. The sailing vessel in 
which he came set out from Havre and 
reached the harbor of New York at the 
end of fifty-two days. On coming to 
Wisconsin he settled in Nasewaupee town- 
ship. Door county, and bought some land 
which was all forest. He had no neigh- 
bors and was a long way from any town, 
and one time he lived upon potatoes and 
salt for about a month. While in Niagara 
county, N. Y., he was married, in 1856, 
to Miss Rhoda Walker, who was born in 
England, daughter of Charles Walker, 
who came to Niagara county at an early 
date. Mr. Walker was killed by the 
cars, and his widow still lives in New York. 
In 1 863 Mr. Schumacher enlisted from 
Door county in Company F., First Wis. 
V. C, Army of the Cumberland, and 
shared their vicissitudes until the close of 
the war. He was honorably discharged 



77= 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in 1865 at Nashville, Tenn., and returned 
to his home and family. He is a mem- 
ber of Henry Schuyler Post, No. 222, G. 
A. R., at Sturgeon Bay. In politics he 
is a Republican, keeping well posted on 
the political issues of the day. Mr. 
Schumacher is the father of the following 
named children: Henry (who is married 
and resides in Nasewaupee township), 
Andrew, Eli (married and residing in 
Sevastopol township), Robert, Frank, 
Walter, Lizzie (wife of Charles Walker, 
of Sevastopol), Emma (wife of William 
Bernard), Rosa, and Jennie (wife of L. 
Bernard). Mr. Schumacher now owns 
eighty-five acres of land in a high state of 
cultivation, said land being his purchase 
of 1866. 



CHARLES PALECEK, a rising 
young farmer of the town of Ahna- 
pee, Kewaunee county, is a native 
of same, born October 27, 1867, 
son of Frank Palecek, a native of Bohemia, 
who was born in 1826. 

Frank Palecek was educated in his 
native language, and was reared to farm- 
ing. He married Mary Jacobosky, a na- 
tive of Bohemia, born in 1827, and she 
became the mother of nine children, as 
follows: Mary, Mrs. Leopold Seller, of 
the town of Ahnapee; Peter, deceased; 
Annie, deceased; John, of Sturgeon Bay, 
Wis. ; Victoria, Mrs. Patrick Ludden, of 
Menominee, Mich. ; Frank, of the town 
of Ahnapee; Charles, whose name opens 
this sketch; and Wenzel and Jacob, of 
Kansas. Mr. Palecek came from Bohemia 
to the United States to better his condi- 
tion, and for one year lived in Chicago, 
coming thence to Manitowoc, whence 
after a short residence he removed to the 
town of Ahnapee, Kewaunee county, and 
purchased eighty acres of timber land, on 
which he settled, becoming one of the 
first settlers of this part of Ahnapee. 
Later he purchased more land, and at his 
death owned 200 acres, well improved, 
upon which he had erected substantial 



buildings, and was one of the well-to-do 
farmers of the township. In religious 
connection he and his family were mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church. Mr. Palecek 
died February 17, 1890, preceded by his 
wife, who died November 27, 1882. 

Charles Palecek was educated in the 
common schools of the town of Ahnapee, 
and was reared to agriculture on the 
home farm. When twenty-one years of 
age he married Matilda Wick, a native of 
Germany, born in 1865, and they have 
had one child, Annie, born February 14, 
1890. After his marriage Mr. Palecek 
purchased from his father the farm of 120 
acres he now owns and occupies, and has 
since been engaged in general agriculture, 
meeting with the success which industry is 
sure to bring. He is a Democrat in polit- 
ical affiliation, and in Church connection 
he and his wife are Catholics. 



JOACHIM ROHDE, one of the lead- 
ing farmers of Egg Harbor township, 
Door county, is a native of Prussia, 
Germany, born April 25, 1828, and 
is the eldest son of Jacob Rohde, whose 
family consisted of six children — three 
sons and three daughters. 

Our subject remained at home up to 
the age of fourteen years, attending school 
and assisting his parents, and then, after 
his confirmation, commenced to work for 
strangers, \\lien twenty-five years of age 
he married Mary Glove, and three chil- 
dren were born to them in Germany, 
namely: Lena, who is now the wife of 
Fred Schrumm, of Egg Harbor township. 
Door Co., Wis.; Mary, now Mrs. Henry 
Sohn, of Chicago, 111. ; and Reka, Mrs. 
Julius Rohdes, of Watertown, Wis. In 
the spring of 1864, Mr. Rohde embarked 
with his little family from Hamburg on 
the vessel "John Badram," and after a 
voyage of five weeks and three days land- 
ed in New York, thence journeying west- 
ward to Chicago, 111, where he first ob- 
tained employment unloading vessels. He 
had his residence in Chicago for ten years. 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



773 



engaging in various kinds of labor, and 
during that time, liaving managed to save 
$i,ooo, he concluded to locate in Door 
county, Wis., where land was then cheap. 
Removing hither in the fall of 1874, he 
purchased one hundred acres of land in 
Section 32, Egg Harbor township, with- 
out improvements of any kind, and the 
log shanty he built for his family was the 
first building on the place. Setting to 
work immediately Mr. Rohde succeeded 
in clearing enough land to plant a small 
crop in the following spring, and year by 
year continued to improve his farm and 
home, also adding to the area of the 
place until he now has 220 acres, 126 
of which are cleared and in a 
state of cultivation 
the largest cleared tracts in Egg Har- 
bor township. Mr. Rohde has pros- 
pered by his own industry, but his 
labor has been well rewarded, and he 
now holds a prominent place among the 
well-to-do farmers of his township, his 
fairness and honesty in all its transactions 
gaining him the respect of all who have 
dealings with him. He gives his entire 
attention to his farm, taking no active 



good 
this being one of 



part in public affairs, political or other- 
wise. Though a stanch member of the 
Republican party in national politics, he 
is non-partisan in local elections, support- 
ing the candidate he deems best fitted for 
office. 

Mr. Rohde's first wife died in Chi- 
cago; for his scond wife he married, in 
that city, Miss Reka Ranke, a native of 
Germany, who died in Egg Harbor, and 
he subsequently wedded Ida Schwantes, 
who was born in Germany March 2, 
1852. By his second marriage Mr. 
Rohde has children as follows: Annie, 
Mrs. John Lohmer, of Minnesota ; Min- 
nie, Mrs. William Reihart, of Escanaba, 
Mich.; Louis and George, at home; So- 
phia, Mrs. Charles Johns, of Sister Bay, 
Door Co. Wis., and August, at home. 
By the third union he has as follows: 
Albert, Martha and Edwin, at home; and 
there are eight others now deceased. 
Mr. Rohde is an active member of the 
Evangelical Church, in which he has 
held various positions of trust, at present 
serving as treasurer of the Church and 
Sunday school. 




INDE^X:. 



PAGE. 

Abrams, Hon. W. J 114 

Adriaenssen, A. A. L,. . . . 378 

Aebischer, Charles N 176 

Aebischer, Mrs. Marg-'t. . 175 

V Aebischer, Samuel 175 

Aldrich.Chauncy N 121 

Ames, Milo 367 

Andersen, Dedrick 384 

Andersen, George Peter.. 686 

Andersen, Hans P 274 

Anderson, Alfred 705 

Anderson, Andrew 346 

Anderson, John 769 

Anderson, Ole A 741 

Anderson, W. B 181 

Andreson, O. L 681 

Andridge, Rev. Andrew A 539 

Anschutz, Fred 663 

Anschutz, Henry 731 

Ansorge, Eugene K 199 

Armstrong, William 119 

Arndt, John P 213 

Arndt, John Wallace 213 

Arndt, Peter 731 

Arveson , Arve 256 

Ash, Mrs. Mary 517 

Ash, Richard 517 

Atkinson, Thomas 118 

Awe, Henry M 735 

Babcock, Augustin H. . . . 176 

Bach, Frederick 581 

Bailev. Patrick 341 

Bangert, John 699 

Baraboo, Levi 689 

Bartel, William 749 

Bartelme, John 343 

Barth, Martin 345 

Barrett, Jesse 581 

Barrette, William 583 

Basche, F. W 468 

Bassford, George 533 

Bassine, Louis 739 

Batey, John 159 

Baumann, August (Ke- 
waunee county) 720 

Baumgart, August, Sr... 238 



p.\GE. 
Baumgart, August (Brown 

county) 236 

Baumgart, Edward 345 

Baumgart. Paul 238 

Beaupre, Dr. Wm 309 

Becher, John 212 

Becher, Joseph 212 

Beck, H. M., M. D 229 

Becker, Ernest 480 

Becker, Peter J 316 

Beissel, Eseius 307 

Belanger, Francis 595 

Berg, Charles P 618 

Berg, Jacob 618 

Beth, John 13 

Beyer, George 530 

Bingham, Webster A.... 40 

Birmingham, Solon 715 

Black, James 463 

Black, R. J 161 

Blahnik, Jacob 704 

Blesch, Francis. 160 

Blesch. Frank T 160 

Bley, John 722 

Boalt, Charles Griswold. . 528 

Boehm, Joseph 344 

Boehm, Sylvester 332 

Boettcher, Hermann 657 

Bohman, Joseph 595 

Bohne, August 703 

Boncher, Mrs. Catherine S90 

Bencher, Hector 589 

Bone, Leonard 167 

Bongers, Rev. Matthew. . 323 

Borgman, John 592 

Borgman, John M 592 

Borman, Gregorie 371 

Borman, Henry 371 

Bosnian, August J 576 

Bottkol, Michel 754 

Bowring, Thomas D 118 

Boyden, Elbridge G 248 

Bozmack, Rev. Jacobus. . 154 

Bradley, D 463 

Bran'des, Charles 510 

Brandes, Charles H 520 



p.\GE. 

Brandes, Edward 521 

Brann, John 665 

Brauns, A 464 

Brennan, Jeremiah 259 

Brett, B. C, M. D 37 

Brey , George 657 

Brice, O. J. B 452 

Britton, David W 132 

Broens, Rev. Father Al- 

phons M 632 

Broeren, John 326 

Bruemmer, Christian.... 559 

Bruemmer, Henry 685 

Bruemmer, Louis D 685 

Bruemmer, Louis 558 

Brunette, Dominick 186 

Brunette. Manuel 186 

Bubnik, Joseph E 694 

Buckmann, Ahrend S . . . . 324 

Buckmann, H. F 324 

Buettner, John 737 

Bultmann, Henrv 750 

Burdeau, Willard E 190 

Buschmann, Albert 638 

Busse, August 612 

Callahan, Peter 334 

Caiman, John 390 

Caiman, Mrs. Kate 390 

Camm, Herbert F 297 

Campbell, H. Porter 453 

Carlin, P.H 418 

Carlson, Gustav 622 

Casey, W. J 179 

Cashman, William 483 

Cautereels, Rev. P. J 362 

Cerovsky, Anton, Jr 576 

Champion, Seth W ISO 

Chase, Jasner S 420 

Chater, John 745 

Christiansen, John 696 

Clarey, M.J 475 

Cleeremans, Alex 125 

Cleeremans, Charles 403 

Cleeremans, Frank 263 

Cody, John 211 

Cody, Richard P 684 



776 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 



PAGE. 

Coenen, John 287 

Coenen, Theodore 287 

CofFeen, \V. B., M. D 446 

Colburn, Theodore 421 

Collard, John B 718 

Collard. Martin 718 

Colle, Desire 696 

Colle, Peter 696 

Conen, William 368 

Conley , Horace J 145 

Connelly, John 127 

Cook, John 123 

Cook, John (deceased). . . . 303 

Cook, William 303 

Corbett, M.J 416 

Cordier, Eug^ene 730 

Cormier, David 357 

Cormier, Joseph 357 

Cornell, Joseph Southard. 704 

Corstens, Arnold 386 

Corstens, John 386 

Cotton, Charles A 438 

Craanen, Christian 265 

Craanen, Jacob 265 

Craanen, John 360 

Crabb, Frank 184 

Crabb, Joseph 148 

Craite, Nelson 672 

Crane, C. E., M. D 480 

Crass, Jacob 740 

Crocker, Ephraim 416 

Curran, Martin 279 

Curtis, Rev. AlonzoP... 588 

Daix, Constant 491 

Dalemont, Joseph G 666 

Danek, Anton F 674 

Damman, Frederick 762 

Daul, John 659 

Davis, Charles L 451 

Davis, Daniel H 210 

Davis, E. B 451 

Day, Charles W 48 

Debeker, Joseph 713 

Decker, Edward 42 

Dehos, Philip Jacob 513 

De Jong-he, Constant 220 

Delaney. George A 179 

Delaney, James C 179 

DeLouw, Rev. Father C. . 91 

Dehviche, John B 655 

Demmin, Christ 654 

Denis, Capt. Joseph 147 

Denis, Charles R 290 

Denis, Gregorie 88 

Desnoyers, Francis 477 

Desnoj-ers, Frank B 477 

Detjen, Hermann 686 

Dewey, Myron 726 

DeWilt, Rev. Elsear 425 

Dohn, Adam 229 

Dollard, John 373 

Dollard, Patrick E 373 

Doolan, Bartholomew. .. . 240 

Doran, Terrence 250 

Doughertj', Cornelius. . . . 324 

Drake, James 406 

Droog-, Felix 146 

Drury, Bartholomew 693 



P.\GE. 

Duaime, Joseph E 336 

Dubois, F. E 475 

Ducat, Jacques 372 

Duchateau, Abelard 454 

Duchateau, F. J. B 454 

Duffy, James 330 

Duffy, Thomas 330 

Duncan, Archibald M. . . . 465 

Duncan, John 465 

Durst, Kaspar 727 

Dworak, Albert J 765 

Dwyer, Anthony 267 

Dwyer, Patrick 267 

Ebel, Adolph 738 

Ebeling-, J. H 47 

Ehle, Herrman 239 

Eisenman, Andrew A. . . . 322 
Eisenman,Mrs. ApoUonia 381 

Eisenman, John C 322 

Eisenman, John 381 

Elliott. Hon. George W. .. 509 

Ellis, Albert G 55 

EUis, Eleazer H 55 

Ellis, John 516 

Ellsworth, Dr. Albert H. 313 

Elmore, Hon. James H.. 21 

Enderby, John 280 

Enderby, William R 280 

Engels, Edward 461 

Eng-lebert, Desire 612 

Englebert, Felix 729 

Englebert, John 612 

English, Mark 349 

Erichsen, Andreas 658 

Erickson, Niels 249 

Esraann, John D 192 

Evrard, Elick 565 

Evrard, Frank 564 

Fairfield, W. E., M. D... 434 

Faick, Jacob 364 

Falck, Philip 295 

Falck, Philip (deceased). 294 
Fellows, Charles Lewis... 636 

Felschow, Christian 702 

Fensel, Lorenz C 700 

Fetzer, Hon. John 518 

Filz, Joseph 681 

Findeisen Bros 364 

Findeisen, John G 363 

Finnegan, Barnard 185 

Finnegan, Hugh 332 

Finnegan, John C 186 

Finnegan, Patrick 332 

Finnegan, William 96 

Finnerty, Hon. Patrick. . 73 

Fisk, W. J 70 

Flatley, D 321 

Flynn, Edward 402 

Flynn, John 403 

Follett, Mrs. Rosamond.. 14 

Franklin, Charles 649 

French, Marion 758 

Frisque, Florentine 432 

Froney, George 725 

Frosch, Frank 277 

Frosch, George 277 

Frus, Niels 601 

Fuller, Eliza S 640 



1>.\GE. 

Fuller, F. H 384 

Fuller, H. H 640 

Gage, Dr. C. 459 

Gagnon, M 485 

Gallagher, Rev. Chas. J.. 427 

Gardner, Walter E 489 

Gauche, Father James. . . 289 

Gaulke, Fred 724 

Gaulke, Herman 724 

Gay lord, Capt. G. A 455 

Genesse, Clem 644 

Genesse, Augustus 644 

Georgi, Ottoman 221 

Geurts, George 211 

Gislason, Jno 585 

Goemans, Anthony 168 

Goeraans, Mrs. Joanna. 168 

Goepfert, Rev. P.,C.S.Sp. 36 

Goetz, Joseph 582 

Goffart, Ferdinand 124 

Goflfart, Zacharie 142 

Goldsmith, Christoph 252 

Gonion, A. B 383 

Goodell, C. F 174 

Gosin, August 639 

Gotfredsen, Mrs. L 261 

Gotfredsen, Niels H 261 

Gow, William 437 

Gowej-, Archie L 193 

Graf, Charles 549 

Gratza, Father John 306 

Graves, Capt. Charles A. 467 

Graves, Orlo 467 

Greiling, August 217 

Grignon, D. H 437 

Grimmer, Hon. George. .. 614 

Groessl, George 479 

Gro-ss, Fred. P 122 

Gross, John G., Jr 423 

Gross, John G., Sr 414 

Gudniundsen, Arni 601 

Haese, August 138 

Hagartj', Andrew. 695 

Hagarty, William 695 

Hagemeister, Henry F. . . 106 

Hagemeister, Louis W... 106 

Hagen, Walter T., M. D. 27 

Haines, Melvin 631 

Haines, Tellack, and El- 
len (Halverson) 607 

Hall, S. L 697 

Halstead, James S 736 

Hamachek, Frank 667 

Hamilton, Judge Fitz 

James 497 

Handeyside. William.... 136 

Hanev, John L 694 

Haney, Hon. Michael C. 630 

Hansen, Capt. Anton .... 764 

Hansen, Christ 295 

Hansen, F. Mads 671 

Hansen, Hans 389 

Hansen, Niels 130 

Hansen, Samuel C 607 

Harbers, Geortre 656 

Harder, Fred. T 586 

Hardtke, Albert 685 

Harmann, August 674 



INDEX. 



777 



PAGE. 

Harmaun, Daniel 691 

Harniann, John 691 

Harris, J. B 765 

Hart, Capt. C. B 65 

Hart, Edwin 53 

Hart, Capt. H. W 54 

Harteau, D. M 162 

Hastings, Hon. S. D., Jr.. 52 

Hay den, George W 391 

Haydeu, Hiram P 488 

Hayford, S. W 181 

Hayes, William Arthur. . 669 

Hebel, Joseph 180 

Hebert, Joseph 387 

Heck, W 748 

Heim, lyorenz 193 

Heimbecker, William.... 720 

Helmholz, William 532 

Henquinet, John 575 

Henrigilles, Joseph 163 

Herber, Peter 126 

Herrbold, Philip 591 

Herrick, E. Henry 748 

Hess, George B 96 

Heuer, Fred 768 

Hewitt, Rev. John L, 107 

Heyrmau, Charles L 129 

Heyrman, Frank 128 

Hey rman, John B 410 

Hibberd, Andrew 278 

Hinsdale, William C 110 

Hittner, H. M., M. D 385 

Hlinak, Thomas 738 

Hobbins, James 308 

Hobbins, John 309 

Hochgreve, August 426 

Hoeffel, Joseph 168 

Hoffman, William 397 

Hoffmann, Charles 761 

Hoffmann, Valentine 760 

Hogan, Hon. John M 49 

Holmes, Albert G. E 105 

Hoskens, Peter 130 

Hoverson, Paul 767 

Howland, Major Levi. . . . 399 

Howland, Thomas 399 

Hrbek, Frank 572 

Hudd. Hon. Thomas R... 109 

Huisenfeldt, George 237 

Huisenfeldt, Stephen 237 

Hunter, Alvin 165 

Hussin, Joseph 362 

Icke, Albert 658 

Ihlenfeld, John Frederick 573 

Jackson, Robert 400 

Jackson, William J 610 

Jacobsen, Jacob 292 

Jacobson, Andrew 609 

Jacobson, Christian 761 

Jensen, Lars 315 

Jess, Charles 713 

Joannes, Charles 76 

Joannes, Mitchell 78 

Joannes, Thomas 81 

Johann, Capt. John W. . . 354 

Johannes, Frederick 573 

Johnson, A. W 200 

Johnson, Hans 646 



P.\GE. 

Johnson, Magnus 457 

Jones, Ferdinand 757 

Jones, Jared A 605 

Jonet, Peter 708 

Jorgensen, Mrs. Elsie. . . . 385 

Jorgensen, Hans 385 

Jorgensen, John L 11 

Jorns, Adolph M. C 555 

Kalb, Joseph 470 

Kalb, Louis 471 

Kaye, Victor 679 

Kellogg, William E 82 

Kennedy, William 388 

Keogh, James 596 

Keogh, James (deceased). 546 

Keogh, John 546 

Kerr, James 439 

Kersten,AlphonseM.,M.D 241 

Kettenhofen, Jacob 225 

Killman, Clement 711 

Killoren, Luke 752 

Kimball, Alonzo 24 

Kimball, Charles T 476 

Kimball, N. S 113 

King, George 648 

Kirpal, Rev. Joseph 556 

Kitten, Oriu S 379 

Klaus, Henry P 103 

Klaus, Philipp 102 

Kleiinanu, Herman 751 

Knudsen, Martin N 764 

Knudsen, Peter 764 

Knudson, Henry C 553 

Knuth, Lewis 269 

Kolb, Peter 392 

KoUer, Matthias 588 

Konop, Andrew 655 

Kozelka, Rev. Venceslas. 717 

Kozina, Jacob 744 

Kozlowskv, Frank 231 

Kozlowsky, Frank, Jr.... 232 

Kruegar, Frederick 662 

Kuehl, J. F. C 691 

Kulhauek, Jacob J 742 

Kuntz, Christian 409 

Kurz, A. G 361 

Kustermann, Carl 23 

Kustermann, Gustav 22 

Kuy pers. John A 428 

Kwapil, Judge Frank. . . . 496 

Lamarre, Alphonse 246 

Lamarre, John L 246 

Lancaster, Henry 370 

Lange, Eberhardt A 176 

Lange, John 668 

Langenkatnp, Anton 650 

Larsen, William 232 

Larson, H. A 619 

Last, J. B 123 

Lau, Rev. Clement 252 

Lau Family 469 

Lau, Jacob 469 

Laurie, Robert 540 

Lawlor, Thomas 419 

Lawrence, Augustus W. . 560 

Lawrence, G. S 319 

Lawson, Alexander, Sr. .. 629 
Lawson, Alexander, Jr.. . 629 



PAGE. 

Lawton Family 28 

Lawton, Capt. Joseph G. . 28 

Leary, Cornelius 310 

Lebal, John 247 

Leischow, Fred 741 

Leischow, John 741 

Leitermann, Joseph 331 

Leonard, Bernard A 209 

Leonard, J. H 296 

Leonhardt, Christopher... 756 

Leonhardt, Fred 747 

LeRoy,J. H 66 

Le Roy, Jonas 66 

Ley, Joseph, Sr 177 

Ley, Joseph 177 

Ley, Michael 672 

Liebmann, Edmund F — 215 

Liebmann, Franz 191 

Liebmann, Louis 215 

Liussen. Henrj' 236 

Linssen, Matthias 236 

Lockhart, James H 766 

Lockhart, Robert 619 

Lomas, C. W 289 

Long, Frank 668 

Louw, Rev. FatherC.de 91 

Lucia, Charles J 314 

Luebck, Charles 737 

Lueke, William 12 

Lurquin, Felix 140 

Lutgen, Charles 754 

Lycke, George.. 600 

McAbee, John L 481 

McAllister, James D 149 

McArdle, James 550 

McCartney, David 60 

McCartney, William 60 

McCormick, M. J 454 

McCormick, Patrick 455 

McCunn, John N 270 

McDonald, John R 594 

McGeehan, Hon. Rob't. J. 94 

McGrath, Thomas J 112 

Mcintosh, James 728 

McKnight, John 135 

McKone, James 226 

McLean, Thomas 340 

McMahon, Prof. M 761 

MacEacham, Archibald, 

M. D 578 

MacEacham, Mrs. Nettie. 581 

Maack, William 769 

Mach, Anton 623 

Machia, Joseph 620 

Madden, John 755 

Maedke, Fred W 698 

Mahlberg, Henry 648 

Mahlberg, Joseph 648 

Mailer, Andrew C.,M. D. 427 

Mann, Charles E 623 

Manthey, Carl 197 

Marcussen, Peter 352 

Marsh, George W 568 

Martin, Constant 39 

Martin, Daniel H 433 

Martin, George 717 

Martin, Henry 536 

Martin, Mrs. Mary 350 



778 



COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



PAGE. 

Martin, Michael 350 

Martin, Hon. Morgan L. 7 
Martin, Oliver H.,M. D.. 538 

Martin, P. H 19 

Martin, Xavier 38 

Masliek, Voyta 503 

Ma.son, Jared D 361 

Mathison, Mathjas 709 

Matzke, Fred 218 

Meehan, John 408 

Meehan, Thomas 408 

Meister, Charles 3S6 

Meister, Christoph 158 

Melchior, Mathias 571 

Melera, Felix 670 

N^^' Mes siner, Bishop S. G 242 

' Meimier, John.. 732 

Meyer, Leo 763 

Meyer, Mathias 763 

Michelson, John 248 

Milechar, Frank 752 

Miller, Godfrey 302 

Miller, Jo.seph 671 

Miller, Martin 721 

Miller, Peter 721 

Millidg-e, John 690 

Milling-ton Family 304 

Minahan, J. R..M. D 36 

Moore, William 608 

Moran, James T 378 

Morau.x, J. D., M. D 196 

Morrow, Elisha 104 

y<s3Iosimann. Gottlieb 733 

' Mowers, H. E 353 

Mueller, Carl G 137 

Mueller, Charles W 138 

Mullen, John F., M. D 515 

Muller, Philipp 50 

Murphy, John 202 

Murphy, Simon J., Jr. . . . 204 

Murphy, Timothy 202 

Nachtwey, Anton 154 

Nachtwey, Henry 154 

Nelson, Andrew 647 

Nelson, Niels 268 

Neuville, Jacques 753 

Neville, John C 95 

Neville, Julian 477 

Neville, Jules C 477 

Newell, C. A 448 

Newton, Abel D 208 

Nolan, M H 160 

Norton, Joseph 358 

Nuss, Michael 474 

Nuss, W. W 474 

Nyg-ard, Mathias 743 

Oatley , Albert B 424 

O'Brien, Rev. M. J 262 

Olander, Alfred 708 

Oldenburg, Gerhard 405 

Oldenburg, Otto N 405 

Olmsted, Aus. F., M. D. . 18 

Olson, Hans Jacob 700 

Otis, B. F 642 

Ouradnik, Joseph 645 

Paape, Frank 570 

Page, David, Sr 488 

Palecek, Charles 772 



PAGE. 

Palecek, Frank 772 

Pamperin, Wilhelm 486 

Panter Thomas .' . 734 

Parker, James M. L 522 

Parker, Mavnard T 522 

Patton, John 228 

Patton, Michael 227 

Paulu, Frank 702 

Paulu. Joseph 759 

Pautz, Herman Reinhart. 552 

Pelnar, Nicholas 664 

Pelnar, Simon 664 

Peot, Michael 567 

Peot, Nicholas (pioneer). . 567 

Peot, Nicholas 688 

Peot, Peter 660 

Perry, John 502 

Perry, Matthew 625 

Perry, Richard M 624 

Perry, Samuel 498 

Petersen, Charles 661 

Peterson, Niels 351 

Peterson, Peter A 599 

Peterson, Theodore 751 

Peterson, \V. H 418 

Phelps, Henry 321 

Pinney, George 505 

Pinney, John J 550 

Plinske, Charles 653 

Poehler, Frederick 605 

Poehler, Henrv 605 

Popp, Rev. C. A. F 448 

Popp, Godfrey G. L 450 

Poser, Frederick 503 

Poser, Mrs. M. A 503 

Prust, Charles 414 

Quatsoe, Ferdinand 374 

Quatsoe, Peter 374 

Radoe, August F 408 

Rank, John C 673 

Rasmussen, Niels 139 

Ray makers, Hermann... . 369 

Reiider, Jurgen 650 

Reichel, Louis 661 

Reinhart, Mathias 692 

Revnen, Matthias 74 

Reynolds, Charles 537 

Revnolds, Thomas 494 

Rhode, Henrv, M. D 273 

Rice, W. D..'. 228 

Ridings, James 759 

Riha, Mathias 676 

Ripp, Mathew 331 

Roberts, George D 625 

Roberts, George M 606 

Roberts, Godfrev William 625 

Roberts, Dr. John A 591 

Robinson, Joseph 577 

Rodrian, Jacob 584 

Rogers, Hon. William 710 

Rohde, Joachim 772 

Rondou, A 196 

Rooney, John H 706 

Rooney, Judge P. J 706 

Rowbotham, Rev. Wm... 320 

Ryan, Thomas 173 

Rvan, Timothy 219 

Sawyer, A. P 285 



PAGE. 

Saw ver, Thomas 285 

Scaiilan, Thomas H 198 

Schaden, Casper 293 

Schauer, Wenzel 722 

Schiller, L. G 183 

Schlies. Andrew M 710 

Schluessel. Herman 750 

Schmah, Herman 537 

Schmeling, Albert 593 

Schmeling, Charles 593 

Schmidt, Alex. P 200 

Schneider, F. W 114 

Schroeder, Charles 158 

Schultz, Peter Hanson . . . 203 
Schumacher. Frederick. . 746 
Schumacher, Ludwig.... 771 

Schwarz, Christian 288 

Schwedler, Louis 743 

Seeinann, David 682 

Seeman, Michael 699 

Sellers, Malcolm 92 

Senft, George, Sr 511 

Sensiba, George W 359 

Servotte, Ernst W .. 471 

Servotte, Joseph H 472 

Seyk, W 678 

Seymour, Frank B 462 

Shampo. David 603 

Sharp, Thomas E 67 

Shaughnessy, John 312 

Shaw, Moses 683 

Shaw, Capt. Zebina 683 

Sherlock. Andrew 431 

Sherlock, James 368 

Sherlock, Philip 431 

Sherwood, Edison 424 

Sherwood, Mrs. Olive I. . . 424 

Sibree Family 512 

Sibree, Henry Cheever, 

M. D 512 

Simons, Andrew 313 

Slaughter, A. W., M. D. . . 395 

Smet, Ferdinand 241 

Smith, Alexander 397 

Smith, Don F 222 

Smith, Frank C 382 

Smith, Frank T 59 

Smith, J. M 57 

Smith, James 396 

Smith, John 269 

Smith, Michael B 382 

Smith, Thomas H 495 

Smitz, Father Adolph 268 

Snyder, Frank 380 

Soukup, Wenzel 677 

Spear, George 466 

Sprague, A 474 

Spuhler, Adam 20 

Stangel, Frank J 514 

Stangel, John J 675 

Starr, Henry 642 

Stebbens, De Wayne 507 

Stephenson, Henry B. . . . 523 

Stewart, Robert D 68 

Stewart, William M 69 

Stichmann, Carl 611 

Stichmann, William 611 

Stoneman, Joseph 701 



INDEX. 



779 





PAGE. 


PAGE. 




PAGE. 


Stoneman, William.. 


... 707 


Van De Wyngaard, M. . . . 


260 


Wellens, Lambert.... 


... 335 


St. Peters, Anton A. 


D.. 635 


Van Dycke, Julius J 


479 


Wellever, Frank 


... 545 


St. Peters, William.. 


.... 635 

. ... 405 


Van Dycke, Louis C 

Van Dvke, Anton 


478 
339 


. ' Weter, James P 


... 214 


Straubel, Henry A. . . 


Whitcomb, W. S 


... 372 


Streckenbach, C. W.. 


.... 144 


Van Roosmalen, Rev.W.F 


458 


Whitney, Daniel 


... 83 


Stroh, Joseph F 


... 566 


Van Seg-gern, H. D 


264 


Whitney, Harriet H... 


... 87 


Sullivan, John 


... 347 


Van Vonderen, John 


388 


Whitney, Joshua 


... 87 


Svoboda, Joseph 


689 


Verberk, Rev. A.J 


71 


Wiese, F. H 


...266 


Sweeney, B. P 


... 404 


Verboort, Albert 


255 


Wie.se, William ...... 


... 266 


Sweeney, Peter 


... 404 


Verstegen, Rev. John 


290 


Wilcox, Chester G 


... 298 


Taube, Hermann 


.... 621 


Ver Straten, Mrs. Anna. 


195 


Wilcox, Levi S 


... 301 


Tayler, J. H 


. ... 415 


Ver Straten, John 


195 


Williams, Albert 


... 311 


Terens, Henry M. . . . 


. ... 725 


Ver Straten, Martin 


194 


Wilt, Rev. Elsear de. . 


... 425 


Terens, Nicholas J. . . 


. ... 725 


Voshardt. Aug-ust C 


542 


Wiltse, Archie 


... 602 


Thibaudeau, Simon.. 


. ... 535 


Wachenreiter. Dr. Chas. . 


490 


Wing Family 


... 491 


Thiele, Aug-ust 


401 


Wacktler, Conrad 


747 


Wing, George W 


... 493 


Thompson, Rev. H. W 


. ... 472 


Waegli, John 


735 


Wing, Rufus L 


... 492 


Thornton, Mrs. Catherine 


Wagener, N. Arnold 


557 


Winton, C. M 


... 166 


Anna 


. ... 487 


Wagner, William P 


456 


Wirth, Philip M 


... 257 


Thornton, John H 


. ... 487 


Wallner, Fred C 


770 


Wittig, Ferdinand .. 


... 251 


Thornton, Matthias. . 


487 


Walsh, John 


565 


Wob.ser, Albert 


... 628 


Thorp, Rudolph T 


.... 680 


Warner, Orrin, Sr 


687 


Wochos, Wenzel M. . . 


... 613 


Throndson, Andrew.. 


.... 719 


Warren, Albert G 


551 


Wolske, Ernest 


... 770 


Torstenson, Hans 


.... 604 


Warren, William Harrison 


716 


Woolford, William B. 


... 316 


Touhey, James 


157 


Washburn, Leroy M 


563 


Worachek, J. W 


... 610 


Treml, Joseph 


. ... 183 


Watermolen, Henry 


35 


Workman, W. M 


... 216 


Ullsperg-er, Joseph. . . 


.... 627 


Watermolen, John F 


220 


Workman, William.. 


... 155 


Van Abel, Martin .... 


.... 275 


Wattawa, Hon. John 


524 


Wotter, Frederick... . 


... 458 


Van Beek, Martin. ... 


41 


Weber, M 

Weber, Nicholas 


483 
395 


Wotter, H. A.,M. D. . 
Wrabetz, John 


... 458 


Van Calster, Emile.. 


141 


... 745 


Van Denhouten, John 


B.. 641 


Webster, Capt. H. W 


450 


Wunsch, Theodore... 


... 723 


Vanderheiden, Peter. 


. ... 148 


Weis, John 


586 


Yates, John L. V.... 


... 637 


Vauderkinter, Frank. 


. ... 144 


Weise, Albert 


434 


Zettel, Joseph 


... 547 


Vanderkinter, Peter. 


. ... 143 


Weitermann, John 


676 


Zettel, Rudolph 


...643 


Van Deuren, P. J 


. ... 460 


Weitermann, John, Sr... . 


712 


Zimdars, David 


... 201 




A 



05 



JL'??5 



■ ■■'■■ .-r ' )'- .-i:- ■i.'w: ■.<> ■•.'>^'''^'mM 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



016 098 477 6 



^'^:.i;v 



■i >■■,' 




,.■*■." ■ " ■ . ■ '■ J ^ ' ■■■ r " i' ■-■■.,■•*.■ '■ ■ -' ' «.' ' Jr< 

1- ', ■ •\-','.- ■.'• ■■ , ' . ^ . , i*-' *i»'".. ■ - V '.'-'.W.W.', 

•,Cf.^j '.■■?;,'; '■■■ :-^' ';••-•'■:>•:<:' ;^.;;'<'':M^ 

-.■.•'■' ■■■'j.',-. .7 -■ /..■■.. ..•'/, •',,Ly ■./•\v.-.v. .■■■• .i.v .,..'. - , •,* '.-.V i'?.:!?'' 

.■■.v--/V";.v.'M^^^^B>'.--i ■■ < 'I ''"■-'■■.* .-v. ,,v. ■.'>■■':■■/ >.? •,■*- W'S 

.■■■•v v-'y--; ' ■•• '■■' .•>,^■ ■■<■,■."■■..'•.■■••••■■ •v;i>>- '•'''- .■-•,,■,•-' '■•■ •■ ■ ■ ■<•.■.',<.•, ' ."syB 



7^^-:- 









■■ :■■ ■■ ^ \.- :^••''•■• 'fj!^ ::f *-J:5>';: ^: •;?-^:;'-:'^y: 'i-;^^^;'' -''^M^i^ 












;;;y,>v;;;^v,,,::;;v:.;;j:v>,.-^:...v;^ 



